I am visiting Belfast next summer, I hear it s a great place for festivals and drinking what festivals take place here and when And can you recommend any good pubs

Asks patsymalta

A. You are obviously after a good time during your trip to Belfast! Although Belfast is usually known for the Troubles and the sectarian divide within the city - people often forget that it is also a great place to visit (especially now much of the city is being rejuvenated and the peace process is under way). A great time to visit the city is during a festival, and the city hosts many. These include the following:

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The Belfast Music Festival (March)

St Patrick's Day (17th March) is usually celebrated with a 3-day party leading up to the 17th and is a great time to visit.

Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival (May) - includes comedy, music and street theatre.

Belfast City Summer Festival (May) - is a traditional music festival.

F�ile an Phobail (August) - is a great community festival

Belfast Folk Festival (selected weekends in July and August)

Belfast Festival (August-September) - is a three week arts extravaganza similar to the Edinburgh Festival.

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As for pubs, some of the best in Belfast include the following:

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The Crown Liquor Saloon (Great Victoria St) is the most famous pub in Belfast - it is a traditional Victorian gin palace that is now a National Trust property.

The Kitchen Bar (Victoria Square) is a traditional old bar with live music at the weekends.

The Beaten Docket (Great Victoria St) is the trendiest pub in town, with club nights on Friday and Saturday.

The Empire (Botanic Avenue) is located in an old church and is well known for its live music and comedy.

Other good pubs include Kelly's Cellars, White's Tavern the oldest pub in Belfast (1630), the Morning Star and the Globe Tavern - all found in the Entries.

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Also, check out the Belfast Pub Walking Tours - there are three to choose from and each is escorted by a guide. Each tour lasts approximately two hours and leaves from: NITB Tourist Information Centre, 59 North Street at 2:00pm each Saturday.

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Q. What other places can I visit during my trip -apart from pubs!

A. Some of the best places to visit include the following:

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Linenhall Library (Donegall Square) is the oldest and most famous library in Northern Ireland especially because its political collection holds over 80,000 books and other publications relating to the political troubles since 1966.

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The Golden Mile - is an affluent area full of restaurants, pubs and hotels plus the Grand Opera House and the universities.

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Botanic Gardens: this is a beautiful retreat from the busy city streets. Its Palm House was the first of its kind in the world and is considered the prototype for the grander Palm House at Kew. The Ulster Museum is located within the gardens as is Queen's College (dates back to 1849).

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University Square: is one of the grandest squares in Europe.

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Belfast City Hall: is the largest and most imposing building in the city and cannot be missed, it is located on Donegall Square.

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The Entries: is a group of narrow alleyways off Ann Street and the High Street and is all that remains of old Belfast as much of the city was bombed during WW2. Today it is full of old pubs.

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West Belfast: is best visited by taxi and many taxi drivers specialise in taking tourists around the streets, all providing a potted history of the troubles. A tour will take you to the Catholic Falls Road and Protestant Shankill Road. It is most visited nowadays for its famous murals. The Catholic (Republican) murals first appeared on the Falls Road in 1981 in support of the hunger strikers, the most famous mural being that of hunger striker Bobby Sands. Other murals centre on the potato famine and religious and Celtic imagery. Cross to the Protestant (Loyalist) Shankill Road for more murals - the oldest of which dates back to 1908.

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Art Galleries: there are several impressive galleries in the city, these include: The Arts Council Gallery (Dublin Rd) - contemporary art and bookshop; the Tom Caldwell Gallery (Bradbury Place) and Cavehill Gallery (Old Cavehill Rd)�- are both devoted to living Irish artists; and Crescent Arts Centre (University Rd) - contemporary exhibitions, crafts and ceramics.

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By Karen Anderson