[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]On the River Lagan, where Belfast Lough opens out into the Irish [PARA]Sea, lies Belfast, the only major city in Northern Ireland. The [PARA]queen of Queen's University was the unamused Queen Vic. The[PARA][ITAL]tasteful [EITAL]University buildings date from her time to ours. The [PARA]University has taken over much of the surrounding prosperous [PARA]Belfast suburb, so that the houses of the nearby genuine [PARA]Victorian terraces are more likely to contain one of the [PARA]University's faculties (or Schools) than genuine Victorians. Given [PARA]the surrounding greenery - many parks and the nearby Botanical [PARA]Gardens - it can be hard to believe that the Belfast city centre is [PARA]only a mile away, with the Shankill and Falls 11/2 mile beyond [PARA]that, although the occasional 60s concrete block might tempt [PARA]Daniel Day Lewis to do his Gerry Conlon impression on the roof.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Belfast has troubles - 'The Troubles', as they call them - but few [PARA]Queen's students take much notice. They insist that life is no [PARA]different from anywhere else in the British Isles, and the nice [PARA]policeman with the machine gun and the flak jacket at the airport [PARA]checkpoint says the same. The Troubles don't encroach on the [PARA]idyllic Queen's campus, but few students from the mainland are [PARA]convinced and [EITAL]only 3% make the easy journey to Belfast, while [PARA]87% of Queen's students are locals and 6% are from the South [PARA]of Ireland. [ITAL]Queen's has a mix of Catholics and Protestant [PARA]students, yet most of the tension on campus is reserved for [PARA]essays and exams rather than sectarianism. The rest is [PARA]reserved for derision of students from [ULNE]Ulster University[EULNE], and [PARA]militant drinking.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]CITY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 500,000[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]The first impression of Belfast city centre is of a collection of [ITAL][PARA]earthy [EITAL]Victorian civic buildings, with a [ITAL]monstrously [EITAL]modern [PARA]shopping centre at its heart. Belfast lies in an [ITAL]attractive [EITAL]bay [PARA]ringed by mountains and when the rain clears [ITAL](twice a year if [PARA]you're lucky)[EITAL], it's quite possible to enjoy the city's gifts: shopping [PARA]malls; supermarkets; the new and 2nd hand bookshops; the [PARA]Ulster Museum on the campus and the banks (mainly Irish). [ITAL]If [PARA]you scratch beneath the surface, however, it's impossible to [PARA]avoid the consequences of The Troubles. The army checkpoints[PARA]and the high bullet-proof walls surrounding potential targets are an[PARA]eyesore to those not used to them. [EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Local trains from Belfast Botanic station run every 30 [PARA]minutes to Belfast Central for under ú1, from where all of [PARA]Ireland's main cities and towns, north and south, are just a [PARA]Northern Ireland Railways' journey away, including Dublin (ú20 [PARA]return), Londonderry, and Coleraine.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Ulster Buses serve most destinations in Northern [PARA]Ireland, but it's somewhat difficult to catch a bus from the British [PARA]mainland. National Express run a Service to London (ú49, [PARA]13:15hrs, 2/day).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] [ITAL]The centre of Belfast is a mess for cars. Why bother?[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Air:[EBOLD] Regular flights from all over the UK mainland and Europe to [PARA]Belfast City and Aldergrove Airports, including London (ú72), [PARA]Birmingham (ú86).[PARA][BOLD]Ferries:[EBOLD] Services to Stranraer, Holyhead and Liverpool on [PARA]mainland Britain and now a fast, new Sea Cat.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Better than most places in the UK, particularly heading [PARA]south or west, but not to the ports or airport.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Local:[EBOLD] Frequent local buses take the 10 mins journey into the city [PARA]centre for 40p. No trip in Belfast costs more than 60p.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] Plenty of taxis and black cabs charging minimum fares of [PARA]ú2. [ITAL]Some are controlled by the various paramilitary organisations,[PARA]and it may be tough to spot which one you get (and thus, where [PARA]they're prepared to take you). Paradoxically, the drivers' sole topic[PARA]of conversation is how peaceful the city is.[EITAL][PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Theft's not a problem, but the weather is dreadful.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Books: 1,080,000 [BULL] Computer workstations: 2,000[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA]The University is [ITAL]well served for computing services[EITAL] with 200 [PARA]PCs for general use and the rest in departments.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 8 [BULL] Unemployed after [PARA]6mths (1992): 7.5%[ESTAT][PARA]There is a high level of unemployment in Northern Ireland, [ITAL]which [PARA]casts an impressive light on the University's employment record[EITAL].[HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]The academic year is made up of 2 semesters of 15 weeks each.[PARA][BULL]The security situation makes it likely that students will be [PARA]stopped and searched at least once in their University careers, [PARA]but conversely, the army, police and terrorists combine to ensure[PARA]that crime is lower than anywhere else in the UK.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Dr John Alderdice (Leader, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland); [PARA]Kenneth Branagh (Kenny, love); James Galway (flautist); [PARA]Seamus Heaney ([ITAL]dead good [EITAL]poet); Bernadette McAliskey (nee [PARA]Devlin, former MP); Dr Brian Mawhinney MP (Con, [ITAL]doesn't like [PARA]sex education[EITAL]); Brian Moore (writer); Iris Murdoch (writer); Trevor [PARA]Ringland (Rugby International); Nick Ross ([ITAL]don't have nightmares[EITAL][PARA]).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads, and SU handbook.[PARA][PARA]
