[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA]On the River Lagan, where Belfast Lough opens out into the Irish Sea, lies Belfast, the only major city in Northern Ireland. The queen of Queen's University was the unamused Queen Vic. The [ITAL]tasteful [EITAL]University buildings date from her time to ours. The University has taken over much of the surrounding prosperous Belfast suburb, so that the houses of the nearby genuine Victorian terraces are more likely to contain one of the University's faculties (or Schools) than genuine Victorians. Given the surrounding greenery - many parks and the nearby Botanical Gardens - it can be hard to believe that the Belfast city centre is only a mile away, with the Shankill and Falls 11/2 mile beyond that, although the occasional 60s concrete block might tempt 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 Queen's students take much notice. They insist that life is no different from anywhere else in the British Isles, and the nice policeman with the machine gun and the flak jacket at the airport checkpoint says the same. The Troubles don't encroach on the idyllic Queen's campus, but few students from the mainland are convinced and [EITAL]only 3% make the easy journey to Belfast, while 87% of Queen's students are locals and 6% are from the South of Ireland. [ITAL]Queen's has a mix of Catholics and Protestant students, yet most of the tension on campus is reserved for essays and exams rather than sectarianism. The rest is reserved for derision of students from [ULNE]Ulster University[EULNE], and 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]earthy [EITAL]Victorian civic buildings, with a [ITAL]monstrously [EITAL]modern shopping centre at its heart. Belfast lies in an [ITAL]attractive [EITAL]bay ringed by mountains and when the rain clears [ITAL](twice a year if you're lucky)[EITAL], it's quite possible to enjoy the city's gifts: shopping malls; supermarkets; the new and 2nd hand bookshops; the Ulster Museum on the campus and the banks (mainly Irish). [ITAL]If you scratch beneath the surface, however, it's impossible to avoid the consequences of The Troubles. The army checkpoints and the high bullet-proof walls surrounding potential targets are an eyesore to those not used to them. [EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains:[EBOLD] Local trains from Belfast Botanic station run every 30 minutes to Belfast Central for under ú1, from where all of Ireland's main cities and towns, north and south, are just a Northern Ireland Railways' journey away, including Dublin (ú20 return), Londonderry, and Coleraine.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches:[EBOLD] Ulster Buses serve most destinations in Northern Ireland, but it's somewhat difficult to catch a bus from the British mainland. National Express run a Service to London (ú49, 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 Belfast City and Aldergrove Airports, including London (ú72), Birmingham (ú86).[PARA][BOLD]Ferries:[EBOLD] Services to Stranraer, Holyhead and Liverpool on mainland Britain and now a fast, new Sea Cat.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Better than most places in the UK, particularly heading 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 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 ú2. [ITAL]Some are controlled by the various paramilitary organisations, and it may be tough to spot which one you get (and thus, where they're prepared to take you). Paradoxically, the drivers' sole topic 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 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 6mths (1992): 7.5%[ESTAT][PARA]There is a high level of unemployment in Northern Ireland, [ITAL]which 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 stopped and searched at least once in their University careers, but conversely, the army, police and terrorists combine to ensure that crime is lower than anywhere else in the UK.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]Dr John Alderdice (Leader, Alliance Party of Northern Ireland); Kenneth Branagh (Kenny, love); James Galway (flautist); Seamus Heaney ([ITAL]dead good [EITAL]poet); Bernadette McAliskey (nee Devlin, former MP); Dr Brian Mawhinney MP (Con, [ITAL]doesn't like sex education[EITAL]); Brian Moore (writer); Iris Murdoch (writer); Trevor Ringland (Rugby International); Nick Ross ([ITAL]don't have nightmares[EITAL]).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads, and SU handbook.[PARA][PARA]
