PEOPLE + PLACES

All of our rooms are named after a person of distinction who have a close connection to Belfast & Northern Ireland. This map shows the location of places linked to those great people. Most of the sites are within easy walking distance of the hotel.

A black and white photo of a man singing into a microphone, wearing sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, and a suit.

VAN MORRISON

Van The Man (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer. He's also a talented lyricist. He rose to fame in the 1960's as the lead singer of "Them"

Black and white photo of an elderly man with white hair, beard, and glasses, wearing a suit and tie, sitting in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

JOHN HEWITT

The most significant Irish poet to emerge before the 1960s generation of poets that included Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon and Michael Longley. He was made a Freeman of the City of Belfast in 1983.

Black and white portrait of a man with wavy hair, wearing a luxurious coat with a fur collar, sitting casually with a cane, in a thoughtful pose.

OSCAR WILDE

Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish author, poet and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential dramatists in London in the early 1890s.

A black and white portrait of a person with long, curly hair, wearing traditional formal attire including a white necktie or cravat.

SIR HANS SLOANE

Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753) was born in Killyleagh, Ulster, in the North of Ireland, in relatively modest circumstances as the third son of migrants from Ayrshire in Scotland.

Black and white portrait of a young man with glasses, dark hair, and a serious expression, wearing a dark suit and tie.

W.B. YEATS

WB Yeats is Ireland’s greatest poet and considered by many the finest poet of the twentieth century.

Black and white photo of a man in a suit and tie sitting indoors.

C.S. LEWIS

The celebrated author of The Chronicles of Narnia, who was born and raised in East Belfast. Known for his profound storytelling and Christian apologetics, Lewis’s early life in Belfast deeply shaped his imagination and values.

Black and white portrait of a young man in formal attire, including a jacket, vest, shirt, and tie.

THOMAS ANDREWS

An Irish shipbuilder who was best known for designing the luxury liners Olympic and Titanic.

Black and white portrait of an older man with glasses, white hair, and a serious expression, wearing a dark suit.

THE BRONTE FAMILY

The father of the famous Bronte sisters Patrick, was from Drumballyroney. There is a well signposted 10 mile tour of the Bronte Homeland where you can see the ruins of the family home, the church where Patrick preached and the school where he taught.

Black and white close-up portrait of a young man with curly hair, wearing a collared shirt, outdoors with blurred trees in the background.

SEAMUS HEANEY

An Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

A woman with dark, curly hair smiling, wearing a dress with floral embellishment, standing outdoors with plants in the background.

RUBY MURRAY

Ruby Florence Murray was one of the most popular singers in Britain and Ireland in the 1950s, she scored ten hits in the UK Singles Chart between 1954 and 1959. She also made pop chart history in March 1955 by having five hits in the Top Twenty in a single week.

A woman with short hair smiling while holding a microphone, performing on stage, with a band playing in the background.

A black and white painting of a woman with short hair, wearing a dark coat and a white shirt, posing with her hand on her hip.

OTTILIE PATTERSON

Ottilie Patterson, born in Comber near Belfast in 1932, became one of the most influential blues and jazz singers of the 1950s and 1960s.

WILLIAM CONOR

Was a Belfast-born artist. Celebrated for his warm and sympathetic portrayals of working-class life in Ulster, William Conor studied at the Government School of Design in Belfast in the 1890s.

Black and white photo of an older man with slicked-back hair, wearing a dark turtleneck and zip-up sweater, looking directly at the camera in front of a bookshelf filled with books.

SAMUEL BECKETT

Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator.

Black and white portrait of a man with dark hair, a mustache, and formal clothing, including a bow tie.

SIR JOHN LAVERY

Samuel Barclay Beckett (13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator.

Black and white portrait of a smiling woman with short, curly hair, wearing earrings, a necklace, and a lace dress with a floral pattern, set against a blurred curtain background.

ANGELA LANSBURY

Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury was a British-American-Irish actress and singer. In a career spanning 80 years, she played various roles across film, stage, and television. Although based for much of her life in the United States, her work attracted international attention

Black and white portrait of a man with long, curly hair, wearing formal clothing with a high-collared shirt.

JONATHAN SWIFT

Swift’s classic novel, Gulliver’s Travels, features a giant and it is well known that Swift imagined an outline of a reposing giant on Cavehill as he walked from Carrickfergus into Belfast past Lilliput Farm on the Shore Road.

Nighttime view of two modern buildings with geometric, textured facades illuminated by purple lights against a dark blue sky.

TITANIC MUSEUM

Located beside the Titanic Slipways, the Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and Hamilton Graving Dock – the very place where Titanic was designed, built and launched, Titanic Belfast tells the story of Titanic from her conception, through her construction and launch, to her maiden voyage and subsequent place in history.

CYPRUS AVENUE

Van wrote, “A street in Belfast, a place where there’s a lot of wealth. It wasn’t far from where I was brought up and it was a very different scene.

A large Victorian-style glass greenhouse with a dome roof, surrounded by colorful flower beds, under a partly cloudy sky.

BOTANIC GARDENS

Where Cleavers and neighbouring families spent leisure time. The curved glass of the Victorian glass house preceded Kew Gardens London.

The image shows an illuminated historic building with a large dome and towers, set against a darkening sky, with trees and statues in the foreground.

BELFAST CITY HALL

John Luke’s famous painting in Belfast City Hall portrays Sir Arthur Chichester, the founder of modern Belfast, reading from King James 1st Royal Charter of 1613.

Modern concrete building with large overhangs, steps, and glass windows, adjacent to a historic stone building, against a partly cloudy sky.

ULSTER MUSEUM

A place to inspire wonder, encourage creativity and to understand the importance of our shared humanity.

Large black lion statue made of metal standing outdoors among trees and bushes.

C.S. LEWIS SQUARE

The author is celebrated through many sculptures with a Narnia theme.

The exterior of a pub called 'The John Hewitt' with green signage, gold lettering, and a black awning. A person with brown hair, wearing a green jacket, is standing outside.

JOHN HEWITT PUB

Named after John Hewitt home of craft beer and good music.

A narrow creek flowing through a lush green area with trees and shrubs on both sides, surrounded by a fence.

THE HOLLOW

Brown Eyed Girl is Van Morrison’s most played song and mentions the Hollows in Connswater.

Mountain landscape with fog among the peaks and lush forest in the foreground under a blue sky.

CAVE HILL

Cavehill is a rocky hill overlooking the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is marked by basalt cliffs and caves, and its distinguishing feature is 'Napoleon's Nose’.

A large historic red brick building with towers surrounded by dense green trees, with a residential neighborhood in the background.

CAMPBELL COLLEGE

Becket was a teacher here for a year and lived in the junior school, Ormiston House across the road, now a private residence.

A tall, modern building with a beige facade and large glass windows, partially obscured by green trees, with a blue sky and some clouds in the background.

THE MCCLAY LIBRARY

On the first floor you’ll find a replica of the wardrobe door used in the 2005 feature film The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe leading into the C.S. Lewis Reading Room, which features quotations from the author, a huge lion rug, and a Narnia-themed table.

Two people standing on the stairs outside a modern building with glass walls, illuminated sign, and wooden paneling, possibly entering or exiting.

LYRIC THEATRE