Seaway To Northern Ireland

From the collection of

Northern Ireland Screen's Digital Film Archive
Launched in 2000, Northern Ireland Screen’s Digital Film Archive spans from 1897 to the present day and currently contains an ever-expanding catalogue of 13,000 items. It comprises material from a variety of depositors including feature films, sport, documentaries, animation, amateur footage, light entertainment, and a significant proportion of broadcast material from the UTV Archive.

Seaway To Northern Ireland


Welcome aboard the Ulster Queen; as excited holidaymakers travel from Liverpool to Belfast. From the mythological to modern discover what awaits those who cross the Irish Sea.

Voyage across the Irish Sea with comfort and ease in the magnificent surroundings of the Ulster Queen. Take a spin on the ferry's turntable; let staff attend to your every need while we glimpse the delights that wait on shore. As well as useful travel tips you can enjoy a traditional music session and some tall-tale telling in a Fermanagh pub. Keep an eye out and you might just catch Fionn Mac Cumhaill abandoning his causeway to travel in style.

Built in 1967 by Harland & Wolff Ltd for the Belfast Steamship Company, boutique liner Ulster Queen was, at the time, considered both a practical and rather glamorous means of making the trip from Liverpool to Belfast. However, its life running the night route between the two cities would be shortlived, with the service closing in 1981. Here, though, we can see the vessel in its heyday as a passenger ferry. This film was produced by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. This government department was particularly busy in the mid-1950s to late 1960s, creating films that aimed to sell Northern Ireland as a holiday destination.


Tags