10 Fun facts you probably never knew about Northern Ireland

If you know anything about Northern Ireland, I'm sure it's about our troubled past. Any news ever featured about us in general is very biased favouring one side or the other and always doom and gloom.

While doing some research for this post I found it staggering to find out that over the period, commonly known as "the troubles", over 10,000 bomb attacks occured in Northern Ireland and the UK. Around 1500 people were killed although the majority of this conflict took place in Belfast city.

An estimated 107,000 people experienced some kind of physical injury during this time and during the 1981 hunger strike, armed forces fired somewhere in the region of 30,000 plastic bullets.

Most of this is what we are famous for, yet there are so many more beautiful breathtaking features to Northern Ireland that you never hear about.

Our history, our talented kinsmen/women, our natural beauty and of course our friendly local communities go unnoticed.

We are such a tiny little corner of the globe, most of us refuse to let our troubled past define the beauty of our island home.

Did you know.....

• Northern Ireland is the smallest member of the United Kingdom. 1.8million people approximately compared to 55 million in England alone.

• Physician Sir Hans Sloane, famous for his collections, medical relations and perhaps his most widely appreciated accomplishment the creation of milk chocolate was born in Killyleagh in the 17th Century.

• The titanic was built in belfast. I suppose some would say this might not be a wonderful thing to admit to , but as most of us would agree , it was fine when it left Belfast . An Engineering masterpiece so we are still really proud of her.

• Halloween originated in Northern Ireland. Dressing up in costumes and playing trick or treat is very common for children on 31st October when we celebrate halloween , however this festival was originally called "samhain" in Ireland and was initially a pagan celebration .

• C.S Lewis the creator of the chronicles of Narnia was born in Northern Ireland.

• The Giants Causeway - is a UNESCO (United nations educational, scientific and cultural organisation) heritage site. The area contains 40,000 basalt columns that are interlocking. The site has also been given the status of a national nature reserve since 1987.

• The largest lake in ireland. Lough Neagh has more significance than other sites since its the largest lake in Ireland and the UK. The lake has a total area of 150 square miles. It is also ranked 33rd on the list of the largest European lakes.

• Movie inspiration- The mourne mountains inspired the setting for the chronicles of narnia. The game of thrones has had many episodes shot in northern Ireland in various locations.

• Northern Ireland is home to no less than 40 castles, some dating back 2000 years in the past .

• Belfast's famous Samson and Goliath cranes are the biggest free standing cranes in the world.

I might be biased but I think these are the facts that are more stunning and more beautiful than our checkered past. These facts are what make us unique in the world and what make me proud of my heritage.

Our natural beauty should entice you to come visit rather than our history which makes our visitors a little apprehensive.

xx Lei

EVERY ADVENTURE IS WORTHWHILE - Amelia Earhart