Bangor, Northern Ireland Hotels and Guest Houses

Northern Ireland is home to some of the most interesting towns in the United Kingdom as well as some of the largest. Bangor can claim both of these distinctions and, with a population fast approaching eighty thousand, it is the most populous town in all of Northern Ireland. Much of this has to do with the fact that Bangor is situated on the lovely Belfast Lough. This body of water is world famous for the scenery it provides as well as the vast amount of sailing and other water sports that the Lough is seemingly made especially for. At any rate, Bangor depends on tourism for its main industry and a look at the idyllic town would easily explain why. The coastline of Bangor is drop dead gorgeous and lush, green hills roll all the way up to the edge of the coast where the sand meets the rippling waves. Sadly, many people see Bangor as little more than an extension of Belfast and, though Belfast does count Bangor as part of its greater urban area, Bangor is a town with an identity all its own.

Bangor has been inhabited in some form ever since the Iron Age but most people would say that the town as we know it truly began with the construction of the Bangor Abbey in 555 A.D. In those days the Abbey had no peers in terms of glory and grandeur and people came from all over Ireland and beyond to lay eyes on this most holy of buildings. This wouldn't last too long, however, as Viking raiders began to pillage and plunder the town about fifty years later. The Abbey suffered massive damage but it never crumbled to the ground. Unfortunately, though, the Abbey would never again reach the level of prominence that it once commanded.

After the influence of the Church came the influence of education. Bangor quickly shot through the ranks to become one of the most esteemed towns of higher learning ever created. Before the Middle Ages Bangor was already becoming well known for its superior educational facilities and a saying spread throughout Europe which said that only Irishmen knew Greek anymore. This was due to the exhaustive studies put forth in Bangor. The reputation for higher learning in Bangor flourished and soon industry joined the town with cotton being of particular importance. Soon Bangor was a full-fledged town based on a longstanding tradition of excellence. This wasn't to last, however: Soon the Victorian Era would come and Bangor would be relegated to the role of an extension of the steadily rising Belfast.

Bangor still commands a sizable presence and intelligent Irish people know how important Bangor was, and still is, to the nation. All the same, Bangor can't help but be compared to Belfast due to the proximity of the two large cities. Perhaps now, though, more people will appreciate Bangor for all the fascinating and important events that have occurred in the town since time immemorial.

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The Bangor, Northern Ireland Tourist Board gives comparable information to this page. If you require more information about Bangor, Northern Ireland, you may be able to obtain it from the Bangor, Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

We hope you find suitable Bangor accommodation. You can book cheap hotels, guest houses or Bangor bed and breakfasts from the list above. Enjoy your stay in Bangor hotels.