Religion and Spirituality in Belfast, Northern Ireland

To live in Belfast, one must be acutely aware of the delicate nature of cultural identity which is so inextricably connected to almost every aspect of life here. For example, someone who is Belfast born-and-bred can make a reasonable guess at someone’s religion from the newspaper that they read or the way in which they pronounce the letter ‘H’. It is therefore important to consider how your actions and words could be interpreted by different members of the community and ensure that no offense is caused to anyone. Another example of this is the contentious matter of whether to refer to the city of Derry (as nationalists call it) or Londonderry (which is the title preferred by those from a unionist background).