Newly refurbishied the Ulster Hall provides a home venue for the Ulster Orchestra, with Grand Hall, meeting rooms, box office new Café and bar.
The Grand Hall has provided a venue for major boxing champions and stars of music through the Ruby Murray years to punk, dance and beyond. The Grand Opera House has been the Belfast home of great rock music hosting the world début of Stairway to Heaven, by Led Zeppelin, in 1972.
History of the Ulster Hall
From its earliest years The Ulster Hall has played host to famous figures of the age; from Jenny Lind and Caruso to Charles Dickens and John McCormack, from Lord Carson and the Dalai Lama to Barry McGuigan and the Rolling Stones.
During World War II, the Ulster Hall was used extensively as a dance hall providing entertainment for the US troops based in the province.
Mysteriously, a shipment of American white oak planking arrived in Belfast to refurbish the dance floor.
The Carey paintings
To celebrate the civic appointment of the Ulster Hall, Belfast Corporation commissioned a series of 13 oil paintings from JW Carey, in 1902 just after they bought the building.
The Carey paintings are large scale canvases dealing with the history and mythology of the Belfast region and are displayed in a dedicated gallery space within the refurbished hall.
