Northern Ireland - Culture - Art - About the UK - British Council

Northern Ireland Culture

For culture vultures, Northern Ireland has a great selection of art galleries and museums, plus a full calendar of special exhibitions and festivals.

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Northern Ireland's National Flower

The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. This flower is related to an Irish tale of St. Patrick.

The Saint Patrick's Festival

The Armagh Down Saint Patrick's Festival is the largest celebration of Irish people's patron saint held in Northern Ireland. The ancient counties were the cradle of the local Christian culture, now known as Saint Patrick's Country.

Ballyclare May Festival & Horse Fair

The Ballyclare May Festival is a local custom dating back to 1756. Once a fertility festival, it is still the occasion for young girls to dress up in their finest and dance around the May Pole to traditional Irish music.

Twelfth of July Celebrations

Every year the Protestant/Loyalist/Unionist community throughout Northern Ireland commemorates the victory of King William of Orange over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Oul' Lammas Fair

The Lammas Fair, or ‘the Oul' Lammas Fair’, takes place on the last Monday and Tuesday in August，in Ballycastle Northern Ireland.

Traditional Costume & Oyster Festival

The Oyster Festival at Hillsborough's Plough Inn attracts around 15,000 visitors to the pretty Georgian village for a weekend of slippery shenanigans.