Ulster Hall

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ulster Hall

The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade B1 listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast City Centre, the hall stages concerts, classical recitals and political party's conferences.

Originally built in 1859, the hall's purpose was to give the expanding city of Belfast a multi-purpose venue of sufficient size. Designed by William J Barre, who is also responsible for the Albert Clock, the hall includes one of the oldest examples of a functioning classic English pipe organ. The Mulholland Grand Organ is named in honour of a former Lord Mayor of Belfast, Andrew Mulholland, who donated it to the hall. It was built by William Hill and extensively restored in the late 1970s, to Hill's own original design. Mullholland's great-grandson, Michael Henry Mulholland, 5th Baron Dunleath, oversaw the restoration.

The Ulster Orchestra performing at The Ulster Hall

Until 2005, the adjoining smaller hall was used as the Group Theatre. Controversially, the theatre is to be converted into a bar in 2006. The hall's capacity is 2,000. Despite the opening of larger concert halls such as the Waterfront Hall and the Odyssey in the city, the Ulster Hall is still popular, seen to have much more atmosphere than the newer venues.

The hall is now owned by Belfast City Council. The venue is notable for being the first place in which Led Zeppelin played their iconic song "Stairway to Heaven" on March 5, 1971.