Belfast was always in the news when I was growing up, but never for good reasons. So when I first visited the city in 2012 while doing interviews for my documentary Hillsborough, I had a pleasant surprise. On the drive from George Best airport, you see a 21st-century city – the regenerated Titanic Quarter with the brilliant new museum, the Waterfront Hall and the Odyssey centre. And, of course, the historic Samsom and Goliath cranes from the Harland & Wolff shipyard.
I made several trips to Belfast during the making of Hillsborough. There were protests over the removal of the union flag from Belfast City Hall, and I have never been anywhere with so many national flags on display, except maybe Brazil in the last World Cup.
In 2014 I was commissioned to make a George Best documentary. So my visits to Belfast seemed to roll over from one project to another. This local boy was the first football superstar: wherever you go, you find people who talk about him, who have a story about him.
Occasionally you’ll come across a mural depicting Best, based on one of the famous photos. On Sandy Row, you’ll find him in his Manchester United strip, he’s also at Linfield’s football ground off the Lisburn Road, and in east Belfast’s Cregagh Estate, where he grew up. In certain football pubs, especially near Windsor Park, his framed photos dominate the walls. If you want a good pre-match experience, head to Ryan’s on Lisburn Road or Laverys in Bradbury Place; or, for the ultimate one, the South Belfast Northern Ireland Supporters Club on Shaftesbury Square.
His childhood home at 16 Burren Way is open to the public. It’s also listed on Airbnb – which, I have to say, I find a little strange. It’s a typical three-bedroom terraced house on an east Belfast council estate, recreated in period style. George’s room has been restored to how it would have looked in the 1950s, with memorabilia from his childhood. Dotted around the house are family portraits, images from his football career, and old school reports and letters donated by the Best family.
It was from this house that Best’s funeral procession made its way to Roselawn Cemetery. When I visited his grave, it was a grey, drizzly morning and there was no one else there. The headstone commemorates the passing of George, his dad Dickie and his mum Anne. There are a few pieces of memorabilia left by fans.
My documentary begins with Best leaving Belfast for Manchester, aged 15. He never returned, except for fleeting visits and then for a year late in his life. This was before the Troubles, and the open conflict that existed when I was growing up. But my overwhelming experience of Belfast has been one of tremendous warmth and friendliness. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and everyone is hospitable.
I’ve just discovered the Holywood area, overlooking Belfast Lough on the road out to Bangor in County Down. A lot of wealthy merchants built big houses out here, and I’ve been staying in a beautiful Victorian guesthouse called Rayanne House. One taxi driver described Holywood as “quaint”, so I guess you can picture it.
Holywood is where Rory McIlroy plays his golf. But I found the Ulster Way and walked along the coastline away from Belfast. Typically, what began as blue sky and sunshine ended with a gale and driving rain – refreshing and stimulating, but also exhausting. The idea for the Ulster Way came from Wilfrid Capper, who in 1946 had the inspiration to create a circular walking route taking in the six counties of Northern Ireland. At 665 miles, it’s one of the longest waymarked trails in Britain and Ireland.
In Holywood itself, I’m obsessed with the homemade soups at Loganberry Cafe. Just don’t tell my mates back home that I’m addicted to their goat’s cheese, roasted beetroot and walnut salads – they’ll think I’ve gone all Holywood on them.
• Dan Gordon is the director of George Best: All by Himself, which will screen at the BFI London Film Festival on 16 October
