The luck of the Irish

Belfast is a city that many have associated in the past with political unrest, violence and instability. Now that the tables have turned, the city has come alive with investors and businesses considering their next move. Martin Friel reports on how its insurance market has got back on its feet

For decades, the city of Belfast has been synonymous with violence, strife and disruption but it was not always like this. In common with many of the UK's great cities, Belfast came to prominence in the industrial boom of the 18th and 19th Centuries, through linen and rope production, the tobacco trade, heavy engineering, and, most famously of all, shipbuilding.

However, this thriving economy did not last, and by the 1960s Belfast had slipped into serious economic decline as the industries that