Smyth’s Irish Linens

If you’re a tourist and mad to take home a piece of fair aul Ireland than take home a pint of Guiness! Seriously, you’d be better off than buying into this twee crap which is probably made in China anyway.
These type of shops always make me cringe– no it is not the norm for Irish schoolchildren to write with a pencil with a plastic leprechaun on top of it!
But then again you gotta keep the tourists happy and they lap this stuff up. They sell Aran jumpers, irish linen and all manor of tacky trinkets. We’ve a lot to blame Darby O’Gill for!

This place has been in Belfast longer than the Lagan, or so it feels.
An emporium for Irish Linen — not a thing I desire or would ever purchase but there must be a demand because according to the shop keeper they sell ‘a fair whack’ of it.
I just love the green green greenness of the entire place — the Irish tunes beating out and the shamrock, Guiness and leprechaun overload you experience that you feel when you walk in.
I also like it as it has that quaint feel of real tradition to it — you know that this place was selling all things Irish before Carroll’s was even dreamt up — an the independence of it — all the big Irish cities have a Carrolls now but only Belafst has Smith Irish Linens!

Belfast was once well known for it’s production of linen and this shop is a last reminder of this. Hugely popular with tourists this place sports a host of linen, Guinness memorabilia and basically any and every cliché of irishness. It’s like a leprechauns playing ground. Not that this is a bad thing, as it’s nice to see the tourists back in Northern Ireland and places like this really emphasise this fact. So if you’re over on a visit, or have friends coming to stay from afar, don’t miss out a trip in here because who doesn’t like a bit of irishness to take home. From leprechaun hats, toys, shalaylees, magnets, glasses, cards, old sayin’s, keyrings… you get the picture!

There is something vaguely comical about these Irish shops, Smyth’s sell lots of traditional Irish linen (all very twee and something you’d find in a small bed and breakfast in Galway) but I’m more intrigued with the overload of green trinkets and Guinness items.
This is what the tourists want to see and where many of the get their little shalaylees, toy leprechauns (I say to add more zest and colour to this the first time I typed this sentence I ended up writing lepers instead of leprechauns, I think even though we are a nation sometimes slightly behind the times we’ve managed to get leprosy out of the way)
It’s twee but if you do need the obligatory Irish tomfoolery then go here.

Part gift shop, part linen emporium, and part Irish touristy place this unique little shop has been proudly trading on Royal Ave for many many years now.
I suppose the big attraction is for visitors to the city to be able to take home some of the linen that Belfast (and NI) was once so famous for. The linen goods are varied and priced right across the range so you can keep it cheap by getting the ‘drinks coasters’ or go all out on some of the larger tablecloths.
There is also the usual branded Guinness mugs/​shirts etc and a load of crystal and postcards, comedy leprechauns and the like. For me I don’t mind this shop as it seems a bit more classy than the other ‘Irish’ themed gift shops in town.
Pros: Quality linens.
Cons: Do you really want to pay that for a leprechaun hat?

Being small and ginger I tend to stay away from Irish themed shops, just in case a tourist happens to shout, «hey, it’s a real life leprechaun!» But recently when friends were visiting from the mainland I was forced to enter Smyth’s Irish Linens, it had a wide variety of Irish themed goods, you know the usual Guinness key rings, shamrock tea towels and four leafed clover bookmarks.
This shop far from sums up Belfast or even Northern Ireland, it merely plays in to all the stereotypes associated with our fine country. Okay maybe I am just bitter because they are all after my pot of gold.
But in all honesty if I was visiting Belfast I would make an effort to see the beautiful architecture and the many monuments rather than sifting through souvenirs in Smyth’s Irish linen.
I suppose on a positive note the shop serves a purpose in attracting tourists and selling tickets for Belfast Bus tours but I am afraid it is just not my cup of tea (wait is that another stereotype).

Aah ye olde pet hate… Gift Shops
I have already exploded with rage at another ‘Irish-​themed’ giftshop in Belfast so this one was guaranteed to see me turn ‘traditional Hulk-​green’ and trash it… Obviously.
Yet as I left it, I looked behind for one last glimpse at my trail of destruction, I noticed I hadn’t really smashed a thing. I couldn’t work out why I didn’t destroy this shop. And then after many pints of beer, it clicked with me. It is a TRADITIONAL gift shop. It actually has its roots pretty firmly set in Belfast. It sells Linen, like the proper stuff. It has a tourist centre and leaflets to help people learn more about Belfast. It is not a ‘chain-​store’ gift shop which is designed to sell everything green and remotely steretyped. It is trying to get you an actual memory of Belfast.
Yes of course it’s got your wee gifts that you can get anywhere. But it also has proper Belfast stuff and yes I’m never going to buy anything out of it, I still call in because it is at the same time a breath of fresh air and a true reflection of Belfast all at once

I don’t get the craze about Linen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the first to buy the stock pair of white linen wide leg trousers every summer, and I think it’s a lovely quality material (if damned hard to keep crease free!) People seem to go mad for Irish Linen, of course this being due to the massive Linen Industry and Trade that took place in Northern Ireland for many years, and we seem to have held onto it as a matter of historical significance and of course, tourism. Smyth’s is a good place for tourists to go to actually, they can get their linen fix, stock up on random souvenirs and gifts that say things like ‘The luck ‘o’ the Irish’ on them and all sorts of other ‘Irishy’ bits and pieces. It’s blarney heaven.

Belfast and Northern Ireland is renowned for its Linen industry, and Smyth’s is one of only a few reminders of this wonderful heritage. There is a fine array of linen for purchase, such as table clothes and tea towels, which is very popular with the tourists.
However, Smyth’s is more than a one trick pony. It doubles up as a tourist information centre, providing leaflets on attractions in Belfast and Northern Ireland, as well as serving as a ticket outlet for the likes of the bus tours.
It’s decidedly Irish flavour means that Guinness gifts, Irish clothing (including those fluffy Aran jumpers) and shamrock souvenirs are all the rage. There are even Irish name bookmarks (first name and surname) available… you never know where your heritage may lie! Half price prints of famous attractions in Belfast would make lovely gifts, and the well-​known Belleek pottery is also sold in Smyth’s.
Excellent base for tourists. Or those who just want a little something from Belfast.