Salmon of Knowledge

Unique and Iconic Landmark! The Big Fish (or Salmon of Knowledge) is an absolutely delightful and quirky piece of public art right by the Lagan River! It's impossible to miss and instantly brings a smile to your face. The detail on the ceramic tiles, depicting scenes from Belfast's history, is fascinating to look at up close. It's a fantastic spot for a unique photo opportunity and adds so much character to the riverfront walk. Definitely worth a stop when exploring Belfast!

The Big Fish is a cool and quirky sculpture right by the River Lagan. It’s covered in beautiful ceramic tiles that tell bits of Belfast’s history. Great for a quick visit and photo stop if you’re exploring the city center or Titanic Quarter. Kids and adults alike will enjoy spotting all the details.

"The Big Fish," also affectionately known as the "Salmon of Knowledge." It's a hugely important and iconic landmark in Belfast for several reasons. Commissioned in 1999, The Big Fish was created to celebrate the regeneration of the River Lagan and the surrounding Donegall Quay area. Its location at the confluence of the River Farset (which Belfast is named after) and the River Lagan further emphasizes the city's deep historical connection to its waterways and maritime past. It represents a forward-looking Belfast while acknowledging its roots. One of the most fascinating aspects of The Big Fish is its unique "skin." It's covered in over 2,000 ceramic tiles, each decorated with texts and images that tell a story about Belfast's history. These include everything from Tudor times to present-day newspaper headlines, industrial scenes (like Harland and Wolff, the shipbuilders of the Titanic), and contributions from Belfast schoolchildren. It's essentially a giant, interactive history book for the city. The sculpture is also known as the "Salmon of Knowledge," referencing an ancient Irish legend from the Fenian Cycle. In this myth, a salmon gains all the knowledge in the world, and the first person to eat its flesh will also gain that wisdom. This mythical connection adds a layer of cultural depth and storytelling to the artwork. The Big Fish is a prominent landmark and Tourist Attraction in Belfast. Its striking appearance and central location on Donegall Quay make it a frequent stop for tourists and a popular spot for photos. Its image often appears on tourism materials for Belfast and Northern Ireland. To summarise The Big Fish is much more than just a large stone sculpture. It's a multifaceted symbol representing Belfast's regeneration, its rich maritime history, its connection to ancient Irish folklore, and its vibrant artistic spirit.

Pleasant walk through Belfast. Nice spot to sit. Heard that if you kiss the fish you'll gain wisdom, but perhaps it's just the wisdom not to go around kissing public art.

The Big Fish changed my life. I came expecting a quirky public artwork — I left spiritually moved. This beautiful ceramic mosaic salmon sits gracefully by the River Lagan, covered in tiles that tell the story of Belfast’s rich history. It’s more than just a sculpture — it’s a symbol of resilience, transformation, and cultural pride. Plus, the view from the waterfront is stunning. Whether you’re an art lover, a history buff, or just someone in need of inspiration, don’t miss this iconic masterpiece. 10/10 would be emotionally awakened by a fish again.

I love this sculpture. It is 33 feet long, beautifully decorated, and just makes you happy. The sculpute is accessible to people who use a wheelchair.

Every knows if you say meet at the Big Fish where to go. A modern and beautiful icon and symbolic of the new Belfast.

Fun, free tourist attraction. Apparently you're supposed to kiss the fish to gain his magical knowledge.

If you were looking for a seafood restaurant, this isn't it. The Big Fish is a 33 foot long statue that was unveiled in 1999. By artist John Kindness, the scales of this fish are ceramic tiles that are decorated with text and pictures of the history of Belfast along with some drawings by local schoolchildren. It's a tremendous photo opportunity and much like the nearby Albert Memorial Clock, it is a symbol of the city. [Review 1914 of 2024 - 891 in United Kingdom - 22936 overall]

The 33 feet statue was constructed in 1999. The ceramic tiles of the fish is decorated with text and images about the history of Belfast. It's a great piece of public art.

Big Fish sculpture is fantastic. As more art should be it's cheerful, quirky, interesting, bright and fun. A simple yet intriguing piece created by Belfast artist John Kindness in 1999 to celebrate the regeneration of Lagan area. An epic sculpture from afar, being 10 meters in length, with much more detail to reveal on closer inspection. From a distance Big Fish is eye catching but it's even better close up when you can see clearly how each mosaic scale displays a story relating to the history of Belfast. I think Big Fish mesmerising and a superb tribute to both nature and Belfast. Most importantly though it makes me smile and lifts my spirit when I see it. One of my favourite public art pieces in Belfast and one with a definite sense of humour and life to it.

This awesome sculpture is near the mouth of the river Lagan and en route to the Titanic exhibition. Local legend has it if you kiss the mouth of the fish, it will give you wisdom. What's cool is that from a distance, it looks like a unified whole, but then as you get closer you realize each scale is an a Mosiac pattern and each piece has an amazing bit of local Belfast history. Our tour guide pointed out some of the more colourful characters, including the portrait of a man who worked for Al Capone! There's news paper articles, photos, drawings, ephemera and the fish scales just beautifully illustrate all the good, bad, sad events and people that this city has given rise to. It's a pity however, that there's no plaque nearby to enhance visitors understanding of the people and events the scales depict -while some are easy to decipher, e.g. Home rule or Titanic menu, other need more local knowledge so we were lucky we had a tour guide with us who went in more depth. This is located just half a block away from the Lady of Hope sculpture and so I also liked the contrast of styles and feel as the lady feels very light and airy while the fish is more grounded and earthy. Loved it! Note: #229 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016

If you're looking for a great photo opportunity The Big Fish is just that! The artistic sculpture is well maintained and make more a great creative addition to your photo album of Ireland. If you're in the area, swing by and show The Big Fish some love!

It's big, it's blue, it's a fish! Aside from stating the obvious, the fish is actually covered in pictures and text depicting the history of Belfast, so you could spend a good while just "reading" the fish. My only gripes are that the fish itself doesn't look particularly happy, and that there's a near constant stream of people getting pictures of themselves astride it, Slim Pickens style. In short it's an engaging piece of public art, such a vast change from that hideous monstrosity in Cornmarket.

The Big Fish is public art. Most people turn their noses up at the mention of "art" and even those who like art turn their noses up at the idea of "public art". However, the Big Fish is some of the finest public art and is representative of so many different parts of Belfast. The 10ft salmon ceramic mosiac is made up of images representing Belfast hundreds of years ago with pictures of Belfast streets in Tudor times, right up to the modern day newspapers, complete with images that Belfast school children thought were representative of what it was like to be from Belfast. The fish was funded by the National Lottery and is located next to the Lagan, and if you were not looking for it, chances are you would probably never come across it. Inside of the mosiac are "time-capsule" information which could be opened hundreds of years down the line and give a glimpse into the arts and entertainment of Belfast. Designed by Northern Ireland's very own John Kindness before the turn of the millenium, it is a great piece of art and is well worth a visit whether you are a tourist or have lived in Belfast your whole life.

This is a wonderful ceramic sculpture (about ten metres/32 feet long) by John Kindness from Belfast, which was created in 1999 and covered with with fascinating images on the tiles relating to local history. I believe the work was commissioned to celebrate the regeneration of the River Lagan and it contains a time capsule as well. It's definitely something to visit when walking on the lovely Waterfront! (There is another of John Kindness' sculptures to be found in the bus station as well - his 'Waterfall of Souvenirs')

The Big Fish is a great photo opportunity on the banks of the River Lagan, you can pose next to the fish, give the fish a kiss, pretend to catch the fish, have a fish selfie or just your standard pose next to the fish. If you are a tourist visiting Belfast I would definitely visit the Big Fish, not only is it a great photo opportunity but it is a short walk from the Odyssey Arena and the SS Nomadic which are also great tourist destinations.

This sculpture always draws a giggle out of me as its a "big blue mosaic fish" beside the river, is larger than life and locals and tourists love it!!! It's part of the landscape now.

The Big Fish is to be found on Donegall Quay, Belfast and was commissioned to celebrate the regeneration of the River Lagan. It's (surprise, surprise) a big fish. Ten metres long. The exterior was made from printed ceramic mosaic tiles and was designed by John Kindness in 1991. The tiles were decorated by local Primary Schools and consist of pictures and stories about Belfast's history. The pictures were donated by Everton Day Centre, Glenwood Primary School and St Comgalls. Inside the Big Fish there is also a time capsule which stores various pieces of poetry, pictures and information about Belfast. It's pleasant enough to look out, if not a totally insprind idea. It's also a handy meeting point for people about town. "Meet you where? Big Fish? ...No bawh mate!"

What's wrong with the Big Fish? As a piece of artwork, I actually really like it. Ok, it does have a bit of a stupid face, but...well...all fish have stupid faces, don't they? Plus, I think it represents Belfast really well, and compared to some of the other public art that has sprung up in recent years, The Big Fish stands ina league of its own. It's instantly recognisable as a landmark, and is a really useful place to order a taxi from if you've been at the Odyssey or in McHughs!

This fish is so random but is a good place to arrange to meet or to take a few pics of. Also if u have family or friends visiting NI its worth stopping off to have a wee look at/

I've always liked the big fish and it makes a very scenic spot in the evenings with the lighting across the foot bridge

this fish is random but is looks good and there are always visitors getting pictures took with it.