Northern Ireland sometimes gets neglected in favour of the Celtic tiger lying to the south, but with a third of the population under 25, it’s the perfect place for freewheeling backpackers to visit.

It has spectacular hiking, wild beaches and raucous pubs, but also a political and historical scene that will send you away with a new perspective of the world.

So pack up your troubles and experience the Irish part of the United Kingdom for a couple of weeks.

Week One: Belfast to Londonderry

Belfast has two airports, both of which offer easy bus access into the city centre.

You can also come in by ferry from Liverpool or Cairnryan from just €27.

Check into the Belfast International Youth Hostel and you’ll be paying about €15 for a town centre bed; the adjacent Causeway Café will set you up with a Belfast fry-up that will get the day started in classic fashion. And you’ll need the energy because there is a ton of stuff to do in Belfast.

Start with the Belfast Hills; they provide a wild backdrop to this thriving urban area and a hike around Cavehill, Divis and Blackmountain will give you wraparound views of the city and help you to get your bearings.

Back at sea level, the harbour area is where the Titanic was built and cranes still loom in the sky. Discover more about the legend at Titanic Belfast, where nine galleries cover everything from the ship’s inception to her tragic sinking in 1912.

Stay on the maritime theme with the free Ulster Museum, where you’ll find the famous collection of gold and silver jewellery from the Spanish Armada ship Girona, wrecked in 1588 and recovered by divers 380 years later.

Another free attraction is the Belfast Botanic Garden, a public park with a fabulous rose garden and a grove of rare oaks.

You can’t visit Belfast without delving into Northern Ireland’s sectarian history.

Start off with a black taxi tour (€40 for 90 minutes) or take a local bus and walk to see the many political murals in West Belfast, a key battleground of the Troubles.

The Catholic Falls Road and Protestant Shankill Road were particular flash points for violence, riots and bombings; the 12-metre high Cupar Way ‘peace wall’ now divides them, a visually brutal reminder that the uneasy truce there still needs some concrete reinforcements.

You can contemplate the blessings of that peace over afternoon tea (€30) in the iconic Piano Lounge of the Europa Hotel, or, if you’re skint, over a pint.

The Europa made depressing headlines in the 1980s for being the most bombed hotel in Europe with 28 attacks, but its continued existence after a major refurbishment is a testament to how far Northern Ireland has come.

If you want a more lively music venue, try Robinson’s Bar instead; there’s free folk and traditional music nightly.

You’ll move from city affairs to rural fairy tales now as you take a bus along the coast road through the nine Glens of Antrim, meandering through ancient villages with stunning views until the road peaks at the Giant's Causeway on the North Antrim coast.

Thousands of six-sided basalt columns rear up out of the ocean at this amazing volcanic formation, and Irish folklore has it that the Irish giant Fionn MacCumhain built it in a fury after a Scottish giant belittled his fighting skills; he left his boot and wishing chair behind in the stone.

Decide for yourself whether Mother Nature or a giant’s hand is at work there, but don’t miss it.

The hardy can take a challenging coastal hike in this area, but there’s a stroll for every ability. Get a green discount at the National Trust Visitor Centre for using public transport (€12 for adults).

Accommodation can be found at the Portrush Holiday Hostel, where four people can share a beach cabin from around €22 each or you can take dorm beds from around €20 at the Finn McCool’s Giant's Causeway Hostel, which is just 200 metres away and provides hot breakfast too.

Next stop is the walled city of Londonderry, also known as Derry, which was European City of Culture in 2013.

It’s a rocking, modern city with an ancient history, founded in AD546, with the walls completed in 1688 to keep out marauding Irish chieftains.

In World War II, 20,000 soldiers from all over the world were stationed there, and this port still has important naval links.

Explore its chequered past by visiting some of its key attractions, from the Craft Village, which covers the 18th and 19th centuries, to the Tower Museum and Museum of Free Derry.

Londonderry/Derry also boasts a spanking new Peace Bridge, which sweeps over the river Foyle, linking the renovated Guildhall Square to a new performance space at Ebrington and the largest public artwork in Ireland, Mute Meadows, made up of columns that reflect and refract natural light.

For backpacker accommodation, victuals and tours, try Paddy’s Palace, where the cost of a dorm bed comes in at around €18.80, including breakfast.

Sing-a-longs are practically mandatory and you can try the classic game of hurling off the gable wall of the hostel.

They are also part of the Paddywagon circuit, small minibuses of independent travellers that shuttle between hostels, so if transport is proving a hassle, this is the place to go.

Week Two: Tyrone to the Lakelands

Unless you hire a car, public transport might start to get a little challenging to some of these destinations, so consider booking a tour with www.paddywagon.com. A four-day adventure starts at €189.

Decide for yourself whether Mother Nature or a giant is responsible for creating the causeway – but don’t miss seeing it

Alternatively, www.shamrockeradventures.com has longer tours, which take in the southern part of the island. You could also consider booking a camper van with www.causewaycampers.com. Rates start at €340 for three nights with a two-berth van.

However you travel, it’s time to tear yourself away from the craic at Paddy’s and head south to County Tyrone.

Discover the Neolithic Beaghmore Stone Circles, found in the 1940s by peat cutters, seven circles in all, each with an associated cairn linked by a stone row.

Some researchers think that the remnants of field-fences predate the ritual structures and that the circles might have been a hopeless attempt to restore fertility to the soil.

Near Newtownstewart, you’ll also find Harry Avery’s Castle.

Built in 1320 by a local chieftain, its striking double towers brood over the entrance gate.

If you’re not on two wheels already, now would also be a good time to hire a bike.

The Sperrins mountain range has 12 circular signposted routes to choose from, ranging from 17 to 66 kilometres.

See www.discovernorthernireland.com for a list of rental agents and routes.

Heading further south, you’ll reach the Fermanagh Lakelands, named after a Celtic tribe that settled here.

The double lakes of Upper and Lower Lough Erne cover one-third of the county, perfect for island-hopping, cruising, canoeing and other waterbound activities.

July is a great time to go; you’ll catch the Lady of the Lake Festival in Irvinestown.

Allegedly, this Lady, wreathed in mist, crosses the lake with a garland of wild flowers once a year, an oracle of happy times ahead.

The county is also littered with evidence of the Celts; Boa Island has perhaps the best pagan stone idols in the region.

The two Janus figures standing back to back were the inspiration for Seamus Heaney’s poem, January God, which begins: “Then I found a two-faced stone/On burial ground”.

The east face has a carved penis while the west face is female; their hair is interlaced.

You need to save time for the Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. Book in advance, as it gets busy.

Inside, there’s a subterranean wonder world of waterfalls, rivers, twisting passages and arching chambers with dozens of strange formations throughout. Admission is €12, or €8 for students.

If you’re a Game of Thrones fan, Pollnagollum Cave in this area was used as Beric Dondarrion’s hideout in season three, and is worth a visit in its own right.

It’s name means ‘hole of doves’ and the waterfall tumbling over the cave entrance can turn into an impressive torrent during rainy weather.

Press on afterwards to Armagh, where St Patrick’s Walking Trail starts at the Navan Centre and winds through 132 kilometres of Christian heritage, ending at the saint’s grave in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick.

Even a small portion of the route is fun to do, as you’ll find yourself walking with pilgrims from all over the world.

Prices at the Armagh City Hostel start from €26 for a dorm bed.

Hit the water again at Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland’s first marine nature reserve and the largest inlet in the British Isles.

Close by, you can visit Delamont Country Park to see the Strangford Stone, the largest megalith in Ireland and Britain, or head to Castle Espie Wetland Centre to see native water birds and wildlife.

You can also strike out on the water, with a canoe adventure.

There is a list of great options at www.canoeni.com, such as the two-day trip offered by www.outdoorconcepts.co.uk; you’ll learn new skills as you paddle past islands, setting up camp and cooking dinner together in the great outdoors. It costs €170.

To relax afterwards, visit Millisle Beach Park, a rural beach on the coastal Ards Peninsula with a 150-metre golden sand beach and a seawater lagoon perfect for swimming.

A kitesurfing school (get details at www.nikitesurfing.com) there offers lessons for beginners from around €80 and you can also rent stand-up paddleboards.

From there, and perhaps in a state of collapse after all that exercise, it’s just a short hop back to Belfast and a restorative Guinness in Belfast’s favourite bar, the John Hewitt on Donegall Street.