The Odyssey

The SSE Arena is owned by the Odyssey Trust Company.  The complex originated in 1992 and opened in December 2000. The complex consists of: a multipurpose arena, science centre and shopping centre. The shopping centre houses a movie theatre and…

Durham Street TB Institute, 89 Durham St

Tuberculosis (TB) was a major killer in late 19th century and early 20th century Belfast. In the early 1900s an epidemic of the disease led to 13,000 deaths in Ireland. TB is caused by a bacterium called mycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria…

The case of the missing head of Queen Victoria’s daughter.

On the outbreak of the Great War on 4 August 1914, the former Robinson and Cleaver department store building on Donegall Square, opposite the City Hall, was subject to anti-German vandalism by a Germanophobic mob. If you look between the…

Sustrans Portrait Bench

The three steel cut-out figures represent a shipyard worker who helped build the Nomadic, a French waiter who served on the Nomadic and Charlie Chaplin, possibly her most famous passenger. This sculpture was erected as part of the Sustrans Portrait…

Statue to Sir Daniel Dixon, Belfast City Hall Gardens

Sir Daniel Dixon was seven times Chief Magistrate, Chairman of the Harbour Board and Lord Mayor of Belfast in 1892-1893, 1901-1903 and 1905-1906. This memorial was unveiled in 1910. Do you want to learn more about the history of Belfast?…

Statue to R J McMordie, Belfast City Hall Gardens

Unveiled in 1919, this statue is to R.J. McMordie, Lord Mayor of Belfast from 1910 to 1914. He served as MP for Belfast East and his wife Julia McMordie, was one of two women elected to the first Parliament of…

Statue of Sir James Haslett, Belfast City Hall Gardens

Sir James Haslett was Mayor of Belfast from 1887-1888. The statue was unveiled in 1909 and was sculpted by Frederick W Pomeroy. Haslett was educated at Inst and became a successful chemist and druggist. Do you want to learn more…

Statue of Sir Edward Harland, Belfast City Hall Gardens

The statue by Thomas Brock was unveiled in 1903. Edward Harland was the founder of the Harland and Wolff shipyard. He was also the Mayor of Belfast from 1885 until 1886 and MP for North Belfast from 1889 until his…

St Patrick’s Catholic Church, Donegall Street

The current replaced a previous St Patrick’s Church built between 1810 and 1812. The new and current church was built in the Gothic Revival Church and erected in the mid-1870s. It features a gable rose window, red sandstone with limestone…

St Mary’s Church, Chapel Lane  

St. Mary’s Church was opened in 1784. At the time, it was the only Roman Catholic church in the then town of Belfast and the census of 1782 recorded only 365 Catholics living in Belfast city. It was funded by…