Flyer now done for my Blitz tours
Flyer produced this morning for the tours. Information here for those who are interested:
Samson and Goliath, Harland and Wolff Cranes
The two great canary yellow-painted gantry cranes are icons of the Belfast city skyline are known as Samson and Goliath. Goliath is the smaller crane measuring 96m (315ft) high began work in 1969 and Samson, the larger at 106m (348ft),…
Podcast with historian Dr Brian Feeney
On the Western Front Association’s Mentioned in Dispatches podcast that I present, I recorded an interesting interview relevant to the history of Belfast. I talk to historian and author Brian Feeney about his latest book, Antrim and the Irish Revolution,…
The missing head
On the former Robinson and Cleaver department store building on Donegall Square opposite the City Hall are a series of carved heads set between the 1st and 2nd floor (see red circles). These images were of leading store patrons, celebrities…
New Belfast Blitz walks for April and May to commemorate the 81st anniversary
I’m delighted to announce that to mark the 81st anniversary of the 1941 Belfast Blitz, I will lead 4 walking tours will be held in April & May 2022 to tell Belfast’s story of raids. Tickets can be booked for…
TB Institute, Durham Street
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…
Ormeau Baths, Ormeau Avenue
The Ormeau Avenue Public Baths date from the late 1880s. They were designed by Robert Watt and contained two swimming pools and 36 private baths. For local people, they were an important as many working class houses lacked running water…
Ella Pirrie statue, Belfast City Hospital
Miss Isabella “Ella” Barbour Pirrie was the first nurse in the Belfast Union Workhouse Infirmary, now the Belfast City Hospital, and established a nursing school there. She was born in 1857 and her father was a doctor at both Belfast City Hospital…
Walking tour, Queen’s Quarter, 19.2.22
Delighted to announce my Exploring the Queen’s Quarter Walking Tour in south Belfast on 19 February 2022. This free walking tour introduces people to the sites, open spaces, built heritage and history of the Queen’s Quarter, centred around Queen’s University…
Campbell College Belfast, East Belfast
Campbell College in East Belfast is best known today as an all-boys grammar school but during the Second World War it was a military hospital that treated injured and sick British servicemen. Campbell College had opened in 1894 as an…