My Green Badge has arrived today and I’m very proud. The Green Badge is a qualification awarded by the Institute of Tourist Guiding (ITG) that assesses the skills and knowledge of guides and certifies them to lead tours in a designated geographical…
The free walking tours, titled the story of Belfast’s streets, were the most popular events held in Northern Ireland as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science. The Festival ran through the entire month of…
I am delighted to announce that I have completed and been awarded my Belfast Green Badge tour guiding qualification. The Green Badge is a qualification awarded by the Institute of Tourist Guiding (ITG) that assesses the skills and knowledge of…
Francis Higgins’ book, Religion, Riots and Rebels, examines the social and economic history of Brown Square and its residents from its establishment in the late eighteenth century to the present day. Today, this area is located in the centre of…
Belfast’s first maternity hospital was established in 1794 due to the efforts of a small group of philanthropists. They opened in a house rented to them by the Belfast Charitable Society at 25 Donegall Street. The aim of the hospital…
Great turn our again for the 3rd weekend of Story of Belfast’s Streets walking tour as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science. We had 58 people attend over Saturday 20 November and Sunday 21 November. Still places left…
Sir James Murray (1788–1871) was an Irish physician, who in 1809 discovered the stomach aid medication, Milk of Magnesia, that helped with digestion, heart burn and acid reflux. The Milk’s based ingredient, magnesium sulfate, had long been known for its benefits in digestion…
This weekend (13 &14th November) marked the second weekend of free walking tours that are being run as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Sciences. The Festival is an annual celebration of the social sciences (e.g. history,…
In 1752 the Belfast Charitable Society was founded by a group of mostly Presbyterian merchants and industrialists who sought to erect a Poor House and an Infirmary. Over 20 years later, land was donated by the local aristocrat Arthur Chichester, the…
I led the first tour of the Festival for Social Sciences around Belfast today. Despite the rain and cold, we did a range of sites. Thanks to Raymond O’Regan, the historian of the First Presbyterian Church for his hospitality and…
