{"id":4034,"date":"2025-01-05T16:37:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-05T16:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/?p=4034"},"modified":"2025-01-05T16:37:10","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T16:37:10","slug":"exploring-the-church-of-c-s-lewis-nitga-cpd-trip-to-st-marks-dundella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/05\/exploring-the-church-of-c-s-lewis-nitga-cpd-trip-to-st-marks-dundella\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Church of C.S. Lewis: NITGA CPD Trip to St Mark\u2019s Dundella"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Members of the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association (NITGA) enjoyed a fascinating CPD trip to <strong>St Mark\u2019s Dundella<\/strong>, a gem in East Belfast with a rich historical and literary connection. This beautiful church holds a special place in the hearts of many, being the spiritual home of renowned author C.S. Lewis, the writer behind the beloved <em>Narnia<\/em> chronicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visit provided an opportunity to explore the stunning architecture of the church, admire its stained glass windows, and delve into its intriguing history. St Mark\u2019s Dundella played a significant role in C.S. Lewis\u2019s early life, as his family worshipped here and his grandfather served as the first rector. This link to one of the literary world\u2019s most celebrated figures makes the church a must-visit destination for fans of the <em>Narnia<\/em> series and anyone interested in Belfast\u2019s cultural heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the trip, participants learned about the church&#8217;s history, its connection to the local community, and its importance in Lewis\u2019s life. Standing in the very church that inspired aspects of his imaginative world was a touching experience for many. It was a day of learning, inspiration, and a deeper appreciation for one of Northern Ireland\u2019s literary icons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re a fan of C.S. Lewis or simply interested in local history, St Mark\u2019s Dundella is a remarkable destination to add to your itinerary. Experience the charm of this historic church and uncover the story of one of Belfast\u2019s most famous sons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-1024x473.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4035\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-300x139.jpg 300w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-768x355.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-1536x710.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-2048x946.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_105815-228x105.jpg 228w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4036\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102057-116x116.jpg 116w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"473\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-473x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4037\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-473x1024.jpg 473w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-139x300.jpg 139w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-768x1662.jpg 768w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-710x1536.jpg 710w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-946x2048.jpg 946w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-54x116.jpg 54w, https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_113842-scaled.jpg 1183w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 473px) 100vw, 473px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Members of the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association (NITGA) enjoyed a fascinating CPD trip to St Mark\u2019s Dundella, a gem in East Belfast with a rich historical and literary connection. This beautiful church holds a special place in the hearts of many, being the spiritual home of renowned author C.S. Lewis, the writer behind the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4038,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-34"],"blocksy_meta":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/20250104_102205-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4038"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drtomstours.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}