Views Navigation

Event Views Navigation

Today

‘Dearly, Departed’: Bodysnatching and Clifton Street Cemetery in 19th Century Belfast

There was a time in Belfast when the bodies of the deceased rose from their graves…but not without some help! In the 19th century body-snatchers were at large in the local cemeteries, stealing the bodies of the recently deceased for dissection by local doctors. But why did people go to such lengths? Why were these bodies needed? And how were they stopped? Join us at Clifton House, where James Cromey, Archive Coordinator of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster will discuss why body-snatchers were such a concern during the early 1800’s, with a specific look at how they impacted the decisions surrounding Clifton [...]

Belfast’s Deaf Communit(ies): Language, Education, Poverty and the Law, 1850-1920

Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Belfast

This talk will look at one of Ireland's indigenous language communities: the Deaf community, and the history of this emerging linguistic and cultural group as it formed and grew in Ireland (and in particular Belfast) during the nineteenth century. Dr Cormac Leonard has been a professional Irish Sign Language / English interpreter since 2005, as well as a trainer of interpreters, and also a keen genealogist and family history tutor. He has a long-standing fascination with the history of Deaf people and the historical development of Irish Sign Language, and submitted his PhD thesis, "Deaf People in Ireland: Education, Poverty, and [...]

A Very Victorian Crafty Christmas at the Poorhouse

Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Belfast

Join us on Sunday 8 December for a very special seasonal Christmas event at the Poorhouse. This event is exclusively designed for adults, offering a peaceful and sophisticated atmosphere within a gorgeous Georgian setting. Hear more about the Christmas traditions in the house, make a traditional Victorian Christmas bauble to take home; and enjoy some festive refreshments too! While you bathe in the twinkly lights of our tree in the grand entrance of Clifton House, our expert guides will tell a yarn or two about what Victorian life was like for the residents at Christmas. It is not the Dicken’s tale [...]

Christmas in the Poorhouse Tour

Join us this December on our special seasonal Christmas tour of Clifton House. See inside this beautiful Georgian building and while surrounded by our gorgeous traditional decorations, hear from our expert guides what life within the Poor House over the festive season. ‘Christmas in the Poorhouse’ will often stir scenes of Scrooge and other Dicken’s classics. However original research from our archives tells a very different tale. One of traditions, festive foods, holidays and cheer. Our experienced tour guides will tell the story of those from Belfast Charitable Society who were responsible for bringing some festive merriment into the house in [...]