Clifton House Open Day – April 2024
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastClifton House Open Day Clifton House will open its doors to the public on Saturday 6th April, 2024! Come along between 12pm-2pm for a unique opportunity to step inside and explore one of Belfast’s oldest and most beautiful buildings on its 250th anniversary year. This will be a drop-in style event where our experienced volunteer guides will be on hand to answer your questions and offer you some highlights of the building’s vast history. You will also have an opportunity to view a brand new display of artefacts including the 'Mysterious Medical Chest'. Please note that no booking is required for [...]
Paupers and Public Health: Belfast Charitable Society and the Sick Poor, with Dr Robyn Atcheson
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastSince opening its doors 250 years ago, the Poorhouse was the first to offer free medical relief for the sick poor of Belfast. As the town grew, the role of the Belfast Charitable Society remained central to the expanding network of charities, institutions and hospitals providing different kinds of medical care. This talk explores how the Society treated the sick within its own walls and how it endeavoured to respond to various public health issues. The Society played a key role in the provision of maternity care and the establishment of a lunatic asylum as well as dealing with epidemics of [...]
Walking Tour of North Belfast Heritage Cluster
Walking Tour of North Belfast Heritage Cluster - 18th May, 12pm. This tour will showcase the unique heritage of inner north Belfast and tell the stories about the hidden history of the area. You will start at the doors of Redeemer Central at 101 Donegall Street, before passing some of the most historically important buildings in Northern Ireland, while also gaining an insight into the work of the Cluster. Cluster members include places of worship, work and education. In association North Belfast Heritage Cluster and its Re-create Great Place North Belfast Project. Meeting point: Redeemer Central at 101 Donegall Street
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour)
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastPlots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour) Come and explore the stories of the reformers & rebels who made the Belfast Charitable Society a “hotbed of radical activity” in the 1790s and those who spearhead the 1798 Rebellion. This unique tour charts the story of radical Belfast and the 1798 Rebellion through those who lie buried in Clifton Street Cemetery. Visit the final resting place of Dr William Drennan, the originator of the Society of United Irishmen, those like the McCrackens and McCabes who supported the Rebellion alongside others including the Joys who opposed it. Find out how the Charitable [...]
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour)
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastPlots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour) Come and explore the stories of the reformers & rebels who made the Belfast Charitable Society a “hotbed of radical activity” in the 1790s and those who spearhead the 1798 Rebellion. This unique tour charts the story of radical Belfast and the 1798 Rebellion through those who lie buried in Clifton Street Cemetery. Visit the final resting place of Dr William Drennan, the originator of the Society of United Irishmen, those like the McCrackens and McCabes who supported the Rebellion alongside others including the Joys who opposed it. Find out how the Charitable [...]
Women, Radicalism and Eighteenth-Century Belfast
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastWhat did it mean to be radical and dissenting in eighteenth-century Belfast? Belfast’s culture of religious and political dissent encouraged female participation, but not always on equal terms. Join us at Clifton House, the home of Belfast’s oldest charity, where Dr Catriona Kennedy will discuss how radical women like Mary Ann McCracken and Martha McTier’s charitable work allowed them to participate in, and influence, Belfast’s radical public sphere. This year, as part of our 250th Anniversary celebrations, Belfast Charitable Society hope to use our talks and events to help raise funds for our ongoing philanthropic work, therefore we will be [...]
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour)
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour) Come and explore the stories of the reformers & rebels who made the Belfast Charitable Society a “hotbed of radical activity” in the 1790s and those who spearhead the 1798 Rebellion. This unique tour charts the story of radical Belfast and the 1798 Rebellion through those who lie buried in Clifton Street Cemetery. Visit the final resting place of Dr William Drennan, the originator of the Society of United Irishmen, those like the McCrackens and McCabes who supported the Rebellion alongside others including the Joys who opposed it. Find out how the Charitable [...]
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour)
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour) Come and explore the stories of the reformers & rebels who made the Belfast Charitable Society a “hotbed of radical activity” in the 1790s and those who spearhead the 1798 Rebellion. This unique tour charts the story of radical Belfast and the 1798 Rebellion through those who lie buried in Clifton Street Cemetery. Visit the final resting place of Dr William Drennan, the originator of the Society of United Irishmen, those like the McCrackens and McCabes who supported the Rebellion alongside others including the Joys who opposed it. Find out how the Charitable [...]
‘Doing the Needful’ Belfast Charitable Society and its Founding Fathers
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastThe evening of Friday 28th August 1752 was cool in Belfast. After closing their businesses and homes, a group of nineteen merchants, burgesses (councillors) and a vicar, made their way to the George Inn at the corner of North Street and John Street (now Royal Avenue). It was there in the George Inn that these gentlemen formed the Belfast Charitable Society, to tackle poverty and help the poor. Join us at Clifton House, the home of Belfast’s oldest charity, where Aaron McIntyre will discuss the formation of the Belfast Charitable Society and the men who established it. This year, as part [...]
Heritage Day at Clifton House
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastJoin us on Sunday 1st September 2024 for a free event celebrating 250 years of Clifton House. This event showcases and celebrates heritage skills, local crafts, live music, food and a chance to share your memories of north Belfast through our history harvest, part of the Great Place North Belfast project.
The Life and Times of Thomas McCabe: A Belfast Radical
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, Belfast‘May God wither the hand and consign the name to eternal infamy of the man who will sign that document!’. These are the words exclaimed by Thomas McCabe in 1786 in response to Waddell Cunningham’s proposal to set up a slave ship company here in Belfast. His outburst influenced those gathered in the Assembly Rooms as Cunningham’s venture to establish a slaving company here in Belfast failed. Join us at Clifton House, the home of Belfast’s oldest charity, where Gerry McNamee will discuss the life and times of Thomas McCabe who is best known as an abolitionist, a radical and a [...]
Death, Tragedy & Betrayal: The Darker Side of Clifton Street Cemetery
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastExplore Clifton Street Cemetery this Halloween weekend and discover its darker side! Opened in 1797 as the ‘New Burying Ground’ there are many tales to be told here. Death, Tragedy & Betrayal focuses on the ‘darker side’ of the cemetery’s history. From the infamous body snatchers which plagued the cemetery in its opening decades and the drastic actions taken to curb this lucrative trade, to the burial of murder victims, hangings and other tragic deaths! Due to the nature of the content parental discretion is advised. Booking in advance is essential. Please use the button below to book via Visit Belfast [...]