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 [...]
Plots and Plotters: Clifton Street Cemetery and the 1798 Irish Rebellion
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastCome and learn about the origins and of the United Irishmen and the 1798 Irish rebellion, told from the perspectives of their leaders and opponents who lie in peace in Clifton Street Cemetery. This talk will be taken by Colin Shaw, one of Clifton House’s very own volunteers. Colin is a fantastic tour guide and very knowledgeable on Belfast’s early history including the 1798 Irish Rebellion in Belfast. This talk is kindly funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund. Please click on the button below to book your in-person [...]
The Great Famine in Belfast: Exceptionalism versus Experience
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastThe Great Famine, An Gorta Mór, was the watershed moment of the nineteenth century, shaping Ireland and beyond through the high death toll and mass emigration. There has long been a myth that the suffering of the period 1845 - 51 did not affect Ulster, particularly its booming principal town of Belfast. However, recent research shows that Belfast was dramatically affected. This talk uncovers how and why Belfast suffered in the late 1840s and delves into the specifics of how institutions like the Belfast Poor House, hospitals and the workhouse worked together in an attempt to ease the problems facing the [...]
Belfast’s Remarkable Women
Belfast City Hall Donegall Square N, BelfastTo mark International Women’s Day, and the first anniversary of the unveiling of Mary Ann McCracken and Winnifred Carney statues, join Dr Robyn Atcheson and Dr Lauren Smyth as they tell you stories of these, and other, remarkable Belfast women at Belfast City Hall for free. Hear stories about Mary Ann McCracken who fought for the rights of the poor and took a stand against the slave trade, as well as some of the women who ended up in the Poor House. This talk will look at how women engaged with politics at a time when their voices were being deliberately [...]
The Hidden History of the Women of Clifton Street Cemetery Talk
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastWe often hear of the notable men who are buried in Clifton Street Cemetery, but what of the women who were laid to rest there? In this talk, discover stories of notable women such as Mary Ann McCracken, who championed for the poor and fought for the rights of many to the everyday working-class women. Learn about how women such as Martha McTier and Charlotte Sinclair founded and ran the Lying-In Hospital as well as working-class women who ended up in Belfast looking for work or poverty relief at the Poor House. This talk will be given by Dr Lauren Smyth [...]
‘The Grinning Impudence which Arises from Utter Depravity’: Spies and Informers in Belfast and Ulster in 1798.
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastCome and hear Ken Dawson’s latest research on the impact of spies and informers in the years leading up to the Rebellion of 1798. Ken Dawson is a recently retired teacher. He has been researching the United Irishmen for over twenty years and is the author of a number of articles on the subject. In 2017 Irish Academic Press published his biography of the leading United Irishman Samuel Neilson (The Belfast Jacobin) and he is currently researching the impact of informers in the years leading up to the Rebellion of 1798. Click on the button below to book either your [...]
Clifton House Open Day – July 2025
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastClifton House Open Day - Featuring the stories of Mary Ann McCracken Clifton House will open its doors to the public on Saturday 5th July, 2025 Come along between 10am - 12pm for a unique opportunity to step inside and explore one of Belfast’s oldest and most beautiful buildings and hear more about Mary Ann McCracken, whose influence on the house can still be felt today. 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. Please note that no booking [...]
Great Place North Belfast Walking Tour
St Anne's Cathedral Donegall Street, BelfastJoin the North Belfast Heritage Cluster on a walk round some of the most historic buildings in North Belfast. This tour will showcase the unique heritage of inner north Belfast and tell the stories of the hidden history of the area. On your journey North, you will hear stories involving a palace, a biscuit factory and how a cricket ball may have changed the course of history. (The work of the Cluster is made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Belfast Charitable Society). Click here to book your tickets: Planning your visit Walking tour [...]
BELFAST’S REMARKABLE WOMEN TALK: MARY ANN MCCRACKEN, WINIFRED CARNEY AND BARONESS MAY BLOOD
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastCome and hear stories of how Mary Ann McCracken fought for the rights of the poor and took a stand against the slave trade. This talk will look at how Winifred Carney and Baroness May Blood engaged with politics at a time when their voices were being deliberately silenced and how they overcame class barriers in order to achieve small victories. This talk will be given by Dr Lauren Smyth, Dr Margaret Ward and Avila Kilmurray. Dr Lauren Smyth is the Historian of Clifton House. Her specialist subject child poverty in early 19th Century Belfast and how charitable institutions, such as the [...]
The Medical History of Belfast Charitable Society (Cemetery Tour)
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastLet us take you on journey through the medical history of 18th and 19th Century Belfast through the lives of pioneering surgeons and philanthropists who now lie in rest in Clifton Street Cemetery. From the opening of the Poor House in 1774, Belfast Charitable Society’s philanthropic aims helped foster an environment of pioneering medical work and cemented themselves as an essential part of Belfast’s history. Through a guided tour of Clifton Street Cemetery, learn how the Society took part in innovative inoculation campaigns through the guidance United Irishman, William Drennan. Explore the findings of the recently unearthed mysterious medical chest belonging [...]
The Hidden History of the Women of Clifton Street Cemetery
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastWe often hear of the notable men who are buried in Clifton Street Cemetery, but what of the women who were laid to rest there? In this brand new tour, discover stories of notable women such as Mary Ann McCracken, who championed for the poor and fought for the rights of many to the everyday working-class women. Learn about how women such as Martha McTier and Charlotte Sinclair founded and ran the Lying-In Hospital as well as well as working-class women who ended up in Belfast looking for work or poverty relief at the Poor House, and are recorded in the [...]
Plots & Plotters: Belfast Charitable Society & the 1798 Rebellion (Clifton Street Cemetery Tour)
Clifton House 2 North Queen Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BelfastCome 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 spearheaded 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, the McCrackens and McCabes, who supported the Rebellion, and the Joys, who opposed it. Find out how the Belfast Charitable Society, and its members, emerged from this turbulent period of Irish history to continue its work irrespective [...]