Ever wonder who those forgotten folk named on Blue Plaques are and why they are worth remembering? Let’s celebrate some of the less well known people of interest in our local history.
Laura Bell was a noted Irish beauty, who led a somewhat flamboyant and notorious life, with an unexpected ‘twist in the tail’!
The extraordinary true story of Newry’s James Gill, a steeplejack who became a national celebrity for evading jail by sitting on a chimney
Cushendall, County Antrim is a pretty, friendly, colourful and busy village with a colourful history to match.
Lawyer William Sampson dedicated his life to the ideals of democracy and justice both in Ireland and in his subsequent exile in America,
Despite enduring poor health during his own life, Edward Benn’s charitable donations did much to relieve the suffering of many in Belfast
Robert A Wilson (Barney Maglone) “An able journalist, a gifted poet, a fearless and unflinching advocate for the rights of the people”
The Rev William Bristow is largely forgotten today but his efforts to improve the lives of the Belfast’s poor deserve to be remembered.
Temple Cooey and St Cooey’s Wells have been a pilgrimage site from, at least, the 13th century with an annual pilgrimage every June
In his fight for reform and equality William Steel Dickson lost friends, his position in life and his reputation in the Presbyterian church.
“Mr Rowan, though an untaught country mechanic, has completely eclipsed the most celebrated English and other steam-coach artists”
History sometimes omits the contribution of many worthy men and women. William Galt, one of these forgotten men, deserves to be acknowledged.
Francis Rawdon Chesney was a man blessed with a great intellect, perseverance and an adventurous spirit – the “Father of the Suez Canal”
The story of the trial & execution of William Orr – a man committed to establishing a new Ireland where all men were treated equally
The contribution of Robert Joy and his brother to the welfare of Belfast, both in social and economic terms, cannot be over-estimated.
The story of William Betty, a young lad from County Down who became a public icon and the ‘darling’ of thespian circles
Killowen, County Down, on the shores of Carlingford Lough amidst the majestic Mourne Mountains has some memorable tales to tell
In November 1688, Ann Glover, an Irish widow, was executed in Boston as a ‘witch’. She was the last person to be hanged as a witch in Boston.
In 1915 the murder of a young man, William Quinn, in Newtownards and the subsequent prosecution gripped the public imagination.
The story of Fortwilliam Park from it’s earliest times featuring a past fort, it’s wealthy merchants and a famous actress.
Kilclief Castle, an old tower-house on the shore of Strangford Lough County Down, is often remembered for a scandalous occupant, Bishop Sely
Forster Green – “It is no exaggeration to say that Belfast sustains one of the heaviest bereavements that has ever befallen it…”