The History of Belfast, Written in Stone
3 total works
‘Milltown has much to tell us about Belfast’s chequered past, whatever our religion or politics. Our history is bigger than our tribe.’
Milltown Cemetery, the burying ground for the Catholic community in Belfast for almost 150 years, is one of Belfast’s most significant landmarks.
Thousands of people come to the cemetery every year, some to reconnect with their family history, others drawn to the extraordinary stories of the people buried there. Mill workers,
labourers, clergy, Italian immigrants, victims of the Blitz, soldiers of the First and Second World Wars, political activists, IRA volunteers, republicans, victims of the Troubles – Milltown’s graves are a historical record of the social, religious and political life ofBelfast over two centuries.
In this book, Tom Hartley, leading authority on the graveyard, guides the reader around Milltown. With over one hundred photographs, and detailed entries on over three hundred noteworthy graves, this is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to know more about Belfast and its people.
Within the stone walls of Belfast City Cemetery lie those men and women who helped shape the city. From Catholic and Protestant to Muslim and Jew, from the great and the good to the poor and the destitute, each grave has its own tale to tell.
In this new edition of his acclaimed publication, Tom Hartley uses the cemetery to examine key events in Belfast’s history – the First and Second World Wars, the Troubles, the campaign against Home Rule, and the Dockers' Strike of 1907, as well as the development of shipbuilding and other industries, the political and social life of the city, and the careers of the many writers, artists, entertainers and sportsmen who have helped to enhance the city’s international reputation over the years.
‘The lives of those buried in Balmoral Cemetery are intertwined with the bigger, dynamic history of nineteenth-century Belfast Presbyterianism, and that of Belfast itself.’
Balmoral Cemetery is a small cemetery in the heart of Belfast, yet those buried within its walls played a huge role in shaping the city.
Tom Hartley, leading authority on the graveyard, tells the stories of the people buried here, those academics, scientists, politicians and political activists who exemplified the drive and industry of nineteenth-century Belfast – people such as author and philosopher Joseph John Murphy, scientist and agriculturist John Frederick Hodges, and suffragist and temperance advocate Isabella Tod.
Through these stories – and those of ministers such as Revd Henry Cooke and Revd Hugh Hanna, both buried in Balmoral – Hartley uncovers the dynamic history of Presbyterianism: the meeting houses, congregations and schools, many of which were woven into the fabric of Belfast but have since disappeared.
With over two hundred photographs, this is an invaluable guide to Belfast and its people, and the perfect addition to the Written in Stone series.