A History of Terror - Belfast City Centre Walking Tour

Over 2 hours and 30 minutes, our local expert guides will take you on a journey back in time through the city centre of Belfast. You will discover how 'the Troubles' started, visit the locations where some of the most important events occurred, and learn about the path to reconciliation and eventually peace (and the challenges the future may hold). You will discover the realities of growing up and living your life during the conflict, and how it touched everyone. The tour is factual and historically accurate to ensure it is unbiased, the guides are conflict historians, who also weave their own stories into their tours to bring history to life, transporting you back to the Belfast of the 1970s and giving you a unique understanding of the recent past. The tour starts each day at 10.30am.

Itinerary

1. In the grounds of Belfast City Hall your guide will introduce you to the tour and also give an introduction to the history of the Troubles. The introduction sets the scene for the rest of the tour, explaining the centuries old relationships between the British and the Irish and how and why the Troubles started in the late 1960s. (20 min)
2. Today Belfast's main shopping street may look like any other British or Irish city, but it hides a troubled past. Your guide will explain the story behind a bomb attack on a nightclub here in 1971, the tragic events which followed and the introduction of what became known as the 'Ring Of Steel'. (15 min)
3. Our next stop is in the heart of the pedestrian precinct. In what is now a bustling shopping street you will discover the realities of our lives at the height of the troubles, and the details of an event which still lives prominently in our minds to this day. (15 min)
4. The Spirit of Belfast is an artwork which is intended to evoke the resilience of the people of Belfast, but we just know it as 'the Onion Rings'. As we stand in its shadow your guide will introduce you to a series of events which started in a bar nearby in 1971. These were to prove the catalyst in propelling Northern Ireland into a rapidly escalating spiral of violence. (15 min)
5. As you walk through the newly regenerated Cathedral Quarter, at the heart of our cultural and nightlife district, your guide will introduce you to the stories of more significant events while also discussing the beginnings of the path to peace. Today the streets and alleys of the Cathedral Quarter are home to fantastic examples of street art and some of our best bars and nightspots, but through the powerful story-telling of the guide you will be transported back in time and realise how far we have come since the dark days of the 1970s. (20 min)
6. Whilst standing beside the largest police station in Belfast you will discover how Northern Ireland was policed during the troubles, how it has changed since the peace agreement and the potential impact of Brexit on our borders! (15 min)
7. We end the tour by the Waterfront on the banks of the river Lagan and the Beacon of Hope, our favourite piece of public art which champions our resilience and regeneration. Here we will compare Belfast today with one of the darkest days in our history, explain how we achieved our fragile peace and discuss what the future may hold. (20 min)

Meeting & end point