THIS month, Clifton House will run two special tours of Clifton Street Cemetery set around the plots and plotters of the 1798 Rebellion.
The 1798 Rebellion was a pivotal moment in Irish history. Spearheaded by the United Irishmen, a group of Catholics, Protestants and Dissenters, the rebellion aimed to establish Ireland’s independence but ultimately led to the Act of Union.
This unique tour charts the story of radical Belfast through those who lie buried in Clifton Street Cemetery. Normally closed to the public, those on the tour will visit the final resting place of Dr William Drennan, the founder of the United Irishmen, as well as Henry Joy and Mary Ann McCracken and Thomas McCabe who supported the Rebellion. Buried side by side are also those who opposed it, including the Joy family.
The United Irishmen and its supporters were abolitionists championing not only the cause of the poor at home, but across the globe in terms of equality and rights. Thomas McCabe stopped Belfast establishing a slave ship company whilst individuals like Mary Ann McCracken refused to eat sugar produced by enslaved labour.
Mary Ann McCracken’s headstone in the North Belfast graveyard
Many of these reformers and radicals were members of Belfast Charitable Society.
Paula Reynolds, Chief Executive, explains: “The stories of these individuals who made the Belfast Charitable Society a ‘hotbed of radical activity’ in the 1790s is an important part of not only our history, but that of Belfast and beyond.
“Belfast Charitable Society opened Clifton Street Cemetery in 1797, and the graves of these plots and plotters, along with thousands more, tell a vivid story of the life and times of that period, when Belfast was the Athens of the North.”
The tour concludes with a glimpse into how the Charitable Society, and its members, emerged from this turbulent period of Irish history to continue its work irrespective of politics and conflict. Today the Belfast Charitable Society continues to address disadvantage in Belfast, 270 years since its foundation, using proceeds from these tours to support those most in need.
The Plots and Plotters Easter Tour will run on 23rd and 24th April at 11am – 12noon. Tickets are £9.50pp. To book, visit cliftonbelfast.com/whats-on/tours/
