THE POPULAR Irish language cemetery tours will taking off again this festive season between Christmas and New Years.

Hosted by Seán Fennell, tours of Belfast City Cemetery will take place on 30 December at 11am, starting at the main gate, and Milltown’s tour will take place on 31 December, starting at the main gate at 11am.

Speaking ahead of the tours Seán said the tour of City Cemetery will visit the graves and tell the stories of Unionist Irish language activists such as Richard Rutledge Kane, John St Claire Boyd and also pay a visit to the grave of Vere Foster, the Danish diplomat and philanthropist who settled in Ireland and dedicated his life to helping those affected by an Gorta Mór – the Great Famine. Vere Foster was the original patron of many organisations which still bear his name today, and was known for improving the lives of children through Irish. 

The graves of other figures in City Cemetery will also be visited including sporting stars such as former Manchester United player John Peden, Portsmouth and Belfast Celtic player Jimmy McAlinden, and also the famous boxer Rinty Monaghan.

The tour of Milltown will take in famous figures from Irish history including Winifred Carney, Joe McKelvey, whose execution took place 100 years ago on 8 December. Joe McKelvey was one of the Four Martyrs, who was executed alongside Rory O’Connor, Liam Mellows and Richard Barrett by the Irish Free State during the Irish Civil War. Graves of the victims of the Belfast Pograms will also be visited, including the graves of the McMahon family who were murdered by a gang of RIC policemen in 1922, as well as taking in the graves of later figures associated with Ireland’s fight for freedom including  the 1981 hunger strikers.

Lighter moments will also be included, with the graves of famous people from film and television including Frank Carson, Albert Sharpe and Albert Fry who passed away in 2021 and was a hero of the Irish language movement.

The graves of sporting heroes will also be visited in this tour including famous names such as former Antrim football captain Anto Finnegan and Charlie Tully, who played for Belfast Celtic and Glasgow Celtic.

Both tours cost £5 and will be conducted entirely in Irish, but the tour will accommodate speakers of all levels.