NEARING the end of a successful year of Irish language history tours of Belfast’s biggest cemeteries, Graveyard Raiders return again this month to provide another fascinating glimpse of the city's rich and varied history.

The tours, which are conducted by Seán Fennell, have proven a big hit, with Seán doing a fantastic job of bringing stories from old Belfast’s to life.

Some of those whose resting places are visited in the upcoming tour of Milltown include shipbuilders, writers, poets, rebels and famous sportsmen and women, including a few from the glory days of Belfast Celtic.

Seán said the topics which will be covered in the tour will be Milltown’s connection to the Easter Rising through Winifred Carney; the Irish War of Independence and the Civil War through Joe McKelvey; and the notorious pogroms of 1920 to 1922 will be explored by visiting the graves of the McMahon family.

The lives of others who have made a lasting impression on the city more recently will be explored, including visits to the graves of GAA legend Anto Finnegan and Irish language hero Albert Fry. Seán will also take people to see the Republican Plot and the 1981 hunger strikers. The grave of Seán Mac Eochaidh, who died in on hunger strike in 1946 will be visited, as well as the graves of Polish soldiers from World War Two and those who died in the Belfast Blitz .

Other notable characters will be visited such as actor Albert Sharpe, famous for his lead role in ‘Darby O’Gill and the Little People’.

Seán said:“Fionntán Ó Mealláin and I compiled an Irish language school resource based on the local history of the cemeteries, and it led to me doing tours, with schools with three or four taking part already, and publishing some books.

“Milltown will see us diving into a lot of Irish history, especially as we are 100 years on from the death of Michael Collins. We will also be focusing on the Irish Civil War, the partition of Ireland and the foundation of the northern state."

The tours, which are conducted entirely in Irish, are open to anyone with any level of the language. Tour tickets cost just £5 and can either be paid on the day or by booking via email at eoghan@glornamona.com