A NEW walking tour detailing the lost heritage of west Belfast’s Presbyterian religion was launched last week as part of Féile an Phobail.
A group of 12 determined volunteers from both the Falls and Shankill Roads, which includes multiple Presbyterian ministers, historians and even a GAA senior official, are bringing to life the stories of forgotten Presbyterian congregations, as well as prominent Belfast figures from the religion’s history.
Starting at College Square North, the 1.4-mile walking tour looks at major figures in the Presbyterian community such as Robert MacAdam, an Irish linguist who was a major influence in the language’s revival during the 19th century.
Also known as ‘Shipboy’, MacAdam was known to collect Irish manuscripts and was keen to promote the study of the Irish language in a time when it was under threat. He was said to be fluent in over 10 languages, and published many books in support of the Irish language.
The tour also examines Presbyterian contributions to education and Belfast’s industrial base. Throughout its history, the religion promoted key thinkers in the areas of medicine, the arts and engineering.
Participants will learn about previous Presbyterian congregations, including that of the College Square North church, the first Presbyterian church to be founded on the Falls.
Demolished in the 1960s, the building had a rich history dating back to the 17th Century when it was home to the very first Presbyterian congregation.
There have been 167 churches built since the religion was established in Northern Ireland, including College Square North, but many were closed due to multiple factors including the onset of the Troubles.
The tour also visits Townsend Street Presbyterian Church (now home to the Ulster Orchestra) and finishes at Cúlturlann MacAdam Ó Fiaich, the former home of Broadway Presbyterian Church, which is named for Robert MacAdam and Catholic scholar Cardinal Tomas Ó Fiaich who made major contributions to the revival of the Irish language.
Jake MacSiacais, the director of Belfast-based Irish language development agency Forbairt Feirste, says that feedback from the tour has been “extremely enthusiastic”.
“To test the waters, we did a couple of pre-tours to see what the response would be like and there was a great reception,” he explains.
“The event has only started, so it will go from strength to strength. There were even six tourists at the first walk, with two people from France and four from Spain attending, which was great.”
The Gaeltacht Quarter in west Belfast is well known for its Catholic heritage, but not many are aware of its lost Presbyterian history. MacSiacais hopes that with this tour, such history will begin to reveal itself again.
He says: “Our two purposes with this project are to make the Gaeltacht Quarter more accessible to people from different backgrounds, not just those with an Irish language background, and also to reintegrate Presbyterianism into the west of the city.”
The tour has started thanks to religious group An Tionólann setting up Presbyterian worship again in the Falls area with its monthly service at Cultúrlann.
In preparation for the tour, Forbairt Feirste researched all Presbyterian connections to west Belfast and has trained 12 guides who will deliver tours throughout the year.
All of the tour guides were trained by ‘tour guru’ Tom Hartley, a local historian and former lord mayor.
MacSiacais explains: “All tour guides were given extensive training courses and provided with a booklet based on all of the historical material.
“We had initially hoped to train five people, and we ended up being oversubscribed and had to cut the applicants at 12.
“Nine of them are Presbyterian, one is a Catholic, one is a Methodist and one is agnostic.”
:: See forbairtfeirste.com and antionolann.com for full tour details.
