with Dr. Robyn Atcheson

Friday 25th September

7pm - 8.30pm

£15

A special evening tour of Friar’s Bush graveyard focused on the 19th Century.

The story of Friar's Bush is the story of Belfast. We begin with haphazard burials at a tiny religious settlement beyond the small town of Belfast and progress to an organised,19th-century graveyard.

You’ll learn about the struggles the people of Belfast had with disease, epidemics, bodysnatching and the effects of the Famine.

This is a small group tour, limited to 20 people and taken at a sedate pace. There will be an opportunity at the end to roam, explore and take pictures.

Suitable for all ages, but parental discretion advised.

with Dr. Rebecca Watterson

Saturday 26th September

11am - 1pm

Meeting at 50 York Street (outside Hero)

£15

A 90 minute, expertly guided walking tour through Belfast's industrial past with Dr. Rebecca Watterson

Explore the lives of the Millies - Belfast’s female linen workers, and the part they played in making Belfast one of the world’s leading linen-producing cities on this expertly guided walking tour from award-winning historian Dr. Becca Watterson.

Starting at 50 York Street (outside Hero) and continuing through the city centre via several interesting stopping points, the tour looks at the realities of mill work, including low pay, long hours, dangerous machinery, and the effects of flax dust and factory conditions on women’s health.

The tour also examines the growth of trade unionism and the work of figures such as Winifred Carney and Ellen Gordon and May Blood in organising Belfast’s textile workers into a labour force to be reckoned with.

Along the way, we will visit sites connected with the linen trade, workers’ protest and women’s labour, ending at the Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker.

with Dr. Rebecca Watterson

10 Week Course

Starting Tuesday 29th September

7 - 9pm

Queen’s University, Belfast

Who looked after the sick before nursing was a recognised job? When did “care” become something you could train for, and who was expected to do it? What would you expect to find in a nurse’s bag in the past, and what does that tell us about the kind of work nurses were doing?

This course looks at the history of nursing in Ireland, with a focus on Ulster, from the nineteenth century through to the 1960s. It follows the shift from informal care in homes and religious settings to the development of nursing as a trained profession.

We will look at what the work actually involved day to day, where nurses worked, and how ideas about care, discipline and responsibility changed over time. Along the way, the course will explore how gender, religion and class shaped who became a nurse, and what was expected of them.

with Dr. Robyn Atcheson

10 Week Course

Starting Tuesday 29th September

7 - 9pm

Queen’s University Belfast

Disease was everywhere, dirt was inescapable and death was a fact of life for the people of Ireland & Britain in the nineteenth century. This course looks at the history of medicine in the Victorian era by examining how ordinary people experienced and understood diseases both common and terrifyingly new.

How did new advancements in medical understanding actually help people? What happened in times of epidemic? Why was childhood mortality so high?

This course will also consider the rise of institutions and the growing awareness of public health across society. Fascinating and sometimes gruesome, this course will get under the skin of the medical world of the Victorians. 

with Dr. Robyn Atcheson

10 Week Course

Starting Thursday 1st October

7 - 9pm

Queen’s University, Belfast

This course looks at remarkable women from the Tudor court who scandalised society with their romantic relationships.

It will look at women close to the throne including the known mistresses of Henry VIII, the Tudor princesses who married for love and the romantic entanglements of the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I. The lesser-known sisters of Lady Jane Grey also made shocking love matches and were both imprisoned as a result.

In this course, we'll delve into the Tudor ideals of courtly love and how women flirted with and sometimes overstepped the boundaries placed on them in the 16th century.

with Dr. Rebecca Watterson

Saturday 3rd October

10am - 1pm

Queen’s University, Belfast

What did doctors actually do when they tried to treat madness? How far were they willing to go, and why?

This workshop looks at physical treatments used in Ireland, with a focus on Ulster, including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), malaria therapy and lobotomy. We will look at how these treatments were carried out, why they were used, and what patients experienced.

Using short case studies and source material, we will work through how these treatments were understood at the time and what they tell us about changing ideas around the brain, illness and recovery.

with Michael Burns

Thursday 1st October

6.30pm - 8pm

Free

As part of Shankill History Month our own Michael Burns will give a free public talk on The Shankill and the Belfast Blitz in his guise as research officer for the NI War Memorial Museum.

This free talk, funded by QUB does not require a ticket, but you should get there early to ensure you get a seat.

with Dr. Robyn Atcheson

Saturday 3rd October

3pm tour

8pm talk

This special day of events features a tour of Ireland's best-preserved workhouse followed by an original talk on the workhouse system.

Limavady Workhouse has the remarkable claim of being the best-preserved workhouse in the whole island of Ireland.

The tour takes us into the past, to experience the dread of presenting at the entrance block to gain admission and progress into the main workhouse building. Learn about life in the workhouse, what it was like to sleep in the dormitories and eat the daily rations. This tour offers the chance to witness the conditions within the workhouse.

The talk on The History of the Workhouse System takes place in the very room where the Board of Guardians once met every week to decide the fate of the desperate people of the surrounding area. This talk explains why workhouses were introduced and tracks the changes throughout the 19th and into the 20th century.

Participants can choose to come along for either the tour or the talk, or both! There is a reduced rate when you buy a ticket for both.

This event will support the ongoing work of the Limavady Community Development Initiative who currently provide community services at the workhouse site.

On site, Robertsons Community Cafe offers coffee, treats and a cozy atmosphere with historical artefacts from the workhouse on display. There are also plenty of tasty places to grab a bite to eat in Limavady between the tour and talk.

Please note that some parts of the tour involve historic staircases and will therefore necessarily involve stairs.

The talk however, is fully accessible.

with Dr. Robyn Atcheson

Saturday 24th October

10am - 1pm

Queen’s University, Belfast

Queen’s College Belfast was founded in 1845 as one of three new universities – for men.

What about the women? This half-day workshop examines the campaign to open the doors of Queen’s College to ladies.

By using contemporary sources, we will track the campaigners, the trailblazing early female students and the pioneering first female lecturers through the history of Queen’s.

We will also look at wider issues on female education, classes held outside the university and the legacy of the women who made Queen’s University Belfast. 

with Michael Burns & Dr. Rebecca Watterson

Saturday 31st October

11am - 1pm

Join award-winning historians Dr Rebecca Watterson & Michael Burns as they delve into the darker side of Comber’s History on this special tour for Halloween 2026.

Walk the streets of comber and hear the stories of death, disease and misfortune that history has forgotten on this unrushed, accessible, 2 hour walking tour.

Learn the theories behind how the Ghaist’s Hole/Hollow of Killinchy Street earned its name! Or join us to hear some of the mysterious stories of Comber Ghosts; Skiboo- said to patrol Andrews property in 1940s, the Headless Horseman of the Coach Road or the Grey Lady of the Georgian House!

We’ll also look at the less paranormal but no less grim stories of murder and misfortune that have befallen the people of Comber over the centuries; from Viking raids, rebel attacks and executions in 1790s to 20th century murderers.

Come along if you want to hear about the often harsh realities of life in rural County Down, including disease, injury and darker side of life in the past.

Join us at 11am on Halloween at the Gillespie Monument to explore the darker side of Comber’s History- If you dare!

The History Collective provide private, fully insured and expertly guided walking tours.

Historical tours are arranged for all kinds of groups - current and retired work colleagues, church and community groups, families both local and visiting, tourists and all manner of clubs and associations.

Get in touch to discuss your requirements.

Bring history to life with a private talk or workshop tailored to your group, organisation or event. All of our speakers are highly experienced history communicators and storytellers and are experts in their respective fields.

For those further afield talks can be delivered online and the team is fully equipped to deliver top-notch audio and video quality with dedicated equipment and support.