with Michael Burns

Saturday 30th May 2026

2pm - 4pm

Comber Square

£15

Join award-winning historian Michael Burns and delve into Comber's rich wartime history on this unrushed 2 hour walking tour.

Over 86 years since the beginning of the Second World War, join Michael Burns to explore the wartime history of Comber, Co. Down.

Explore the rich wartime history and surviving heritage of Comber, covering topics such as the Blitz, evacuation, the American presence in NI as well as the stories of those from Comber who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The tour will last around 2 hours at a gentle pace.

with Dr. Rebecca Watterson

Saturday 30th May 2026

11am - 1pm

Comber Square

£15

Take a walk back in time with award-winning historian Dr Rebecca Watterson and discover how Comber people in the past faced disease, death, and the Doctor! From smallpox to cholera, surgery to quackery, this tour covers birth, death, and everything in between!

This expertly guided tour will tell you the stories of those people who lived in this once-rural town learning to face the ever-changing landscape of disease that came with the Industrial Revolution.

Disease outbreaks, poverty, and dangerous working conditions were a part of the daily life of the people of Comber. On this gently paced 2 hour walking tour we will examine questions like:

• Without the NHS, exactly how did this community manage ill health?

• Where did women give birth?

• Where did people get their medicine?

• What diseases were ravaging the town?

• Did working conditions have an impact on people’s health and illness?

• What did they die from?

• Did they have funerals?

• Did class and economic circumstance have an impact on how people experienced illness and medicine?

with Dr. Robyn Atcheson

The History Collective presents a new talk by Dr. Robyn Atcheson - History of the Belfast Workhouse

Saturday 30th May 2026

11am

Pembroke Street Halls, Donegall Road, Belfast

£10

For a century, the Belfast workhouse oversaw the growth & expansion of the city of Belfast. This is its story.

The Belfast Union Workhouse opened its doors in 1841 as a last resort for the destitute and sick of the growing industrial town. Over a century, tens of thousands of people passed through the building and its associated hospital. Many died there and were buried in the workhouse burial ground on the Donegall Road.

Dr Robyn Atcheson has spent over a decade researching the Belfast workhouse and successfully campaigned for the final resting place of so many workhouse residents to be marked. This talk recreates what life was like in the workhouse and why so many people were afraid of ending up within its walls. You will discover why the workhouse evolved into a hospital and why its graveyard was quietly forgotten.

with Michael Burns

Tuesday 25th August

6.30pm - 8pm

Meeting at Cregagh Glen

£15

Join award-winning war historian Michael Burns and discover the history that lies beneath your feet.

The Castlereagh hills have been called home by ancient Celts, medieval lords and pioneering merchants. They have witnessed the history of the city as it has grown into what it is today- through boom and decline, feast and famine, conflict and peace alike. 

This tour is primarily focused on the American presence in NI during WW2 and the history of Lisnabreeny and Nesca Robb.

The tour will last about 90 minutes with lots of stops on the way up the glen.

Suitable for all ages, flat shoes essential.

with Róisín Ni Con Ulaidh

Thursday 3rd September

7pm - 8.30pm

Templemore Baths

£12

Long ago, our ancestors shared stories of ancient gods, might warriors and heroic epics. Today, those stories survive in our landscape and fairytales. These Gods were known as the Tuatha Dé Danann.

Presented by Historian and Irish Folklore expert Róisín Ni Con Ulaidh this enlightening talk will illustrate the origins of these stories, who these gods were and their divine abilities. We'll make educated speculations as to how they may have been worshipped and explore how their stories survive to the modern day.

Please be advised that this talk will be held in the Boardroom of Templemore Baths. This is a historic space which is only accessible via a heritage staircase of 20 steps.