Amazing cemetery that overlooks Belfast city amongst a sea of Celtic crosses. If you have at least…read morea few hours in Belfast you MUST stop and pay your respects to the Republicans who have gave their lives for Irish freedom. Many of the city taxi tours will bring you here no problem. Look for the Hunger Striker plots as the focal point. R.I.P. Bobby Sands

Milltown Cemetery is one of the most famous landmarks on the map of West Belfast. Accessed at the…read moretop of the Falls Road, it slopes dramatically down towards the M1 motorway and offers a spectacular view of the city. It was given to the Catholic Church in 1869, and houses several Republican Plots, dedicated to the members of the IRA and to those who died in the hunger strikes of the early 1980s. A green area in the centre of the cemetery is the site of a vast unmarked paupers' and WW1 Soldiers graves where victims of devastating epidemics of typhoid, cholera and flu were unceremoniously buried. Regular tours of the cemetery are arranged by the Culturlann MacAdam O Fiaich cultural centre.

This might seem like a strange one for a review, but this offers visitors an opportunity that few…read morerealise is there. For somewhere to take a stroll around it's a beautifully maintained area and, far from being a morbid experience, this place is steeped in history. Within the grounds there is a stone structure comprising several vaults. This is the resting place of none other than Edward James Harland, the co-founder of Harland and Wolff. Yes, many a visitor has seen the famous Harland and Wolff cranes, but how many have seen the resting place of its co-founder? Also resting in this structure are two or three other champions of 19th century industry in Belfast, including Thomas Gallaher, founder of Gallaher Tobacco. There used to be another entrance to the cemetery, which was an entrance for the Jewish community for their burial ground. The history here is immense, and these short facts I've mentioned aren't even the tip of the iceberg...

We were able to visit this cemetery, thanks to our tour guide, otherwise it's closed to the public…read more It was great wandering around the old gravestones as it felt like the social history of Belfast city was depicted in this Graveyard. There are some beautiful tombs here, some still well preserved, others vandalized, of Belfast's notable families like the Dunvilles, the Sinclairs and the McCrackens. Three other distinguishing features: -This Graveyard also felt the brunt of bodysnatchers, so that first a wall was built, and secondly you'll see some of the tombs are enclosed in iron cages as well - there is a lovely memorial acknowledging the mass grave for the victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic. - a founder of the Belfast RSPCA was buried with a tomb of a dog on top, but the dog is no longer there - apparently stolen in the mistaken belief it was Gray Friars Bobby, according to our guide. I learnt a lot on this tour and it was cool seeing the city's hidden history. Note: #241 of Yelp 100 challenge for 2016 Note: last review for list of Belfast things done/seen as part of August 2016 trip (this review is slightly out of order -Europa bus stop should have been last Belfast review but this location wasn't on yelp and so slight delay before it got listed)