Shankill Graveyard Famine Memorial

I was honoured to be asked to speak at the unveiling of the new Famine memorial at the Shankill graveyard on Monday 19 May 2025.

Famine Memorial, Shankill cemetery Belfast

In a ceremony planned by the Shankill Area Social History group, Anthony Russell spoke about the placing of memorial stones at every known Famine burial site and his work with the National Famine Commemoration Committee, bringing the annual commemoration day to NI for the first & only time in 2015.

Robyn with Anthony Russell (National Famine Commemoration Committee) and Mark Doherty (Belfast cemeteries tour guide)

Michael Blanch, the Chair of the Committee for the Commemoration of the Irish Famine Victims, unveiled the memorial and spoke about his wish for the Commemoration of the Famine to come back to NI as every part of the island suffered in the 1840s.

I spoke about the historical context of Belfast in the 1840s and tracked the problems the town faced, especially in 1847. The town was dangerously running out of burial space and there were many town meetings on the issue, providing us with rich and uncomprehendingly disturbing detail of how bad the situation was. I also explained the Irish problems Belfast faced, the British problems and the unique Belfast-only problems.

Mid-speech

This event and this new stone shows that the myth that Belfast did not suffer during the Famine is exactly that, a myth.

To read about the ceremony, check out this Irish Central article.

Members of the Shankill Area Social History Group, the National Famine Commemoration Committee and invited guests at the unveiling ceremony

The full ceremony is available on YouTube.

Robyn at the Shankill Famine memorial