Friar’s Bush: The graveyard telling the story of Belfast

The graveyard is called after its ‘fairy thorn’ bush, where members of Belfast’s Roman Catholic community once gathered to celebrate mass.

But it was during the Victorian era in the 19th century that a wall and gate lodge were built and the graveyard was modernised.

Around 800 victims of the Famine in Belfast are buried in a mass grave in Friar’s Bush, as are many victims of cholera epidemics in the city.

As part of her tour, Atcheson teaches children about conditions like cholera and smallpox and how they were treated.

“As a child I loved going to graveyards and finding out the history and the stories from those places,” she said.

“Yes, we have tours for grown-ups that children are welcome to come along to, but having something that’s for children themselves… with activities to get them thinking, get them engaged in the world around them – I just thought it was a brilliant thing to do in the summer holidays.”