THE BLUE DEATH IN BELFAST

Talk

The Blue Death in Belfast: The Cholera Epidemic of 1832

The first case of cholera in Belfast occurred on the 28 February 1832 in Quay Lane. The victim died less than twenty-four hours later. The disease spread rapidly in a population weakened by poverty and the effects of the famine of 1821/22.

In Ireland, more than 50,000 would die, the worst epidemic since the Black Death in 1350. Belfast quickly ran out of both coffins and graveyard space resulting in hundreds being buried in cholera pits. 

This talk by Dr Geoffrey Todd examines the unusual treatments prescribed by nineteenth-century physicians and the general panic in the population.

Wednesday 4 June

1 PM – 2 PM

£5 – £6.50

https://linenhall.com/event/the-blue-death-in-belfast-the-cholera-epidemic-of-1832/

GOLDEN THREAD GALLERY

Exhibition

Golden Thread Gallery: How We Got To … The Linen Hall

The Linen Hall is delighted to welcome this touring exhibition from Belfast’s contemporary visual art gallery, Golden Thread Gallery.

Event image: Megan Doherty, Changeling Series, courtesy of GTG

5 June – 17 July

Vertical Gallery

FREE

https://linenhall.com/event/golden-thread-gallery-how-we-got-to-the-linen-hall/

“OH, WHERE HAVE ALL THE BRANCHES GONE?”

Talk

‘Oh, where have all the branches gone?’: Making the History of the British Red Cross in Northern Ireland

The ‘Our Stories – Our Times’ project, the largest undertaking of oral history by the British Red Cross to date, took place in Northern Ireland from 2022 to 2024. Participants told the story of the Red Cross in their own words; from the Second World War to the present day. 

In this talk, historian Sam Guthrie, will present a history of the Red Cross in Northern Ireland and highlight lessons learnt in its development and delivery.

Friday 13 June

1 PM – 2 PM

£5 – £6.5

https://linenhall.com/event/oh-where-have-all-the-branches-gone-making-the-history-of-the-british-red-cross-in-northern-ireland/

GATHERING TOGETHER

Conversation, Performance & Poetry

Gathering Together: A Sharing of Song, Poetry and Languages

Iona Fyfe and Anne McMaster in conversation with Helen Mark

Ahead of the launch on 30 June of The Linen Hall’s Ulster-Scots Writing competition – now in its fifth year – we are delighted to welcome award-winning Aberdeenshire folksinger and fierce advocate for the Scots language, Iona Fyfe.

Join Iona and acclaimed poet Anne McMaster, an equally fierce advocate for Ulster-Scots, for a conversation around the rich linguistic and cultural inheritance of Scots and Ulster-Scots, interspersed with generous helpings of poetry and song.

Wednesday 25 June

6 PM – 7:30 PM

£6.50 – £8

https://linenhall.com/event/gathering-together-a-sharing-of-song-poetry-and-languages/

POLITICAL COLLECTION TOUR

Tour

Come and explore The Linen Hall’s world-renowned political collection every Wednesday on a collections-based tour which explores the history of the recent past through the prism of the rare and unique artefacts and objects we have been collecting for over 50 years.

The tour is a not to be missed opportunity to engage with this rich and diverse collection and the authentic insights it gives into this momentous period of history.

Every Wednesday

2:30 PM – 3:45 PM

£10

https://linenhall.com/tours/