The most famous ship since Noah’s Ark – THE RMS TITANIC – designed, built and launched in Belfast. Visitors to Northern Ireland’s capital city can connect with authentic people from its home town as they join in the celebrations to mark the anniversary of its launch in 2011 through to the 100-year anniversary of its tragic sinking in April 2012.
KNOW THE LOCALS
Susie Millar, owner and guide of Titanic Tours Belfast, is the great-granddaughter of Titanic engineer Thomas Millar, who worked for shipbuilder Harland & Wolff before boarding the Titanic as an engineer with the White Star Line.
Destined for a new life in New York, Thomas set out with 2,200 passengers and crew on April 12, 1912, only to be met with a tragic fate.
The Titanic story has been a part of Susie’s life since birth – it’s a part of her family’s heritage. Susie tells the untold story of the Titanic from a personal point of view – the story of the people who were left behind. The families, children – including her own grandfather who was orphaned at the age of five – and Titanic crew members who lost loved ones and dear co-workers after the Titanic’s sinking. Guests of this tour will learn about life 100 years ago through Susie’s great-grandfather’s personal articles and mementoes and other documents belonging to her grandfather chronicling his early life.
TITANIC EXHIBITS
Belfast City Hall
Visitors to the City Hall grounds can view the Titanic Memorial, sculpted by Thomas Brock, which pays tribute to 22 men who lost their lives on the ship. Inside City Hall the Lord Mayor’s Suite is also known as ‘the Titanic Rooms’ as craftsmen who worked on them also went on to work on the famous liner. Free building tours are available at 11:00am (M-F), and at 2:00pm and 3:00pm (M-Sat).
The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum will mark the 100-year anniversary of the Titanic’s launch on May 31, 2011, with the opening of two exhibits: At Titanica: The Exhibit , visitors are invited to explore The Titanic and discover why local enterprise and skills in Belfast were combined to produce vessels of exceptional quality and design. Learn abut life onboard the ship through fascinating objects and personal stories that explore her tragic sinking in 1912.
TITANICa: The People’s Story is a special exhibition detailing life in Belfast 100 years ago. The Titanic Trail will link the world-class Titanic exhibition in the Transport Museum to the outdoor Folk Museum recreating people’s daily routines, activities and stories in the age of Titanic.
TITANIC TOURS
Titanic Walking Tour
Take a journey into the past and walk in the footsteps of Titanic’s creators on this guided tour – visitors will see where the famed ship was designed, built and launched. Stops include the Drawing Office, Slipway and Dock & Pump-House. Tours run daily at 11:00am and 2:00pm.
Titanic Boat Tour
Visitors can sail along the Victoria Channel in the passenger ferry Mona and witness the authentic birthplace of the Titanic where they will pass by the historical sites around Queen’s Island and the Harland & Wolff Shipyards. Tours depart daily from April to September at 12:30pm, 2:00pm and 3:30pm.
Titanic Harbour and Harland & Wolff Crane Tour
This tour includes all the benefits of the Titanic Boat Tour plus stops at the Harland & Wolff Cranes – Sampson & Goliath – then out into Belfast Lough. Tours depart Sunday at 3:30pm starting in June 2011.
Belfast Titanic Trail
This self-guided, multi-media tour uses the latest GPS-based technology, the Node Explorer, to take visitors back to the future on a tour of the city sites associated with the Titanic story.
OTHER RESOURCES
Titanic Stories – learn about the Titanic story through these amazing videos – there are currently nine available with one more video to be released each month leading up to the 100-year anniversary of its sinking in 2012. The videos tell some aspect of the Titanic story – from the Top 10 Titanic Legends to Spooky Titanic and more!
