This locative audio walk by Kate Jackson traces the footsteps of the Yardmen who designed, built, and launched ships when Belfast was an industrial powerhouse.

Listeners will visit the streets where these men lived, the places they went in their downtime, as well as points that reflect the community’s deep sense of pride for its industrial heritage.

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The route begins outside the world-renowned visitor attraction, Titanic Belfast. This is one of the city’s top tourist experiences and exemplifies the constant developments of this 185-acre waterfront site. 

Listeners will be told about the historic transition from Dargan's Island, to Queen's Island, to Titanic Quarter.

starling

goldfinch

hoopoe

The first stop is Harland & Wolff’s former headquarters, where the company was based for over 100 years. 

The building may have been repurposed as Titanic Hotel Belfast, but key structural features of the old offices will be pointed out to listeners, with input from former Yardman, Tom McCluskie.

The next stop is the Hamilton Graving Dock, which is the oldest of its kind on this side of the River Lagan.

﻿Key features will be pointed out to listeners, including SS Nomadic and the traditional iron caisson which is the oldest piece of Harland & Wolff’s marine engineering that still exists.

﻿Tom McCluskie provides further insight into the shipyard's dry docks.

The third stop faces the famous yellow gantry cranes, Samson & Goliath. 

Listeners will hear key information about the cranes and learn about the significant meaning that has been attributed to them by the surrounding community.

Once again, Tom McCluskie provides further insight.

This interlude serves as a farewell to the shipyard, with Professor Olwen Purdue providing key information about Belfast's industrial legacy.

The next official stop is the Titanic Mural at the bottom of Dee Street, which pays tribute to those who were lost to the sinking of the Titanic; those whose lives were changed by that fateful event; and the Yardmen at home in Belfast who built her. 

﻿Listeners will hear about the significance of this mural at the boundary between Yardmen's work and home lives, as the next half of the route begins.

Listeners now find themselves at the Great Eastern - the last of around 20 pubs that used to sit along the Newtownards Road. It will be identified as a regular haunt of many Yardmen.

The manager, Sam Weir, who has worked there for decades, will reflect on busy Friday evenings when workers marked the end of the week with a visit to the pub.

The next stop is McMaster Street, the oldest surviving example of a 19th century terraced street, where many shipyard workers lived.

Professor Olwen Purdue will tell listeners more about this style of Victorian ‘two up, two down’ housing. They will also find out about how Hearth Historic Buildings Trust  has worked to preserve the houses' original structures and features, from its Vice Chair, Marcus Patton.

The penultimate stop is the 'Shipyard Church', where many Yardmen and their families worshipped. 

Religion featured heavily within the shipyard and Tom McCluskie tells listeners about the small religious services Yardmen held during their lunch breaks at work.

The final stop brings listeners face to face with the Yardmen themselves. This sculpture celebrates their contribution to Belfast's industrial legacy and Tom McCluskie tells listeners about the deep sense of pride for the city's shipbuilding heritage that exists today.

Echoes of The Yardmen

10 ECHOES

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The Echoes

Titanic Belfast

Drawing Offices

Graving Dock

Samson & Goliath

Interlude: Industrial Powerhouse

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