summer newsletter 2013

See inside for full programme of events!

This year, the aim of thefestival has been to bring theinfluence of the hills into thecities below showing how theyhave been instrumental in thegrowth of our urban landscape.Did you know that CrumlinRoad Gaol was made of basaltfrom the Belfast Hills?Our cracking series of eventshas been linked to the heritageof the Belfast Hills – its people,townlands and ancientwaterways.A world of fantasy andenchantment has opened ourchildren’s storytelling day atBelfast Castle. Tall tales andpoetry have abounded -

inspired by the unbelievablyenormous Cave Hill diamond!Fossil hunting, pond dipping,fabulous traditional arts andcrafts fair at Clifton House –Belfast’s old poorhouse - haveall booked up fast.Our Belfast Hills townlands bustour reveals the history of ourlocal placenames, while theamazing array of archae-ological booty found at thelargest community excavationon Divis Mountain shows howwe used to live in the hills.

See inside for our events list.And don’t forget to go towww.belfasthills.org/events formore events this summer!

There has been overwhelming interest in our second

heritage festival in the Belfast Hills.

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They’ve been dubbed ‘TheMagnificent Seven’ and theyare on a hill near you to serveand protect!Seven hills’ rangers have beeninaugurated with the task ofhelping the Partnership protectthe Belfast Hills.The hills ranger concept is partof the Heritage Lottery-fundedlandscape partnership scheme.Under an initiative called thepractical conservation skillstraining program, run by theBelfast Hills Partnership, theseven rangers will become “the eyes and ears of the hills”,according to our volunteerofficer Freddie Harris (picturedbottom left).“So far, we have trained sevenrangers, with three more to beadded over the next two and a

half years. Each main site withinthe Belfast Hills is covered by atleast one ranger, who will helpthe relevant site manager,” hesaid.“They will also be carrying outsurveys on the hill, highlightingany specific areas of concern suchas path erosion or flytipping.”

It is envisioned that over the fouryears of the landscapepartnership scheme, 10 rangerswill qualify..“They are essentially the mainlegacy of our volunteer andtraining program within thelandscape partnership scheme,”said Freddie.

Local children have been proving they are no fish out of water after releasing salmon to thrive in therivers of the Belfast Hills.

A seven-strong team of volunteer hills’ rangers havebeen created as part of our Heritage Lottery Scheme

The project got streaming into local classrooms last winter to reveal thefascinating life of the Irish salmon. Our rivers awareness project involvedpupils of Good Shepherd primary in Poleglass, and Dunmurry primarywho grew baby salmon in special refrigerated incubators over spring.

Pupils followed the salmon lifecycle, the impact of pollution and howvital the health of our rivers is to wildlife. The children released theirfish into the Colin River and more recently into the River Bush inBushmills.

The project, which is part of the Belfast Hills landscape partnershipscheme and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, is aimed atdeveloping a greater appreciation of our rivers.

Mark Patterson nets lots of interest with the salmongrown all the way from babies by pupils of Good

Shepherd primary and Dunmurry primary


A newly-discovered population of lizards hasbeen devastated after arsonists set fire toCave Hill.

The Belfast Hills Partnershiphas renewed its appeal forpeople to report any firesthey see in the hills thissummer.

We have been monitoringlizards at the wildlife site -

known as the Limestone quarry -for several months. Many werelost when the blaze cut a swatheacross the area.The viviparous lizard is the onlyland reptile native to Ireland.Small and brownish-grey inappearance, the species givesbirth to live young which havehatched from eggs inside thefemale. Mountainous, coastal andbogland areas tend to report the

Get signed up to our E-NewsletterTo receive updates and events go to www.belfasthills.org and click on ‘sign up for our E-Newsletter’. Become our Friend! - Why not support the Partnership by becoming a Friendof the Belfast Hills? Get free entry to most events and enjoy other benefits for just £10 a year.Details are on our homepage. We’re at ‘Belfast Hills Partnership’ on Facebook, ‘Belfast Hills’on Twitter and ‘Belfasthills’ on YouTube!

highestnumbers ofsightings. Belfast Hills Partnershipmanager Jim Bradley expresseddismay at the damage that wascaused on the afternoon of June 5when a large plume of smokecould be seen on the hill and overnorth Belfast.“It was only this year we began tomonitor this site for lizards thatwe discovered on the southernside of Cave Hill,” he said. “Wehave definitive proof of what hadbeen there, but we can nowcompare figures to see theimpact, which is quite substantial,given the area covered, severityand extent of the blaze.“Heat is very importantfor lizards and giventhat the oldquarry

is south-facing and a sun trap, itis also a good place for butterfliesand nesting birds. Hopefully wewill see the unburned area of thissite recolonized by the lizardsfrom the burnt parts.“This won’t put us off futuremonitoring and finding out thewildlife value of the hills.”“Therefore we repeat ourmessage for people to be vigilant,10 or 15 minutes can make all thediffer-ence between a small burnand a large fire in an uplandarea.”


Crafts at Clifton HouseSaturday 6 July, 11am – 4pm

Experience traditional Irish crafts andhave a go at basket weaving, wood

turning and blacksmithing.Belfast’s old poorhouse will opena door to the past showcasingtraditional children’s games,

pottery making, spinning, feltmaking and straw twining.

No need to book. Just turn up and it's free!

Jailbirds: Stories and songs fromthe hills at Crumlin Road GaolFriday 5 July, 7.30 – 9.30Lock yourself up and throw away the key for thisheritage jailhouse rock with cellmates local poetGearoid McLoughlin and musician Alan Burke.Hear stories and songs from the Belfast Hills thattower over this Victorian lockup followed by a tour ofthe prison. Did you know Crumlin Road Gaol is madefrom basalt quarried in the Belfast Hills?Cost: £5.50. Book early to avoid disappointment!


An old chapel on the slopes ofthe Belfast Hills reveals a sadand sorry tale, but now thereis renewed hope for its future.

The Chapel of the Resurrectionwhich stands forlornly outsidethe grounds of Belfast Castle,was built in the 1860s andconsecrated in 1869. It wasdesigned for the third Marquisof Donegall and served as amortuary chapel for his onlyson Frederick who diedtragically aged 25.

The chapel that sits onInnisfayle Park has fallen intodisrepair, prompting acampaign to save it fromfurther damage.

The third marquis died in 1883and the Donegall estate passedonto his daughter Harriet, theCountess of Shaftesbury.

By 1915 the little chapel was nolonger in use and in 1934 itpassed into the hands ofBelfast city council, but had noendowment to pay for itsupkeep.

In 1938 it was transferred tothe Church of Ireland andbecame part of the nearby StPeter’s parish on the AntrimRoad. Regular Sunday servicesran until 1965.

The 1970s took a heavy toll onthe chapel and it becamederelict and vandalised. Thelead roof was stripped and thestained glass windows weresmashed.

In 1982, the vandalism reacheda new low when the vaultcontaining the remains of sevenmembers of the Donegallfamily was disturbed anddesecrated.

The remains had to becollected and removed to StNicholas’ Church inCarrickfergus. In 1986, thechapel was deconsecrated andthen sold to Glenbrook Homesin 1989.

Since then there have beenmany attempts to develop thebuilding for community use. Itremains to be seen ifcampaigners can resurrect theChapel of the Resurrection.

The fortunes of the Chapel of the Resurrectionnear Belfast Castle estate have been chequered


Funders of the BelfastHills Partnership

Men on the pull atGlencairn Park!As part of our continuing invasivespecies work and improving fringecommunity wildlife sites,Volunteer Now and groups fromMen United and Engage with Agetook part in pulling up HimalayanBalsam at Glencairn Park.

WildfloweracademyOur wildflower academyoffered the chance forvolunteers to get trainedup in survey techniquesand enhance their skills inidentifying wildflowers.

Walking on sunshineThe weather was perfect forwalking when those who took part

in our community walk leader

course – in partnership withOutdoor Recreation NI – graduated with flying colours.

The initiative seeks to teachpeople how to lead walks safely

in their community.

If you would like tobecome a Belfast Hills

Partnership volunteer, [email protected]

or call 028 9060 3466

Well done to all our volunteerswhose sterling work is paying greatdividends for the Belfast Hills!

NEWCREATION Design Tel: 028 38 321 255

It’s your Belfast Hills: The Partnership brings together statutory bodies with a role to play in the Belfast Hills,including Belfast, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and Antrim councils. These representatives are joined by people from thefarming, community, commercial, recreation and environmental sectors. All have pledged to work together to benefitthe Belfast Hills. Charity No: XR70288 Company No: NI053189

Address: 9 Social Economy Village, Hannahstown Hill, Belfast, BT17 OXST: 028 9060 3466 • F: 028 9030 9867 • E: [email protected] • www.belfasthills.org


summer newsletter 2013

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