Throughout East Belfast the heritage of the area's last gaelic lord remains ever present, with streets, landmarks and areas named in his honour more than 400 years after his death.
The Connswater river, Connsbrook Avenue, Castlereagh and Clandeboye are just some of the names influenced by gaelic lord Con O'Neill who ruled the area in the 16th century before his tragic fall from grace.
His story is now being told by the East Belfast Mission’s Irish language project Turas and its Journey East bus tours, with Belfast Live being invited along to learn about the history and heritage of the man who once ruled 224 townlands in North Down.
Read more: Turas celebrates 10 years of the Irish language in East Belfast
The tour is led by Brian Ervine, who's wife Linda leads Turas, and he takes you on a tour across East Belfast from the hills of Castlereagh to the Hollow, made famous by Van Morrison in Brown Eyed Girl and where the Con O'Neill bridge stands today.
It features five different stops, some of which have breath-taking views across Belfast, where Brian enthusiastically tells you the story of Con as you visit sites where he once lived and other landmarks in his life such as the location where it is believed his castle once stood.
It also gives a fascinating insight into how certain parts of East Belfast got their name.
If you are interested in the history of the area it is definitely something that you should explore and it is a very enjoyable couple of hours.
The Con O'Neill tour has been launched ahead of the Con O’Neill Festival on September 9 and 10, later this year which will take place at key heritage locations and the Skainos Centre on the Newtownards Road.
Looking forward to the Con O’Neill Festival, Linda Ervine from Turas said:“We are delighted to announce details of our Con O’Neill Festival. Everyone is welcome to join us to explore and discover our rich and shared Gaelic heritage of east Belfast through the festival, bus tours and our education services.
"Discover the story of the last Gaelic Lord of east Belfast with our fantastic tour guide and how Con’s legacy lives on through this place today. We are excited to connect with people at this year’s EastSide Arts Festival and Féile An Phobail and look forward to welcoming old and new friends to the Con O’Neill Festival in September.”
As part of the work of Turas, Journey East is a valuable educational facility providing a wealth of learning experiences for schools, members of the public, historical groups and academics alike.
Alongside the Con O’Neill Bus Tour, they also offer the Gaelic East Belfast Bus Tour which takes passengers on a journey through east Belfast and helps them to discover a lost and forgotten history of this part of the city.
The newly launched East Belfast Murals Bus Tour travels the streets of east Belfast uncovering the positive and quirky stories behind many of the iconic wall murals.
Journey East Bus Tours and a special language class for families will also feature at this year’s EastSide Arts Festival and Féile An Phobail.
For further details visit https://journeyeast.uk/ and Turas on Facebook and Instagram – Turas Belfast and Twitter @BelfastTuras.
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