Encompassing champions of religious and civil liberty, abolitionists, activists and artists, this led walk will introduce a whole new vision of the city, shedding light on the people who championed causes and lived by values still at the heart of humanism today. The walk will aim to give teachers a deeper understanding of the social and historical context of freethinking and humanism in Belfast and this part of Ireland over the past 250 years.

You can choose either of two dates this summer: Sunday 26 July or Sunday 2 August.

The walk will be part of the annual Féile an Phobail/West Belfast Festival and will begin at 13:00 the gates of City Hall where you’ll hear about the 18th century Belfast radicals who agitated for free speech and equality, inspired by Enlightenment ideals. From there, the route winds through the city, with regular stops bringing us through 19th century freethinkers up to present day campaigns, with plenty of opportunity for questions and conversation.

The walk is approximately 3km, and will finish back at City Hall around 16:00. Please come prepared if rain is forecast.

The walk may be challenging for children or those with walking or hearing difficulties. In that case we do offer a self-guided version in the Go Jauntly App which you can download free on your phone (just search for Belfast in the app) and which you can follow at home or on the route at your own pace.