The first shot
On 13th April, 1689 the first shot of the siege was fired. Citizens on the walls spotted the vanguard of the Jacobite army approaching under Lieutenant General Richard Hamilton. To make his presence known, Hamilton fired a shot which hit Newgate Bastion. The defenders could not retaliate as they had not yet been issued with arms.
Goods to market
Markets were always a feature of life in the city which served a large agricultural area. Over the centuries there have been separate markets for meal, butter, fruit, fish, herring, meat, poultry, cows, pigs, horse, flax, yarn and linen. In the mid 19th century more than a million metres of material a year were bought and sold for export in the Linen Hall. The nearby Sir Edward Reid's Market was one of the first in Ireland to provide cover from the weather for shoppers.
'All kinds of everything'
Statues of Temperance, Erin and Vulcan look down from the top of St Columb's Hall. Opened in 1888 the 'palace of abstinence' was intended to keep working men away from the 'demon drink'. The 'Hall school' in the basement provided education for the children of dockers. The 'Hall' later adopted a more entertaining role. No Christmas was complete without a visit to its traditional panto. Dana, winner of the 1970 Eurovision Song Contest, made her first stage appearance at the 'Hall' aged six.
The Talkies come to town
The Millenium Forum, Northern Ireland's largest purpose-built theatre, opened in 2001. It was built across the street from the Rialto, one of the city's first cinemas. By 1934 the city had six cinemas including the Strand Picture House which could seat 1600 people. The city was just full of picture houses. Every day people would queue outside them to get in. We cheered them all, the baddies and the goodies!
Comments 0 comments