Sailortown, Belfast
Encyclopedia
Sailortown was a working-class dockland community located in the Docks
area of Belfast
, Northern Ireland
. Established in the mid-19th century on partly reclaimed land, it had a mixed Protestant and Catholic population. The 1907 dock strike called by trade union leader James Larkin
commenced in Sailortown before spreading throughout the city.
Urban redevelopment in the 1960s resulted in Sailortown's eventual demolition; only two churches, several pubs, and three houses remain of the once bustling waterfront enclave.
area north of Belfast city centre roughly bordered by Henry Street, York Street and the Whitla Street dock gate. It was adjacent to the old York Road railway station
. Garmoyle Street served as Sailortown's main arterial road, and at one time over 5,000 people lived in the small, cobblestoned streets of red-brick terraced houses packed between the docks and York Street. Visiting sailors from many European nations (in particular those bordering the Baltic Sea
) and from even as far away as India and China added to the resident population, which was mixed Protestant and Catholic. People from all over the island of Ireland settled in Sailortown, including many who were left destitute during the Irish potato famine. The late 19th century saw the arrival of many Italian immigrants; this community, known as "Little Italy
", was largely based around Little Patrick Street at the southern end of Sailortown.
The maritime-themed Sinclair Seamen's Presbyterian Church and St. Joseph's Chapel, a Roman Catholic church served as the places of worship for the Sailortown populace. Sinclair Seamen's church is still standing on Corporation Street as is St Joseph's, built in 1880 on Princes Dock Street. St Joseph's however is no longer in use, having been closed by the Diocese of Down and Connor
in 2001 due to falling attendances and the lack of a local community. Plans for a restoration of the church have been mooted, albeit without any concrete details revealed.
The Midlands Hotel, on York Street, was once known as one of Belfast's most prestigious hotels. Notable guests included Laurel and Hardy
and 1960s singer P. J. Proby
.
Life was hard for most of the people in Sailortown as they had to endure harsh working conditions with low wages and return home to small, damp, dilapidated homes, which often housed more than one family. The waterfront was described as having been "desperate with crime and inhumanity". As a result of these factors, Sailortown became closely affiliated with Irish trade unionisism and the Labour movement. In January 1907, trade union leader James Larkin
arrived in Belfast with the aim of organising the dock workers for the National Union of Dock Labourers
(NUDL). He was successful in bringing the dockers and carters, both Protestant and Catholic, into the NUDL union. In May of that same year, he sent them out on strike after their employees refused their demand for higher wages, better conditions and union recognition. The strike soon spread across the city and the striking dockers and carters were joined by transport workers, coal heavers, shipyard workers, boilermakers, firemen, sailors, and mill and factory workers. The strike lasted until 28 August and was largely unsuccessful; the British Army was eventually sent in to restore order after the Royal Irish Constabulary
(RIC) mutinied. The dockers' strike and lockout
did, however lead to Larkin establishing the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
(ITGWU).
Protestants and Catholics were not segregated and often lived in neighbouring houses and shared the same workplace. Despite being host to a steady stream of foreign sailors, Sailortown was a close-knit community and viewed strangers with mistrust and suspicion. William Murphy, the father of loyalist
Lenny Murphy
(the leader of the notorious Shankill Butchers
gang), was a dock labourer from Sailortown's Fleet Street. Jobs in Sailortown were traditionally passed from father to son; Lenny Murphy's grandfather had also worked as a dock labourer. Murphy was a common surname in Sailortown, albeit traditionally borne by Catholics.
Parts of Sailortown were damaged during World War II
when the Luftwaffe
rained bombs down onto Belfast
on the nights of 7 April, 15/16 April and 4/5 May 1941, the Docks being a strategic target for the German bombers. Many buildings in Sailortown were engulfed with fire, the docks were hit, and the Victorian York Street Spinning Mill was completely destroyed. One of its large walls collapsed onto the adjacent terraced houses in Vere and Sussex streets, crushing the occupants to death. North Belfast suffered the greatest loss of life and property damage from the devastating air raids on the city; in particular the New Lodge
district, where entire streets and families were obliterated.
bands. The 19th-century pub was slated for demolition in 2008; the plan, however, has been postponed, although the bar is no longer open.
The Sailortown Cultural and Historical Society was founded in October 1999.
, the Provisional IRA
set off 22 bombs in Belfast; one of the explosions destroyed the premises of a seed merchant on Garmoyle Street. Stephen Parker, who at age 14 became the youngest victim of the day's bombings, was the son of the Reverend Joseph Parker, at the time chief chaplain of the Flying Angel Club. This was a seamen's mission in Sailortown located on Corporation Street, providing a temporary home for visiting sailors. Several months before Stephen was killed in the Cavehill Road blast, a bomb exploded in the vicinity of the mission and destroyed part of the building.
On Halloween
night 1972, two young Catholic girls, Paula Strong (6) and Clare Hughes (4), were in costume dress and playing near a bonfire when a 100-pound car bomb planted by the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) exploded nearby outside Benny's Bar at the corner of Ship Street and Garmoyle Street. They were both killed instantly in the blast and 12 customers inside the pub suffered injuries. There is a memorial plaque commemorating the girls on the facade of the defunct St. Joseph's church.
Fireman Brian Douglas, a Protestant based at the old Whitla Street fire station, was shot to death on 7 February 1973 by a loyalist paramilitary whilst fighting a fire caused by street disturbances in Bradbury Place, Sandy Row
. A study room is dedicated to his memory at the new Whitla Street fire station which opened later that year.
The blue mink Ford Escort car that was used by the Ulster Volunteer Force
(UVF) in the 1974 Dublin car bombings
was stolen in the Docks area by members of the UVF's Belfast Brigade on the morning of the attacks. The car exploded later that evening in Talbot Street, killing 14 people. It was the second of three no-warning car bombs.
In February 2003, UDA brigadier John Gregg
and associate Rab Carson were shot dead whilst travelling in a taxi in Nelson Street near the docks. They had just returned to Belfast after viewing a Rangers F. C. match in Glasgow
. The killing was carried out by rivals from the UDA's "C Company" as part of an internal feud.
, who was World Flyweight Champion from 1947 to 1949, comedian Frank Carson
, and Paul Hill, one of the Guildford Four, spent his childhood in Sailortown before his family moved to west Belfast. Notorious street fighter, bootlegger and member of the Ulster Volunteers, Buck Alec Robinson
was also from the area, having been born in York Street and raised in Back Ship Street. He was often seen walking his pet lion through Sailortown.
Port of Belfast
Belfast Harbour is a major maritime gateway in Northern Ireland, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland...
area of Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Established in the mid-19th century on partly reclaimed land, it had a mixed Protestant and Catholic population. The 1907 dock strike called by trade union leader James Larkin
James Larkin
James Larkin was an Irish trade union leader and socialist activist, born to Irish parents in Liverpool, England. He and his family later moved to a small cottage in Burren, southern County Down. Growing up in poverty, he received little formal education and began working in a variety of jobs...
commenced in Sailortown before spreading throughout the city.
Urban redevelopment in the 1960s resulted in Sailortown's eventual demolition; only two churches, several pubs, and three houses remain of the once bustling waterfront enclave.
Location
Sailortown was situated in the DocksPort of Belfast
Belfast Harbour is a major maritime gateway in Northern Ireland, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland...
area north of Belfast city centre roughly bordered by Henry Street, York Street and the Whitla Street dock gate. It was adjacent to the old York Road railway station
Yorkgate railway station
Yorkgate railway station serves the north of the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. The station opened in 1992, replacing the previous York Road station nearby.-York Road Railway Station:...
. Garmoyle Street served as Sailortown's main arterial road, and at one time over 5,000 people lived in the small, cobblestoned streets of red-brick terraced houses packed between the docks and York Street. Visiting sailors from many European nations (in particular those bordering the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
) and from even as far away as India and China added to the resident population, which was mixed Protestant and Catholic. People from all over the island of Ireland settled in Sailortown, including many who were left destitute during the Irish potato famine. The late 19th century saw the arrival of many Italian immigrants; this community, known as "Little Italy
Cathedral Quarter, Belfast
The Cathedral Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland is a developing area of the city, roughly situated between Royal Avenue near where the Belfast Central Library building is, and the Dunbar Link in the city centre. From one of its corners, the junction of Royal Avenue, Donegall Street and York...
", was largely based around Little Patrick Street at the southern end of Sailortown.
The maritime-themed Sinclair Seamen's Presbyterian Church and St. Joseph's Chapel, a Roman Catholic church served as the places of worship for the Sailortown populace. Sinclair Seamen's church is still standing on Corporation Street as is St Joseph's, built in 1880 on Princes Dock Street. St Joseph's however is no longer in use, having been closed by the Diocese of Down and Connor
Diocese of Down and Connor
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor, is a Roman Catholic diocese in the north-eastern part of Ireland. It is one of eight suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh and is subject to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Armagh...
in 2001 due to falling attendances and the lack of a local community. Plans for a restoration of the church have been mooted, albeit without any concrete details revealed.
The Midlands Hotel, on York Street, was once known as one of Belfast's most prestigious hotels. Notable guests included Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
and 1960s singer P. J. Proby
P. J. Proby
P.J. Proby is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who has portrayed Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison in musical theater productions as well as enjoying a successful recording career in his own right....
.
History
The working-class enclave of Sailortown was established on partly reclaimed land in the mid-19th century and was Belfast's first waterfront village. It came into being in the period when Belfast's industry expanded and flourished; Sailortown was displayed on an 1845 Belfast street map. In addition to the docks and warehouses, Sailortown had linen mills, factories, a large fire station, hotels, boarding houses, and many pubs and taverns. Du Barry's Bar on the docks was frequented by prostitutes and the favourite haunt of Belfast's gay community in the early 20th-century. Most of the local men found employment as dock labourers, carters or merchant seamen; the women worked in the mills and cigarette factories. Most families had men away at sea, including boys as young as 14. During the period when Belfast reached its apex as the hub of the shipbuilding, engineering, and linen manufactoring industry, there were more than 2000 men working in the docks.Life was hard for most of the people in Sailortown as they had to endure harsh working conditions with low wages and return home to small, damp, dilapidated homes, which often housed more than one family. The waterfront was described as having been "desperate with crime and inhumanity". As a result of these factors, Sailortown became closely affiliated with Irish trade unionisism and the Labour movement. In January 1907, trade union leader James Larkin
James Larkin
James Larkin was an Irish trade union leader and socialist activist, born to Irish parents in Liverpool, England. He and his family later moved to a small cottage in Burren, southern County Down. Growing up in poverty, he received little formal education and began working in a variety of jobs...
arrived in Belfast with the aim of organising the dock workers for the National Union of Dock Labourers
National Union of Dock Labourers
The National Union of Dock Labourers was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It was formed in Glasgow in 1889 but moved its headquarters to Liverpool within a few years and was thereafter most closely associated with Merseyside...
(NUDL). He was successful in bringing the dockers and carters, both Protestant and Catholic, into the NUDL union. In May of that same year, he sent them out on strike after their employees refused their demand for higher wages, better conditions and union recognition. The strike soon spread across the city and the striking dockers and carters were joined by transport workers, coal heavers, shipyard workers, boilermakers, firemen, sailors, and mill and factory workers. The strike lasted until 28 August and was largely unsuccessful; the British Army was eventually sent in to restore order after the Royal Irish Constabulary
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
(RIC) mutinied. The dockers' strike and lockout
1907 Belfast Dock strike
The Belfast Dock strike or Belfast lockout took place in Belfast, Ireland from May to August 1907. The strike, which began at Sailortown, beside the Docks was called by Liverpool-born trade union leader James Larkin who had successfully organised the dock workers to join the National Union of Dock...
did, however lead to Larkin establishing the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
The Irish Transport and General Workers Union, an Irish trade union, was founded by James Larkin in 1908 as a general union. Initially drawing its membership from branches of the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock Labourers, from which Larkin had been expelled, it grew to include workers in a...
(ITGWU).
Protestants and Catholics were not segregated and often lived in neighbouring houses and shared the same workplace. Despite being host to a steady stream of foreign sailors, Sailortown was a close-knit community and viewed strangers with mistrust and suspicion. William Murphy, the father of loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
Lenny Murphy
Lenny Murphy
Hugh Leonard Thompson Murphy, who commonly went by the name Lenny , was an Ulster loyalist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Murphy was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force and leader of the infamous Shankill Butchers a gang which became notorious for its torture and murder of Catholic men...
(the leader of the notorious Shankill Butchers
Shankill Butchers
The Shankill Butchers is the name given to an Ulster loyalist gang, many of whom were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force . The gang conducted paramilitary activities during the 1970s in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was most notorious for its late-night kidnapping, torture and murder of random...
gang), was a dock labourer from Sailortown's Fleet Street. Jobs in Sailortown were traditionally passed from father to son; Lenny Murphy's grandfather had also worked as a dock labourer. Murphy was a common surname in Sailortown, albeit traditionally borne by Catholics.
Parts of Sailortown were damaged during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
rained bombs down onto Belfast
Belfast Blitz
The Belfast Blitz was an event that occurred on the night of Easter Tuesday, 15 April 1941 during World War II. Two hundred bombers of the German Air Force attacked the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Nearly one thousand people died as a result of the bombing and 1,500 were injured. In terms...
on the nights of 7 April, 15/16 April and 4/5 May 1941, the Docks being a strategic target for the German bombers. Many buildings in Sailortown were engulfed with fire, the docks were hit, and the Victorian York Street Spinning Mill was completely destroyed. One of its large walls collapsed onto the adjacent terraced houses in Vere and Sussex streets, crushing the occupants to death. North Belfast suffered the greatest loss of life and property damage from the devastating air raids on the city; in particular the New Lodge
New Lodge, Belfast
The New Lodge is an urban, working-class Catholic community in Belfast, Northern Ireland, immediately to the north of city centre. The landscape is dominated by several large tower blocks. The area has a number of murals, mostly sited along the New Lodge Road...
district, where entire streets and families were obliterated.
Demolition and redevelopment
The gradual demolition of Sailortown began in the 1960s to construct the M2 motorway; the population was dispersed and rehoused in districts such as the Shore Crescent, a Protestant estate adjacent to the Greencastle suburb of North Belfast, and the New Lodge. The last terrace of houses on Ship Street was knocked down in the 1970s. The Docks area has been extensively redeveloped and only about three houses from the Sailortown community remain standing. In recent years the "Rotterdam Bar", an old historic pub on the corner of Pilot Street and Barrow Square, has been a popular venue for live music - in particular alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
bands. The 19th-century pub was slated for demolition in 2008; the plan, however, has been postponed, although the bar is no longer open.
The Sailortown Cultural and Historical Society was founded in October 1999.
The Troubles
On 21 July 1972, known as Bloody FridayBloody Friday
Bloody Friday can refer to various events in history that occurred on a Friday:*Bloody Friday , also known as the Battle of George Square.*Bloody Friday...
, the Provisional IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
set off 22 bombs in Belfast; one of the explosions destroyed the premises of a seed merchant on Garmoyle Street. Stephen Parker, who at age 14 became the youngest victim of the day's bombings, was the son of the Reverend Joseph Parker, at the time chief chaplain of the Flying Angel Club. This was a seamen's mission in Sailortown located on Corporation Street, providing a temporary home for visiting sailors. Several months before Stephen was killed in the Cavehill Road blast, a bomb exploded in the vicinity of the mission and destroyed part of the building.
On Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
night 1972, two young Catholic girls, Paula Strong (6) and Clare Hughes (4), were in costume dress and playing near a bonfire when a 100-pound car bomb planted by the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) exploded nearby outside Benny's Bar at the corner of Ship Street and Garmoyle Street. They were both killed instantly in the blast and 12 customers inside the pub suffered injuries. There is a memorial plaque commemorating the girls on the facade of the defunct St. Joseph's church.
Fireman Brian Douglas, a Protestant based at the old Whitla Street fire station, was shot to death on 7 February 1973 by a loyalist paramilitary whilst fighting a fire caused by street disturbances in Bradbury Place, Sandy Row
Sandy Row
Sandy Row is a Protestant working-class community in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It has a population of about 3,000. It is a staunchly loyalist area of Belfast, being a traditional heartland for affiliation with the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and the Orange Order.-Location:Sandy...
. A study room is dedicated to his memory at the new Whitla Street fire station which opened later that year.
The blue mink Ford Escort car that was used by the Ulster Volunteer Force
Ulster Volunteer Force
The Ulster Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in late 1965 or early 1966 and named after the Ulster Volunteer Force of 1913. The group's volunteers undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles...
(UVF) in the 1974 Dublin car bombings
Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of car bombings in Dublin and Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. The attacks killed 33 civilians and wounded almost 300 – the highest number of casualties in any single day during the conflict known as The Troubles.A loyalist...
was stolen in the Docks area by members of the UVF's Belfast Brigade on the morning of the attacks. The car exploded later that evening in Talbot Street, killing 14 people. It was the second of three no-warning car bombs.
In February 2003, UDA brigadier John Gregg
John Gregg (UDA)
John Gregg was a senior member of the UDA/UFF loyalist organisation in Northern Ireland. From the 1990s until his shooting death by rival associates, he served as brigadier of its South East Antrim Brigade...
and associate Rab Carson were shot dead whilst travelling in a taxi in Nelson Street near the docks. They had just returned to Belfast after viewing a Rangers F. C. match in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The killing was carried out by rivals from the UDA's "C Company" as part of an internal feud.
Notable residents
Natives of Sailortown who achieved wider notability down the years include boxer Rinty MonaghanRinty Monaghan
John Joseph "Rinty" Monaghan was a former world flyweight boxing champion from Belfast. He became famous in the post-war period, eventually rising to become undisputed world champion and a hero to many people in his home city....
, who was World Flyweight Champion from 1947 to 1949, comedian Frank Carson
Frank Carson
Frank Carson is a Northern Irish comedian and actor, best known on television in series such as The Comedians and Tiswas.-Early life:...
, and Paul Hill, one of the Guildford Four, spent his childhood in Sailortown before his family moved to west Belfast. Notorious street fighter, bootlegger and member of the Ulster Volunteers, Buck Alec Robinson
Alexander Robinson
Alexander "Buck Alec" Robinson was a boxer, loyalist paramilitary and Ulster Special Constabulary reservist. Robinson gained notoriety in Northern Ireland for streetfighting, robbery and for owning a pet lion...
was also from the area, having been born in York Street and raised in Back Ship Street. He was often seen walking his pet lion through Sailortown.