Timeline of Belfast history facts for kids

This article tells the story of Belfast, a city in Northern Ireland, from ancient times to today. It's a journey through its exciting past, showing how it grew and changed.

Belfast's Early Days

• Ice Age – Long, long ago, people from what is now Scotland crossed the frozen Irish Sea. They started living in Ireland, especially in the area called Ulster.
• Iron Age – Around 1300 BC, the first lasting homes were built in Ireland. Two ancient sites, the Giant's Ring and McArt's Fort, were built near where Belfast is now.

Medieval Belfast (500s to 1300s)

• Around 500 AD – The small village of Béal Feirste (which means "mouth of the sand-bank ford") was part of the kingdom of Dál Riata.
• 665 – A battle took place between different groups at the ford of Belfast.
• 1177 – A Norman knight named John de Courcy took control of Belfast. He ordered castles to be built in Belfast and nearby Carrickfergus.
• 1306 – The first mention of a chapel at the Ford of Belfast appeared in old church records.
• 1315 – Edward Bruce invaded Ulster. He was killed in battle a few years later in 1318.

From Castles to New Ideas (1400s to 1500s)

• 1503 – The Earl of Kildare ordered the castle in Belfast to be pulled down, saying it was built illegally.
• 1542 – Henry VIII became King of Ireland, bringing the whole island under one ruler for the first time.
• 1552 – Belfast Castle was rebuilt and made stronger.
• 1571 – Elizabeth I gave Belfast Castle and its lands to Sir Thomas Smith.
• 1574 – An Irish lord, Brian McPhelim O'Neill, was tricked and captured at Belfast Castle by the Earl of Essex. He was later executed.
• 1597 – The Nine Years War began. English soldiers in Belfast Castle were captured and killed by Irish rebels. This war caused a lot of damage.
• 1598 – Arthur Chichester gained control of lands around Belfast.

Growing Pains and Big Changes (1600s)

• 1605 – Arthur Chichester became a powerful leader in Ireland. He wanted to make Belfast a proper town. He brought skilled workers from Britain and started building many new homes and buildings.
• 1607 – Many Irish lords left Ulster. King James I decided to bring many people from Scotland and England to live in Ulster. This event, called the Plantation of Ulster, changed the population of the area forever. Many of these new settlers became known as Ulster-Scots.
• 1613 – Belfast officially became a town with its own local government and representatives in Parliament.
• 1640 – Belfast became more important for trade. The main customs office moved to Belfast, taking business away from Carrickfergus.
• 1641 – A big rebellion broke out across Ireland. This led to a long war with a lot of fighting.
• 1688 – King James II was removed from power in England.
• 1689 – Belfast was taken by Protestants who were against James II. Later, a large army led by William of Orange arrived and took control of Belfast without a fight.
• 1690 – William of Orange visited Belfast. His army later won a major battle, the Battle of the Boyne, which changed the future of Ireland.
• 1691 – New laws, called Penal Laws, were passed. These laws limited the rights of Catholics and other Protestants who were not part of the main church.

A City of Industry and Ideas (1700s)

• 1700s – Ulster became a hub for industry. Belfast grew into a major producer of linen and other goods.
• 1708 – Belfast Castle was destroyed by fire.
• 1737 – Belfast's first newspaper, the Belfast News Letter, was started.
• 1759 – About 8,000 people lived in Belfast.
• 1771 – Farmers, upset about high rents, surrounded Belfast Barracks. This led to riots and fires until their demands were met.
• 1778 – During the American Revolution, an American ship attacked a British ship in Belfast Lough. This led the people of Belfast to form their own local army, called the Volunteer Corps.
• 1780 – People in Belfast, especially Presbyterians, started talking about making changes in Ireland. They wanted more rights for Irish Catholics.
• 1784 – The Volunteer Corps in Belfast decided to let Catholics join their ranks, which was a big step at the time.
• 1784 – The first Catholic church in Belfast, St. Mary's, held its first mass. Protestants helped raise money to build it.
• 1786 – The River Farset was covered over to create High Street, a major road.
• 1791 – People in Belfast celebrated the French Revolution. They formed the Society of United Irishmen, aiming for revolution in Ireland.
• 1795 – Theobald Wolfe Tone, a leader of the United Irishmen, and his friends climbed Cave Hill. They promised to fight for Ireland's freedom.
• 1797 – The British government tried to disarm militias in Ulster. This led to a lot of tension.
• 1798 – A big rebellion, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, broke out. Henry Joy McCracken, a leader from Belfast, was executed.

Victorian Growth and Challenges (1800s)

• 1800 – The Act of Union was passed. This created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, joining Ireland with Britain.
• 1801 – Belfast's population was about 19,000.
• 1811 – The cotton industry in Belfast was huge, employing over 50,000 people.
• 1815 – The cotton industry started to slow down after the Napoleonic Wars.
• 1828 – The Botanic Gardens opened to the public.
• 1830 – Belfast became the world's top producer of linen.
• 1832 – A serious disease called cholera arrived in Belfast, killing many people.
• 1837 – The first steam trains arrived in Belfast, starting a new era of transport.
• 1841 – Belfast's population grew to over 70,000.
• 1845 – The Great Potato Famine began. A potato disease destroyed crops, leading to widespread hunger and sickness across Ireland.
• 1847 – Many starving people moved into Belfast, bringing diseases with them. Hospitals were full, and people were dying in the streets.
• 1849 – The new Victoria Channel was opened, allowing large ships to reach Belfast Harbour easily.
• 1849 – Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Belfast. They were welcomed by huge crowds and celebrations.
• 1852 – Belfast became the busiest port in Ireland, even bigger than Dublin.
• 1857 – Fights broke out between Catholic and Protestant groups, leading to ten days of riots.
• 1861 – The famous shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff was formed. They built many ships, including those for the White Star Line.
• 1862 – Ulster Hall opened. A new Belfast Castle was also built on Cave Hill.
• 1869 – White Star Line ordered all its ships from Harland & Wolff, making them the biggest shipbuilders in the world.
• 1871 – Ormeau Park opened.
• 1872 – More riots occurred between Catholics and Protestants.
• 1874 – The idea of "Home Rule" (Ireland governing itself) became a big political issue.
• 1886 – Major riots broke out in Belfast over the Home Rule Bill, with many people killed.
• 1888 – Queen Victoria officially made Belfast a city. At this time, it was Ireland's largest city and a global leader in linen production.
• 1895 – The Grand Opera House opened.
• 1899 – The RMS Oceanic, the largest moving object ever built at that time, was launched in Belfast.

A New Century and World Wars (1900s to 1950s)

• 1900 – Belfast was a world leader in many industries, including tobacco, tea machinery, and soft drinks.
• 1901 – Belfast's population reached almost 350,000.
• 1906 – Belfast City Hall and Victoria Park opened.
• 1907 – A big strike by dock workers and police in Belfast showed a rare moment of unity between different groups.
• 1910 – Edward Carson became the leader of the Unionists, who wanted to stay part of the United Kingdom. They formed a group called the Ulster Volunteers to resist Home Rule.
• 1912 – The RMS Titanic left Belfast. It sank a few days later, with over 1,500 lives lost.
• 1912 – The Ulster Covenant was signed by nearly 500,000 people who opposed Home Rule for Ireland.
• 1914 – World War I began. Many men from Belfast and Ulster joined the British Army, including members of the Ulster Volunteers.
• 1916 – The Battle of the Somme caused huge losses for the Ulster Division, including many men from Belfast.
• 1918 – World War I ended. The Sinn Féin party won many seats in Ireland, leading to the creation of a new Irish Parliament.
• 1919 – Fighting increased between Irish Republican Army (IRA) and security forces.
• 1920 – Riots broke out in Belfast. The Government of Ireland Act 1920 officially created Northern Ireland.
• 1921 – Unionists won the first election in Northern Ireland. James Craig became the first Prime Minister.
• 1921 – A day of violence known as 'Belfast's Bloody Sunday' occurred, with many civilians killed.
• 1922 – Belfast became the capital of Northern Ireland. The Anglo-Irish Treaty officially divided Ireland into Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State.
• 1929 – The 1929 Stock Market Crash hit Belfast's industries hard, leading to many job losses.
• 1932 – Unemployed Catholics and Protestants marched together in Belfast, showing a rare moment of unity against poverty. The new Stormont Parliament buildings were opened.
• 1934 – Belfast Zoo opened to the public.
• 1937 – The Irish Free State introduced a new constitution claiming the whole island of Ireland.
• 1938 – Many industrial workers in Belfast were unemployed. Poverty and malnutrition were big problems.
• 1939 – World War II began.
• 1941 – The Belfast Blitz occurred on Easter Tuesday. German bombers attacked the city, causing huge damage and killing about a thousand people. Many homes were destroyed.
• 1951 – Belfast's population reached over 440,000.

The Troubles and Peace (1960s to 1990s)

• 1969 – Riots broke out in Northern Ireland. The British Army was sent in to keep the peace. Peace walls were built in Belfast to separate communities. The Provisional IRA was formed.
• 1970 – Fighting increased between the IRA and the British Army. The Ulster Defence Regiment was formed.
• 1971 – The British Army started arresting suspected Republican terrorists without trial. This led to more violence. The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) was formed.
• 1972 – A day known as Bloody Sunday occurred in Derry, where British soldiers shot and killed unarmed protesters. This led to more violence.
• 1972 – The Northern Ireland Parliament was suspended, and direct rule from Westminster (the UK Parliament) was put in place.
• 1972 – The Provisional IRA set off 22 bombs around Belfast on a day known as Bloody Friday, killing many people.
• 1973 – The Sunningdale Agreement was an attempt to create a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.
• 1974 – A general strike by the Ulster Workers' Council led to the collapse of the Sunningdale Agreement.
• 1976 – Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan started the Community of Peace People, working for peace in Northern Ireland. They later won the Nobel Peace Prize.
• 1981 – Bobby Sands, an IRA prisoner, died after a 66-day hunger strike.
• 1993 – A bomb exploded on Shankhill Road, killing 10 people.
• 1998 – The Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast. This historic agreement brought an end to most of the violence of The Troubles. It set up a power-sharing government and led to the release of political prisoners.

Belfast Today (2000s to Present)

• 2000 – The Northern Ireland Assembly (the local government) was suspended several times over the next few years.
• 2004 – A large amount of money was stolen from the Northern Bank headquarters.
• 2007 – The Northern Ireland Assembly started meeting again at Stormont.
• 2012 – The Titanic Museum Belfast opened, telling the story of the famous ship built in the city.
• 2017 – The Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended again. C. S. Lewis Square opened in East Belfast, honoring the famous author.
• 2018 – The Primark store at Bank Buildings caught fire, causing extensive damage.
• 2020 – The Northern Ireland Assembly met again. Northern Ireland went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
• 2021 – Riots broke out in parts of Belfast and other areas.
• 2022 – The Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended again.
• 2023 – Elections were held, and for the first time, Sinn Féin won the most seats.
• 2024 – A large public sector strike took place in Belfast and other towns. The Northern Ireland Assembly met again, and Michelle O'Neill became the First Minister, with Emma Little-Pengelly as Deputy First Minister. This was a historic moment, as it was the first time a republican became First Minister and the first time both top positions were held by women.