Historical Belfast Jason Burke

When we think of the Dutch and their association with football it immediately evokes images of Johan Cruyff and his iconic ‘Cruyff turn’, Van Basten’s almost impossible goal in 1988, Ruud Gullit’s ‘sexy football’, Ajax winning the European Cup in 1995, and the famous ‘sea of orange’ that accompanies the Netherlands national team wherever they play. It really is a world away from our own domestic football scene here in Northern Ireland where the prospect of a Tuesday night fixture away to Warrenpoint Town doesn’t quite have the same appeal as what the Netherlands can offer.
And yet recently I’ve come across a Dutch historian who is so fascinated by the history of football in Belfast that he has decided to write a book about it – in Dutch, and for a Dutch audience…
Wouter Schollema is from the Frieseland region in the north of Netherlands. Through his studies at the Groningen University Wouter gained a keen interest in the history of Ireland and, in particular, the more recent history of Northern Ireland.
Football-wise he supports a club called Cambuur who, if the Dutch Erdivisie is turned upside down, are one of the top teams in the Netherlands… In reality they’re about the be relegated to the Dutch second-tier. At Cambuur, Wouter provides stadium tours for visitors and he is also the Dutch language teacher for the foreign players at the club.
Over the last year or so Wouter and I have struck up a friendship due to our mutual interest in football and so I thought it was only right that I should invite him onto the podcast to talk about his book, and I began by asking him where his fascination with Belfast comes from.
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The story of the UVF’s dramatic 1914 gunrunning operation at the height of the third home rule crisis is one that has often been told. What is less well-known about the UVF’s gunrunning story, however, is the fate of the man who provided the weapons. Bruno Spiro, a German Jew, was arrested in Hamburg in 1936 by the Gestapo and charged with what were described as “serious allegations”. He was taken to the notorious Fuhlsbüttel Concentration Camp in Hamburg where he allegedly took his own life...

Thanks to Elise Bath from the Wiener Holocaust Library for providing some much-needed context to this story.
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You would be forgiven for being completely unaware of the rich Jewish heritage that exists in Belfast. Despite being a relatively small community today (less than 100 and still declining…) the Jews of Belfast have left an indelible mark on the history of our city.    

For Episode 27 of the Historical Belfast Podcast I’ve been speaking to Steven Jaffe, Director of the Jewish Heritage Project.

Link for Jewish Heritage Project: https://www.belfastjewishheritage.org/ 

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Link for the upcoming walking tours: www.historicalbelfast.com
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“Head, heel or toe – slip it to Joe” – the words which are associated with Joe Bambrick, Irish football idol and Donegall Road man.

When Ireland beat Wales 7-0 at Celtic Park in Belfast, on 1 February 1930, the man of the moment and the name on everyone’s lips was Belfast-born centre-forward Joe Bambrick. That’s because, unbelievably, ‘slip it to Joe’ had scored 6 of the 7 goals, a double hat-trick — an unprecedented achievement which has never been equalled by any other British international footballer in the 92 years since.

Arguably the greatest Irish centre-forward of all time Bambrick achieved legendary status at Linfield FC, though he also turned out for Chelsea and Walsall.

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For this episode of the Historical Belfast Podcast I visited St. Matthew’s Parish Church, consecrated 150 years ago on 11 March 1872. I chatted with Sam Guthrie (Queen’s University Belfast) who has been busy working on an exhibition about the social history of St. Matthew’s and the surrounding community of the Shankill.

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Welcome to Episode 24 of the Historical Belfast Podcast – the first episode of 2022 but also the last in the Sandy Row mini series which has been an absolute pleasure to make.
I’ve decided to come to Sandy Row for the final episode and take a walk along the road we’ve been exploring over the last few months. The focus will be on the historical plaques that I encounter along the way – so, come and take a walk with me and see what I have found…

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