The Ulster Covenant Political Walking Tour

The tour will take in events before and after the signing of the Ulster Covenant, leading up to the founding of the state of Northern Ireland. On the 28th September 1912 that the Ulster Covenant was signed by 237, 368 men and the Declaration by 234, 046 women, in protest against the Third Home Rule Bill, introduced by the Liberal Government in that same year. Sir Edward Carson was the first person to sign the Covenant on a table made for the occasion and placed under the Rotunda on the ground floor of Belfast City Hall. He signed it with a silver pen which was presented to him the previous evening in the Ulster Hall and it is here that the tour begins. The Ulster Covenant is immortalised in Rudyard Kipling's poem, Ulster 1912.

Most of the interesting places associated with the Ulster Covenant will be included in this tour. We do hope that you enjoy your visit to Belfast and discover the history of the people on this Island of Ireland in 1912 who were determined to remain British. Outside of the island of Ireland, few, would have any knowledge of the Ulster Covenant, so it is very much an untold story. It will be my pleasure to point out statues, buildings and places that relate to the story of men and women who played a major role in the Ulster Covenant. I will also provide you with links between the Covenant Story and the Titanic Story. This will be demonstrated as I take you to the Titanic Garden, within the grounds of the City Hall. Near the end of the tour you will visit St Anne's Cathedral (where you will see the final resting place of Edward Carson, the main character in the story. You will see some landmarks and buildings linked to the story including, Belfast City Hall, Ulster Reform Club, First NS Presbyterian Church,