The Body Bus - full-day body snatching history guided coach tour
Schedule
Mon Mar 17 2025 at 10:00 am to 06:00 pm
UTC+00:00Location
Lombard Street, Belfast, BT1 1, United Kingdom | Belfast, NI
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RESURRECT THE RESURRECTIONISTS!Join Alternative Ulstours' 'Master of the Macabre' Andrew Johnston for an exclusive guided coach tour, as we travel back to Georgian Ireland to explore the ghoulish activities of the body snatchers!
Relive the dreaded reign of the 'resurrection men' and investigate what relics remain of this grimly fascinating era.
Journey across Belfast and rural County Antrim, darkening a series of historic graveyards frozen in time.
Along the way, confront the terrible tale of infamous Ulstermen Burke and Hare, as well as many lesser-known cases and characters.
Stop 1 - Lombard Street, Belfast
• Begin where Belfast's body snatchers Stewart and Feeney lived during their most shocking crime
Stop 2 - Academy Street, Belfast
• See where the pair's business was based and learn the likely identity of their employer
Stop 3 - Clifton Street Cemetery, Belfast
• Hear the horrors of one of Belfast's body snatching hotspots from outside the ominous gates
Stop 4 - Shankill Graveyard, Belfast
• Behold the remnants of a body snatching watch-house in one of Belfast's earliest burying grounds
Stop 5 - Mallusk Cemetery, Mallusk
• A rare 'resurrection lamp' still stands in this last resting place of rebels and poets
Stop 6 - Templetown Mausoleum, Templepatrick
• Visit the hidden graveyard of Castle Upton and its grand, neoclassical tomb
Stop 7 - Coleman's Garden Centre, Templepatrick
• Enjoy lunch 'the Coleman's way', from a locally sourced menu supporting independent producers (includes 10% shopping discount voucher)
Stop 8 - St John's Church of Ireland, Donegore
• Inspect the day's first 'morthouse', atop a neolithic burial mound
Stop 9 - St Saviour's Parish Church, Connor
• A curious 'death house' awaits on the home turf of the feared 'Connor Body Boys' gang
Stop 10 - Rashee Old Cemetery, Ballyclare
• This eerie site contains a morthouse and one of the north's few surviving 'mortsafes'
Stop 11 - Christ Church, Ballynure
• Lurking in County Antrim's second-oldest cemetery is another notable 'corpse house'
Stop 12 - Ballylinney Old Burial Ground, Ballylinney
• A ruined chapel and a morthouse conceal a dark secret beneath the headstones
Stop 13 - Belfast Central Library, Belfast
• We part at the location of old John Street, where body snatcher-cum-serial killer William Burke lodged
Please note:
• The tour starts at the Frederick Douglass statue on Lombard Street in Belfast city centre, where your guide will be waiting for you
• Please arrive 10 minutes before the scheduled start time
• The tour will last eight hours and will feature some walking, including on rough, uneven ground
• Please advise us in advance of any relevant mobility issues or health conditions
• The tour ends at Belfast Central Library on Royal Avenue in Belfast city centre
• The itinerary is subject to change due to unexpected events, local conditions or other circumstances out of our control
• The tour will go ahead in all weathers
• Please wear sturdy, waterproof footwear
• Please wear warm clothing and bring a waterproof coat
• Please bring drinking water and stay hydrated
• A head torch is optional, but may be useful in the event of low light conditions
• There will be comfort and refreshment stops throughout the day (refreshments at own cost)
• There will be a 60-minute stop for lunch (lunch at own cost)
• Your guide is a professional Level 4 tour guide with a specialist interest in body snatching
• The tour is fully insured through Tour Guides NI
Very important:
• The tour is open to all ages, but parental guidance is advised due to the graphic nature of some content. You have been warned!
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Where is it happening?
Lombard Street, Belfast, BT1 1, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
