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Date: 8 May 2026
A burial ground on Donegall Road, where over 10,000 people from the former Belfast Workhouse were buried has been marked with a permanent plaque today.
The Belfast Workhouse was opened in 1841 and when cemeteries reached capacity, a space on workhouse grounds for burial was designated.
A small section of the workhouse wall and gatepost remains on the Donegall Road which is where the memorial plaque has been mounted.
Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Tracy Kelly has campaigned for the erection of the plaque and said: "This memorial is a long-overdue tribute to the thousands of men, women, and children who were laid to rest here in unmarked graves.
“For too long, this significant chapter of our city’s history remained hidden, but today we ensure that those who suffered within the walls of the workhouse are finally remembered with the dignity they deserve.
By marking this site, we are not only honouring this neglected part of Belfast's history and providing a respectful, permanent, and visible tribute to the dead.”
Dr Robyn Atcheson, a social historian and history communicator based at Queen’s University Belfast also advocated for the installation of a memorial and said:
“The history of the Belfast workhouse is the history of the city itself. The tens of thousands of people buried in this burial ground will finally have their resting place marked and I am honoured to have played a part in that.
“With this memorial, we are acknowledging the working poor, the sick and the hungry who passed through the workhouse as well as those who died as a result of epidemics and whose families could not afford a grave.
This memorial is also marking the last remaining Famine grave in Belfast. I'd like to thank the Council for their support in this memorial. The Belfast workhouse still has many stories to tell.”
The gatepost and memorial plaque are situated between 263 – 265 Donegall Road, BT12 5NB.