Drs and Diseases | Walking Tour

This walking tour charts Belfast’s turbulent medical history.

Discover the city’s first hospital, Victorian anti-vaxxers and bizarre crazes like tea-induced insanity. Learn how contaminated seafood, poor housing and deadly linen mill conditions wrecked lives. From the devastation of the Belfast Blitz to deadly epidemics, the tour uncovers the city’s greatest health crises. You’ll also meet inspiring figures like Sir James Murray (inventor of milk of magnesia) and Dr William Drennan.

Both grim and uplifting, this tour reveals how Belfast has battled disease, disaster and poverty to care for its people through the centuries.

We’ve partnered with the Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association to offer insightful cultural walking tours during the Festival. Led by experienced guides, these tours provide a fresh perspective on Belfast’s history and heritage. Whether you’re familiar with the city or exploring it for the first time, they offer a thoughtful way to engage with its stories and streets.