An affectionate and intimate portrait of Belfast, written and presented by Douglas Gageby. Gageby, who was Editor of The Irish Times for over two decades (1963 to 1986), was one of the most celebrated Irish newspaper figures of the twentieth century. Although he lived much of his life in Dublin, Gageby had strong and enduring links to Belfast. He was educated at the Belfast Royal Academy, whilst his father, Thomas, was a Belfast-born civil servant. His paternal grandfather, Robert Gageby, had stood as a Labour parliamentary candidate in Belfast North in 1910, and was a Belfast City Councillor for 20 years.
In this programme, Gageby examines his conflicting emotions about the city, "Belfast is a great place and - at the same time - a bloody awful place!" and visits various Belfast landmarks, paying his respect to them, "to the city and to my grandfather". He visits former family homes on Leopold Street and Alliance Avenue. The latter had been converted into a playscheme on the Ardoyne peace line. Gageby visits the City Hall and old Shankill Graveyard, and explores the Farset River where he used to play. He also visits, and meets pupils from, his old school, Belfast Royal Academy, before joining a Christian Brothers’ School field geography trip on the Flush River in the Belfast Hills.
Gageby shares anecdotes regarding his grandfather and Sir Robert Baird (proprietor of the Belfast Telegraph) and Alexander Foster, former Headmaster of Belfast Royal Academy.