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.