Blog Posts

Nigel Henderson of History Hub Ulster delivered a talk entitled "Belfast Street Names: Admirals, Generals and Battles" at our AGM on 16th February 2026

It all began with a question:

Many places and things are named after the Duke of Wellington: a style of waterproof boot, a recipe for beef, a WWII bomber plane, the capital of New Zealand. But where is the original Wellington? And why was it chosen?

Sir Walter Scott is the author commemorated with the most Belfast street names, far ahead of any rival. We take a look at the man, the trajectory of his literary reputation, his impact on culture in Ireland, and his legacy, including house and street names.

Mark Doherty explores some street-names off Antrim Road that commemorate Belfast-built steamships

In this blog, Martin Magill is in conversation with the host of the widely acclaimed Historical Belfast Podcast

This blog explores street-names inspired by literature and the arts in general, with a little detour into the role played by street-names in music and literature.

C. S. Lewis was born in East Belfast before moving to England. Several streets close to C.S. Lewis Square were named in his honour - Lewis Avenue, Lewis Drive, Lewis Mews and Lewis Park

A widespread pattern found in all parts of Belfast is the naming of streets after residences of merchants, politicians and nobility. Photo courtesy of National Museums NI

Belfast is home to a rich vocabulary of street names.  As the city has grown, its streets have been named by successive generations, resulting in today’s fascinating namescape.

“Transferred names” are a special category of names which are copied from one location to one or many other locations