LATEST UPDATE

Greetings - we have now passed all the dates that were in our diary as regards meetings and events for the Society in the 2019-20 membership year.  We are now working to establish a new programme of talks online for the autumn and into winter season.  While this is not our usual format we must move with the times and availability of new technology and the need to be able to engage with members and those interested in the Society. The challenge of going online brings with it exciting opportunities to engage with members who would not have been able to attend our monthly meetings before (being resident in distant places).  We look forward to bringing you more news about our online talks when we have established (i) a platform to broadcast on and (ii) the talks themselves (we will bring forward our speakers from the cancelled series of talks we have planned for in April and May in the first instance).  If you have any talk to offer remotely or want to hear a particular topic covered please let us know.

CQD MAGAZINE

Hopefully all members will now have received the last issue of CQD Titanic magazine - this issue completes the CQD Titanic magazines for the 2019-20 membership year. Going forward there will be two magazines annually and this allows us to remain within the membership income envelop.  Issue 62's cover focussed on the forthcoming 100th anniversary of the Titanic Memorial, now the centrepiece of the Titanic Memorial gardens at Belfast City Hall.  You can watch the old PATHE clips of the opening ceremony by Lord French in June 1920 HERE and HERE.  Congratulations to Mark Doherty, new Editor of CQD Titanic magazine - we thank him for this issue packed with local content and with new angles on the Titanic story.  We look forward to Issue 63 in the autumn - he can be contacted using editor@belfast-titanic.com

MEMBERSHIP

Also on 15th April last our annual membership renewed - thank you to all members who successfully renewed and paid their fee - we can report that most members are now using a digital means to pay which is helpful going forward as it reduces administration time as well as banking fees. Anyone still to pay can click HERE for more details of how to get their payment to us. Please note that current members who have not renewed by the date of the next issue of CQD will not receive that issue or subsequent issues. 

CONVENTION

We are also working to establish a BELFAST TITANIC INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION in March/ April 2022 to coincide with the 110th Anniversary of: the launch, the leaving of Belfast (watch HERE), the maiden voyage and the loss of RMS Titanic #titanic110. More news on this and other events for 2020/21 will be announced here, on our website homepage as well as on our social media pages on Facebook @BelfastTitancSociety and Twitter @belfast_titanic.

In meantime where ever you are please stay safe

#OPENFORBUSINESS

Belfast Titanic Society Leadership Team

_______________________________

THE 108th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LOSS OF RMS TITANIC

Marking this day, a day in history, with the Belfast Titanic Society, from home

“...If we love still those we lose, can we altogether lose those we love?...� (Thackeray)

 

As we each mark the loss of RMS Titanic on Wednesday 15 April 1912 - safely from our own homes around the world - we remember that it was on this day 108 years ago, during the early hours of the morning, in pitch black of night, that the hopes and aspirations of many hundreds were dashed against a towering iceberg.

 

Today in our own difficult times, and as our thoughts turn to the the Titanic tragedy, we in the Belfast Titanic Society are proud and privileged to remember the loss with our friends, colleagues and partners at Belfast City Council. And we pay tribute to the work that went on behind the scenes this year, preparing for the event at City Hall, in the days leading up to the nationwide call to stay at home to help our NHS and help save lives.

This is the first year in recent times that there hasnt been an event at the memorial gardens at City Hall.  And no doubt our camaraderie at the event and inside City Hall afterwards will be sadly missed by all...but we encourage you, where ever you are, to mark the time, normally at midday, when we gather at the Titanic Memorial Gardens at City Hall, to remember not only our own Belfast men who were lost ....but everyone who died.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the unveiling (on 26 June 1920) of the Titanic Memorial Monument - the last work of Sir Thomas Brock.

 

Speaking at the unveiling, just outside the grounds of Belfast City Hall in Donegall Square East, Lord French, Viceroy of Ireland, quoted Thackeray, “If we love still those we lose, can we altogether lose those we love?â€�  These words remains as true today in our current Covid19 crisis across the world as when those words were spoken by Lord French. He summed up well how it feels to lose someone we love under tragic circumstances, a truely heartfelt message across the world then and now. 

 

The centrepiece for remembrance in Belfast remains our Titanic Memorial Gardens, dominated by the impressive bronze plinth, opened in 2012, with its ‘Belfast List’, a comprehensive account of all Titanic’s passengers and crew as well as our 'Guarantee Group' from H&W, who were lost.

Thank you for taking time out today to think about the lives of people associated with the Titanic tragedy and for participating in an act of remembrance, albeit remotely from your own home.

If you want to add to tributes on social media on twitter, facebook or instagram, these are most welcome using #titanic108 #titanic and #titanictogether and if you want to add @belfast-titanic we will reTweet and repost.

 

Thank you and stay safe, as always.

 

Dr Aidan McMichael

Co-Chairman Belfast Titanic Society

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

COVID19 UPDATE

We regret to annouce that all further events and meetings planned for the 2019/2020 season are now cancelled - these include :

• 15th April Memorial Service at City Hall
• AGM meeting and 'Talk' in May at RBAI
• All 'Titanic Together' events/talks and tours planned for April 2020
• Proni talks and tours
• Titanic Belfast 'Out of Stores' exhibition

On bealf of the Society we very much appreciate the support you have given to the Society this past year and we hope to see you all again as soon as possible.  For now don't hesitate to get in touch with us with any 'Titanic' related stories you might have and we can share those on social media or on our webpages. 

We do hope to get an issue of CQD magazine out soon but this will be very much dependant on Covid19 developments and we will update you on the issue of the magazine when we can.  We will bring you news of a postponed AGM meeting as soon as the future is clearer for event planning.

Please remember on 15th April we will not be at the Titanic Memorial Gardens for the usual memorial service at Belfast City Hall so you can channel your own thoughts over that anniversary day where ever you are in the world! 

The 15th April also sees the renewal of annual membershps and there are bank account and paypal details on the membership page of this website.

Due to increased costs around publication of the Society full colour magazine and postage charges we will change from three issues with annual membership to two issues with annual membership per year.  We very much appreciate the continued support from members and the good feedback we have had in the last few years about the material covered in our magazine - we have a new Editor at the helm (Mark Doherty) of the magazine who no doubt will put his own slant on things - and he is also very much open to new material.  Anyone wishing to submit material should so do by emailing your document to  info@belfast-titanic.com  FAO CQD Editor (see more detal on submissions in past magazines or on our CQD webpages.

Please everyone do take care of yourselves and your loved ones

Regards

Aidan McMichael

Co-Chairman Belfast Titanic Society

FInd out whats on here for 2019-2020 season 

2019/2020 - ANNUAL TALKS /EVENTS PLANNER DOWNLOAD pdf