Belfast marks 100th anniversary of launch of RMS Titanic

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile & May Of Cobh, Finbarr O'Driscoll, who delivered part of his speech in Irish

At 12.13pm, the firing of the single flare marked the moment, exactly 100 years ago to the minute, that the mighty liner touched the water for the first time.

Less than a year later, Titanic would sail into history, when she sank on her maiden trans-Atlantic voyage, with the loss of more than 1,500 lives.  However, on the afternoon of 31 May 1911, she carried with her the pride of Belfast as she eased down her Queen’s Island slipway and into Belfast Lough.

Tuesday’s ceremony marked that moment in history.

It was conducted by the Reverend Chris Bennett, Chaplain of Titanic Quarter, and featured the combined Harlandic Male Voice Choir and Queen’s Island Victoria Male Choir, alongside Bible readings and prayers.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the newly-elected Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Niall Ó Donnghaile said:

“The Titanic story is probably one of the most fascinating, amazing, poignant, thought provoking and absorbing tales from the last century, if not the last millennium.

“For too long, Belfast’s part in the Titanic story, and the role of the people of Belfast in bringing Titanic to life, has been neglected.  Over the past few years, the city that gave birth to the ship, and many others, has finally and rightfully acknowledged her part in the tale, and today we proud to celebrate the achievement, epitomised by this historic moment, and educate the world about our city’s role in the Titanic story,” he concluded.

Among the invited guests were local school children and representatives from the four other cities and towns directly connected to the Titanic story – Cherbourg, Cobh (formerly Queenstown), Liverpool and Southampton.  Descendants of men who worked on the Titanic – including the nine men of the Guarantee Group who lost their lives on board in April 1912 – there were also dozens of journalists, from all parts of the world, who  travelled to Belfast for the occasion.

Speaking on behalf of the visiting delegations, Councillor Wendy Simon, Cabinet Member with Liverpool City Council, pointed to the connections between Belfast and her home city, and of each of the ‘Titanic Cities’ to the famous ship, saying:

“With Belfast, I feel an especially strong bond – not just because of the Titanic, but because of the huge similarities between our two cities.  We face each other across the Irish Sea.  We have an incredible shipbuilding heritage and maritime history.  And more recently, the incredible renaissance which has seen both Liverpool and Belfast re-emerge great cultural destinations.

“In terms of our relationship with the Titanic, Liverpool was home to the White Star Line.  Indeed, it was in the company’s head office in James Street, that the Titanic was planned and the maiden voyage organised.  The vessel was registered and carried the name ‘Liverpool’ on her stern.  We also know that more than 90 of the ship’s crew, including Captain Smith, were from our city.  So, it is hugely important that we never forget the awful events of almost 100 years ago.

“All of us are planning for Titanic 2012 in different ways.  In Liverpool, we will be commissioning a major outdoor street theatre performance over four days.   We want to involve as many people from our city in the event and make it as memorable as some of the events we held back in 2008 when we were Capital of Culture.  We will be complementing events here in Belfast, along with the other Titanic cities.

“I know that between us, we will achieve a programme of events and activities that will be a fitting tribute to all who lost their lives in the tragedy.”

Mike Smith, CEO of Titanic Quarter Ltd, who are responsible for the regeneration of the Titanic Quarter, added:

“It is an honour for Titanic Quarter to host this poignant service on the Queen’s Island slipway from which the world famous liner was launched, marking one of the most significant and proud moments in Belfast’s history.  It is fitting that when those in attendance today look around the birthplace of Titanic, they will see one of Europe’s largest regeneration projects taking shape on the former shipbuilding land, with office, residential, leisure, educational and commercial space recasting Belfast’s economy and skyline.

“Taking centre stage is the Titanic Belfast visitor facility, a truly iconic building which is expected to attract up to 400,000 visitors per year and be a major driver for the local economy, ensuring the memory of Titanic and all those connected to her will live on in the heart of the city which designed and built her.”

Earlier in the day, a major new exhibition on Titanic opened at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.  ‘TITANICa’ tells the story of the mighty ship and her world through more than 500 original artefacts, some of which have never been seen before.   Visitors can discover life on board the vessel through fascinating objects and personal stories that explore the tragic loss of the Titanic in 1912.

An innovative trail will link the exhibition to the outdoor ‘TITANICa: The People’s Story’ in the outdoor Folk Museum, where visitors will be able to explore a living history experience of Titanic.  Discovering people’s daily routines in the period before, during and after Titanic’s maiden voyage, guests will be able to walk the historic streets and journey through the shipyard riveter’s home, before visiting the Post Office to compose their own Morse code message sent from Titanic.  They can then pop to the printers to get their own Titanic launch ticket before heading on to the Newspaper Room to read publications printed from the time.

A festival of films featuring historic footage of life at the time of Titanic will also be on show in the Picture House.  There will be opportunities to dress up in the fashionable costume of the time or just relax and watch the children play traditional games in the park.

For more information on all Titanic-related events and developments in Belfast, visit www.belfastcity.gov.uk/titanic