Day 5 Belfast Northern Ireland Tuesday 3rd July 2012

Our day at the PRONI with the researcher went well and after getting family documents scanned and photocopied we were ready to leave with our research material in hand. There is still so much more to research but it was time to move on. Tonight we went on a tour of the historic Clifton Street cemetery where some of Belfasts most famous residents are buried. The tour started at 7pm and the rain started to fall when we arrived. With umbrellas, raincoats, hats and gloves we braved the weather and followed our tour guide, Joe Baker as he guided us around the cemetery. It was a very interesting evening to say the least as I never thought I would ever be visiting a cemetery in Belfast Northern Ireland let alone at 7pm at night! The highlight was finding the grave of Edward O'Hagan, (Lord O'Hagan's father and my 3rd great uncle). The tombstone was surprisingly in good condition given it was erected in 1836 thanks to wonderful tour guides like Joe who lovingly take care of this precious place. We also saw the Dunville Whisky crypt and the grave of Henry Joy McCraken, a prominent member of the 1798 United Irishmen Organisation. Henry is very well known here in Ireland and he was executed by the British in 1798 for high treason after being involved in the rebellion.

After the cemetery we went to find the offices of Dunville Whisky which are now an upmarket cafe. The offices were amazing both inside and out, the scale of opulence with its marble pillars, gold etched cornices and dome roof was indescribable. I am sure that my gg grandfather Henry McGuigan would have visited these offices when he went to Ireland in 1885 and Dunville was at its peak. After all, it was selling Dunville Whisky to the goldfields in Victoria that contributed mostly to Henry's fortune given he held the sole agency in Melbourne for quite a number of years. There was certainly huge amounts of money to be made in them there whisky bottles!

It has been pretty full on since I arrived so tomorrow we are going to hit the shops for some much deserved retail therapy - so looking forward to seeing House of Fraser and Marks and Spencer!