Want to do something different in Belfast’s dark streets and entries? Join our expert guides and walk on the dark side on one of our walking tours around Belfast city centre.  From Ghost and Paranormal tours, Titanic People and Places, Victorian Murders and Bodysnatchers and the British Army and IRA during the Troubles.   Lasting an hour and a half these unique experiences start at Belfast City Hall and end outside the oldest pub in Belfast White’s Tavern in Winecellar Entry.  With over 20 years of providing 5 star rated tour experiences the tours use VOX whisper sets so you can hear every detail spoken by your guide as you walk down the old alleys and entries and discover where murders took place and where the spirits still linger.  You could also discover the dark trail of the Titanic or learn how the IRA and British Army fought on the very streets you will be walking through.  These tours are authentic and led by authors, Titanic experts, ghost hunters and former British Soldiers and Republicans.

Francis J Higgins has been delivering tours relating to the ‘Troubles’ for over 25 years.  He won the NI National Training Award for his projects in 2003 and has delivered tours all over Ireland and Europe and was funded by the British and Irish Governments to deliver highly sensitive excursions and guided tours of Auschwitz working in cooperation with the United States Holocaust museum and Yad Vashem  to ensure ethical tour experiences. The company has a range of experiences in Peace Tourism with the most popular being Conflicted History Black Cab tours with authentic guides who survived the Troubles and are prepared to tell their incredible stories.

The company has always provided digital equipment and tour specific scripts and research information but the company has now strategically decided to train and accredit new inexperienced guides and upskill guides to industry standards with a training and qualification partnership with the Open College Network (NI) through Travel and Training Associates. The course director is Francis J Higgins who is a fully qualified Assessor and Verifier with thirty years experience in the training and qualifications sector.  He won the overall United Kingdom Training Award in 2000 along with other awards in following years.  This new twenty six week course will bring together professional guides, college professors, lecturers, authors and thematic experts and will include full practical training on coach and walking tours including ‘Dark’ Thanatourism.

For BelfastLad & Co the future is simple.  We don’t want to be the biggest like Carlsberg we simply want to probably remain the best independently rated experience delivery company in the UK. We will be investing in our guides and equipment to ensure they have the right tools to be what they are brilliant tour guides and storytellers.