8 May 2026
South Belfast SDLP councillor Gary McKeown has welcomed the unveiling of a memorial to people buried in Belfast Workhouse Graveyard on the Donegall Road after he secured cross-party support through Belfast City Council.
The plaque is situated on a remaining stone pillar on the Donegall Road at the original entrance to the Belfast Workhouse Graveyard.
The nearby Belfast Union Fever Hospital, designed by Charles Lanyon and located within the current Belfast City Hospital grounds, received listed status in April 2026. It's the last remaining part of the workhouse complex.
Councillor McKeown said: "Tens of thousands of people were buried in unmarked mass graves in the Belfast Workhouse Graveyard. Not only that, but the graveyard itself wasn't even marked, and was subsequently built over.
"After the excellent work of historian Dr Robyn Atcheson in highlighting this injustice, I was very keen to help rectify it and was honoured to bring the formal proposal for this memorial at the site through the council.
"It's said that history is written by the victors, but in 19th and 20th century Belfast it was written by the rich and influential, with statues around the city and streets names celebrating members of the establishment, while the stories of ordinary people were erased.
"This memorial plaque is an important step forward in rectifying this, but it must be just the start of the conversation and not the end. Accompanied by the long-overdue listing of the last remaining building of the Belfast Workhouse complex only last month, it reflects how we are finally seeing the experience of ordinary people who faced poverty in our city being acknowledged."