If Buildings Could Talk Tour

Yes, your tour guide Barney Gribben used to work in construction. Maybe that’s where his inimitably down-to-earth style comes from. A native of Belfast, you’ll find him a witty and informative companion. What’s more, his tour comes with a promise.  That’s because when you join Barney on this leisurely walk you are guaranteed to see and hear things about Belfast that most visitors will never be aware of. In fact, even to people born and bred in the city, many of Barney’s stories will come as a revelation. Of course you’ll learn about the famous sites: the Crown Liquor Saloon, The Grand Opera House and the Europa Hotel. He’ll show you Belfast's most Instagrammed spot too. But what you’ll hear will all be from Barney’s very individual perspective. And you’ll never see these places in quite the same way again. Best of all, though, are the hidden gems. The stories that only Barney, with his eagle eye for the odd, the unusual and the hidden, could spot. Fountains, water pipes, clocks - they all tell Barney their secrets. Then he passes them onto you. You will hear - and you will hear clearly because Barney uses a microphone - about a bank robbery. About a stick-up in a bar. About Paddy who bought everyone a drink from his winnings on the horses. And about poor John who was caught up in four different bomb attacks.  Perhaps he’ll point out a very particular clock, too. Or is it a glockenspiel? Anyway, keep watching because every other hour… - yes, there they are, ten characters from Alice in Wonderland making their automated way past the clock face. (You’ll have to come back later if you want to see King David and the baby Jesus.) People who have already enjoyed this tour have called it ‘the most entertaining tour in Belfast’. They have also called it ‘cheap’. But as Barney points out, they actually mean ‘really good value’

Belfast