The Streets Where They Lived

The Streets Where They Lived features the stories of six incredible but sometimes overlooked men and women from Belfast and some of the buildings and places in the City with which they’re connected.

Along the way, we’ll hear from family members and people who know their story to help us better understand some of the lesser-told stories of the City. 

The people and buildings have been chosen to reflect a diverse set of Belfast’s people: working-class to Knights, industrial power to sporting prowess, immigrants and survivors, and covers buildings from Arts centres to the old Town Hall, red-brick terraced houses to historic Victorian churches and industrial complexes.

The project is a collaboration with Successful Belfast, a project of Belfast Buildings Trust. It is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Belfast Buildings Trust is a charity founded in 1996 to regenerate Belfast’s landmark buildings. The Trust works to ensure that the City’s authentic heritage is made relevant for people today. One of its projects is Successful Belfast, which champions new and creative ways of involving people in Belfast’s future development.  

Support for the series came from a wide range of local historians, heritage, and civic organisations. All of them helped make today’s podcast possible.

The Streets Where They Lived was written by Matthew Thompson and produced/edited by Owen McFadden.

Episode One: Danny Blanchflower: "The Greatest Footballer Who Ever Lived"

Danny Blanchflower was a footballer from Belfast who’s most well-known for captaining the Tottenham Hotspurs team that won ‘the double’ in the 1960-1961 season.

(Making them the first team to win both the League and the FA Cup in the 20th Century).

He also led the Northern Irish team to the World Cup twice as team captain in 1958 and in his role as manager in 1976.

Off the pitch he was highly respected as one of the greatest football writers in the world, a true scholar of the game and someone with incredibly sharp intellect.

But to many people’s surprise, I had never heard of Danny Blanchflower, despite growing up in Northern Ireland and even visiting Blanchflower Park as a teen.

When I discovered more about his story and the incredible legacy he left behind, I decided to set out on a journey to find out more about the man, the myth and the legend — but more importantly, to uncover why we in Northern Ireland are running the risk of forgetting about one of our greatest players.

Today’s episode documents that journey and features interviews with former team-mates like legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings, representatives from Tottenham Hotspurs like Club Historian John Fennelly and Danny’s only son Richard Blanchflower.

We also do a deep-dive into Danny’s childhood neighbourhood on Grace Avenue in East Belfast to find out more about why old red brick buildings have such an important role to play for the people of Belfast today.

Check it out.

Episode Two: Sir Otto Jaffe: "The Linen Entrepreneur Who Changed A City"

Otto Jaffe was one of the leading entrepreneurs responsible for the boom of the Linen Industry here in Belfast.

After moving from mainland Europe in 1852, his family set up a business that quickly became one of the largest exporters of linen in the world.

Through a lot of hard work and determination, the young German-born entrepreneur rose through the ranks of the family business and went on to become the Lord Mayor of Belfast. Twice.

Alongside running the business and serving the city, Sir Otto also sat on the boards of hospitals, founded schools and served as President of the Jewish community in Northern Ireland — all while still finding time to indulge in his love of gardening.

(The first bananas in Ireland were grown on the grounds of Sir Otto’s 8 acre mansion which was located near the Strand Cinema in East Belfast).

Yet by the end of his life, Sir Otto was forced out of Northern Ireland. Forever.

But that’s not all.

In the 100 years after Otto left Belfast, the Jewish community in Northern Ireland has fallen from 1500+ members to just under 80 men and women today.

In today’s episode, myself and producer Owen set off on another journey through the streets of Belfast and the pages of local history with one goal.

To find out why.

Check it out.

Episode Three: Lillian Bland: "The First Woman In The World To Design, Build & Fly A Plane"

Lillian Bland was the first women in the world to design, build and fly her own aeroplane.

She was also a sports journalist, photographer, investor, gambler, smoker, mechanic, hunter, markswomen, the owner of Belfast’s first Ford Dealership and the first woman in Northern Ireland to apply for a jockey’s license.

Living at Tobercorran House in Carnmoney near Glengormley, her curious, defiant free-spirit shattered the societal norms of women living in Presbyterian Ulster during the 1900s.

But despite all her achievements and quirks, very few people in Northern Ireland today even knows the name Lillian Bland, never mind the inspiring details of her story.

In today’s episode, we set out on another journey through the pages of local history to find out more about this incredible woman, and the streets she once called home.

Check it out.

Episode Four: Sir John Lavery: "The Belfast Orphan Who Painted History"

Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) was a painter from Northern Ireland best known for his portraits of Michael Collins, Churchhill and Queen Victoria.

Yet despite being the most famous painter of his day, the Belfast-born boy came from humble-beginnings.

Baptised in St. Patricks Church, the Cathedral Quarter native was orphaned at a young age when his mother died in childbirth and his father died at sea — after which he lived in Moira with his extended family before moving across the pond to work as a photographer's apprentice.

It was there that John developed his passion and talent for art — one that would take him on an extraordinary journey all over the world, and back again to Belfast.

In today's episode, we discover the amazing life and legacy of one of Belfast's most famous individuals while diving deep into the history of the streets he once called home.

Along the way, we meet historians, priests, art curators, modern-day painters and even a publican to try and understand why his story is important for us today.

Check it out.

Episode Five: Helen Lewis: "The Dancing Holocaust Survivor"

Helen Lewis (1916-2009) was a dancer, choreographer and Holocaust Survivor who moved to Belfast after WW2.

Growing up in Czechoslovakia, she witnessed attitudes towards her Jewish friends and family change with the rise of Nazis Germany. When the war broke out, she, her husband and her parents were moved to the Jewish ghetto Terezín before being imprisoned in separate concentration camps — where only she survived.

After Auschwitz, Helen moved to Northern Ireland where she went on to become a dance teacher and the founder of the Belfast Modern Dance Group — a movement which introduced contemporary dance to Northern Ireland and touched the lives of thousands. Her contribution to the life of Belfast was recognised by the award of honorary doctorates from both universities and by her appointment as MBE in 2000.

In this week's episode, we caught up with friends, family members and former students of Helen to find out more about her remarkable life and why it's more important than ever to keep telling her story today.

Check it out.

Episode Six: Samuel Davidson: "The Inventor Who Brought Tea To Northern Ireland"

Samuel Davidson (1846 – 1921) was an engineer from Belfast who invented the air conditioning fan, brought tea to Northern Ireland and founded The Sirocco Works — a manufacturer of heavy machinery that employed thousands of people.

He was also a self-taught musician, photographer and world-traveller in a time when ‘a quick business trip to India’ was a 66-day journey!

Yet, few people in Northern Ireland have ever heard about Samuel Davidson — or the legacy he's left in our city today.

So, in this special season finale, we catch up with his great-grandchildren, former employees and local historians to try to figure out how a young lad who never finished school was able to become one of the great industrial titans of his time.

Check it out.