Time really does fly, or so it seems on this old headstone. Spotted this in the Clifton Street Cemetery, on a recent visit. Clifton Street Cemetery is one of Belfast's hidden gems - just a few minute's walk from Royal Avenue in the city centre, and right beside the Westlink, and yet not many people know about it.
The Cemetery was in the grounds of the Belfast Charitable Society (Clifton House), which is now on the opposite side of the Westlink, and provides a glimpse into the history of some of Belfast's citizens - from the wealthy doctors to the mass poor grave:
Some of the leaders of the 1798 United Irishmen rebellion in Counties Down and Antrim are interred here, including William Drennan and Henry Joy McCracken, alongside other notables from the 1700s and 1800s.
The gates of the cemetery are normally locked, but access is available on weekdays by calling into Clifton Street Surgery and asking for Joe the security man. Joe is a friendly chap who holds the keys for the gates, and gives visitors a gift when they leave the cemetery - a poem he has written, 'Tell Jesus.'
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