Sailortown (Belfast)

Sailortown was a working-class dockland community in the docks area of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Established in the mid-19th century on partly reclaimed land, it had a mixed Protestant and Catholic population. The 1907 dock strike called by trade union leader James Larkin commenced in Sailortown before spreading throughout the city.[1][2]

Urban redevelopment in the late 1960s resulted in Sailortown's eventual demolition. As of 2021, only two churches, one pub and three houses remain of the once bustling waterfront enclave.[3][4] However, a combination of private investment in the greater Docks area and building of social housing by associations such as Clanmill has led to a growth in population since 2010 in the Pilot St area.

Whitla Street Fire Brigade station at the edge of Sailortown with the docks visible in the background. The firemen and their families lived in houses behind the station.

A "sailortown" is a dockland area "that catered to the transient population of seafarers"[5] that have existed in seaports throughout the world.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Clarke 2017 p. 201 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Morgan 1991 p. 95 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Van Damme De Munck Miles 2017 p. 313 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rolston 1991 p. 55 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Thayer, Jonathan. "Mapping New York City's Sailortown – New Media Lab". New Media Lab [1] Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  6. ^ Stan Hugill, Sailortown. London: Routledge & K. Paul, 1967