Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn) header
Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn) profile picture

Dr Robyn Atcheson

@randomrobyn

Historian and history communicator, specialising in workhouses, women & the marginalised. Probably wearing pink.

 Northern Ireland
Joined January 2009
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Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)Photo by Dr Robyn Atcheson (@randomrobyn)
Thank you to @BBCNewsNI for covering Junior Historians Club! Definitely a wonderful way to spend the summer days, teaching children all about the history of Belfast & witnessing their curious minds at work.
BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) profile pictureBBC News NI
@BBCNewsNIJul 16
Famine, cholera and the Belfast bap: Grim graveyard yarns for children. bbc.in/44t2RIy
Friar's Bush: The graveyard telling the story of Belfast

Friar's Bush: The graveyard telling the story of Belfast

Friar's Bush is the last resting place of Bernard Hughes, the famous creator of the Belfast Bap.

bbc.co.uk
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Thrilled to have the Belfast workhouse burial ground finally marked. Tens of thousands of the poor were buried here in unmarked graves. Now they are finally remembered. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy2…
Belfast: Famine and workhouse graves marked in ceremony

Belfast: Famine and workhouse graves marked in ceremony

Thanks to the efforts of a young historian, Belfast City Council has recognised the burial ground in the south of the city.

bbc.co.uk
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So thrilled that the workhouse burial ground will be marked in Belfast this year! Thanks to @RTERadio1 for covering this story today. rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22…
Calls for a forgotten graveyard in Belfast to be formally marked

Calls for a forgotten graveyard in Belfast to be formally marked

There are calls for a forgotten graveyard in Belfast to be formally marked, honouring the 10,000 people buried there. The site dates back to the famine, but today is mostly hidden by a housing...

rte.ie
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For more info on the workhouse burial ground and my research, check out my website robynatcheson.com/articles/b…
Belfast’s Forgotten Graveyard — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

Belfast’s Forgotten Graveyard — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

The forgotten burial place of tens of thousands of Belfast’s working-class people in the nineteenth century and why I think it’s time we remembered it.

robynatcheson.com
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Dr Robyn Atcheson retweeted
BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) profile picture
BBC News NI
@BBCNewsNI2 Mar 2025
Belfast City Council has been urged to formally mark a hidden burial ground containing more than 10,000 bodies dating back to the Irish famine. bbc.in/4bmOqZ4
Calls for council to mark 'forgotten' burial ground

Calls for council to mark 'forgotten' burial ground

The three-acre site near the City Hospital contains more than 10,000 bodies dating back to the Irish famine.

bbc.co.uk
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You can catch my interview about the Irish witches at the 33 minute mark on catch up now bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024f2… Don't blame it on the sunshine, don't blame it on the moonlight, don't blame it on the good times... Blame it on the Butter Witch. #historywitch
BBC Radio Ulster - The Afternoon Show, Aislinn Clarke - Irish Horror Film Writer and Director

BBC Radio Ulster - The Afternoon Show, Aislinn Clarke - Irish Horror Film Writer and Director

Writer and director of new Irish language horror film Fréwaka, Aislinn Clarke.

bbc.co.uk
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I'll be on @bbcradioulster this afternoon between 3 and 4pm chatting all things Irish witches and the history of the Islandmagee witch trials of 1711! #womenshistory #twitterstorians
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Brief explainer on Belfast's pauper burial grounds at the beginning of the 19th century #belfasthistory #irishhistory #twitterstorians robynatcheson.com/articles/b…
Burying Belfast’s Poor — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

Burying Belfast’s Poor — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

A guide to the burial grounds of Belfast in the early nineteenth century and where the poor of the town were laid to rest.

robynatcheson.com
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Today was my first day "off" in a while. I had good intentions. But, instead, I watched Part 1 of #BRIDGERTON Season 3. I have no regrets.
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The moment we stopped watching Bridgerton Let us explain ... Things were going great and we were really getting into Season 3. That is until we watched this scene unfold before our eyes ....
Image from Royal Institution (now on Bluesky) (@Ri_Science)
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I am a busy bee at the moment. Teaching, running a small business, helping my fiancé renovate a house and planning a wedding. So why won't my brain stop zipping me new research ideas? #historian
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One of my favourite Belfast women! robynatcheson.com/articles/m… #belfasthistory #twitterstorians #womenshistory #belfast
Mary Ann McCracken — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

Mary Ann McCracken — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

A remarkable Belfast woman who made a huge difference in the lives of the poor of Belfast and beyond.

robynatcheson.com
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Dr Robyn Atcheson retweeted
Emma Szewczak (@EmmaSzewczak) profile picture
Emma Szewczak@EmmaSzewczak29 Apr 2024
the soft play
Image from Emma Szewczak (@EmmaSzewczak)
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*adds York Minister Cathedral to my historical tour wishlist*
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As Mary Ann & the Ladies Committee took a keen interest in the health and well-being of the residents of the Poorhouse, we are really looking forward to @randomrobyn 's talk next Monday.
Clifton House Belfast (@cliftonbelfast) profile pictureClifton House Belfast@cliftonbelfast22 Apr 2024
One week to go until our next event at Clifton House! Join us on 29 April, 1pm as we welcome @randomrobyn to explore the pioneering medical history of Clifton House. A limited number of Room and Zoom tickets remain available via the link below 👇 🎟 shorturl.at/fxDK4
Image from Clifton House Belfast (@cliftonbelfast)
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One of my 5 birthing stools on display this month in @cliftonbelfast Absolutely love thinking about the stories these stools are connected to. If you're interested on why these existed check out my website robynatcheson.com/articles/b… #twitterstorians #history

A Brief History of Birthing Stools — Robyn Atcheson - Historian

A brief history of birthing stools

robynatcheson.com
Clifton House Belfast (@cliftonbelfast) profile pictureClifton House Belfast@cliftonbelfast19 Apr 2024
On Monday we shared a mystery object from our medical display and asked you to guess what it was. Today we can reveal the answer! It is, in fact, a 19th century birthing stool... This item is kindly on loan to us from @randomrobyn #CliftonHouse250 #Cliftonhousebelfast
Image from Clifton House Belfast (@cliftonbelfast)
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One week to go until our next event at Clifton House! Join us on 29 April, 1pm as we welcome @randomrobyn to explore the pioneering medical history of Clifton House. A limited number of Room and Zoom tickets remain available via the link below 👇 🎟 shorturl.at/fxDK4
Image from Clifton House Belfast (@cliftonbelfast)
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We are pleased to announce that our event for April's 'Health & Medicine' themed month is a talk by Dr Robyn Atcheson on Mon 29 April, 1pm. 'Paupers and Public Health: Belfast Charitable Society and the Sick Poor' 🎟 Please register below: shorturl.at/uRY39
Image from Clifton House Belfast (@cliftonbelfast)
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