Ulster History Circle

The Ulster History Circle is a heritage organisation that administers Blue Plaques for the area that encompasses the province of Ulster. The organisation was conceived by James Hawthorne in the 1980s, who wanted to recognise people who had made a significant contribution to Ulster’s heritage.^[1] The exact date of the founding of the organisation is unknown, as it was lost when James Hawthorne died in 2006.^[1]

The organisation is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation, placing commemorative plaques in public places in honour of people and locations that have contributed to all genres of history within the boundaries of the nine-county province of Ulster. The group receives no government funding, unlike many similar organisations in the United Kingdom.^[1] The Circle also developed and maintains the Dictionary of Ulster Biography (DUB) and publishes a Guide to Blue Plaques.^[1]

Doreen Corcoran served as chair of the Circle from 1998 to 2009.^[2][3]

The first plaque placed was in honour of the artist William Conor, at his former studio on Stranmillis Road in Belfast. ^[1]

Since the first plaque was formally unveiled over 150 individuals have been honoured, including:^[4]