Titanic Society Talks

When | 14th April

Where | Olympic Suite

Admission | Free - Ticket Required (includes both talks)

Access | 11am & 12pm

Join the Belfast Titanic Society in the Olympic Suite for two in-person talks exploring engineering innovation and the human stories behind Titanic.

Delivered by members of the Belfast Titanic Society, these talks delve into the vision that shaped Belfast’s shipbuilding legacy.

Edward Harland

Edward Harland – Engineering Innovation and the Making of Titanic’s Shipyard

Join us at 11am for a fascinating journey into the life and legacy of Edward Harland - the engineer whose vision reshaped Belfast’s destiny. Long before the world marvelled at Titanic, Harland was laying the foundations for a shipyard that would become the largest on earth.

Discover how his innovation, determination and bold ideas propelled a small workshop into a global powerhouse and set Belfast on course to become the beating heart of world shipbuilding.

Speaker Aidan McMichael is Chairman of the Belfast Titanic Society, a local historian and tour guide.

William Henry Marsh Parr

William Henry Marsh Parr – Forgotten Titanic Hero

From 12pm, discover the story of William Henry Marsh Parr, an award-winning electrical engineer whose expertise led him to Harland and Wolff in 1909. His pioneering work in electrical systems and strong professional reputation earned him the honour of being selected by Thomas Andrews to join the Titanic Guarantee Group.

Explore Parr’s important contribution to Titanic’s story through newly validated research, including a letter describing his final moments which lay almost forgotten for over 50 years in the Maritime Museum in Greenwich. A Marconi cablegram sent from New York to Harland and Wolff on 23 April 1912, acknowledging the bravery of the Guarantee Group, offers a moving snapshot of history and sheds new light on his legacy.

Speaker Caroline Heaven is a member of the Belfast Titanic Society and has passionately researched Titanic and its people for many years.