Tours advertising a visit to Bobby Sands’ grave and a three hour “in depth Republican tour” of Belfast are being sold to tourists for £180 per person.
The tours, run by Belfast Famous Black Taxi Tours, have been advertised on online booking sites TripAdvisor and Viator.
A description for the tour reads: “Get an in-depth insight into Irish history and learn more than you likely would alone during this private, guided excursion around key working-class republican areas of Belfast.
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“Ideal for politics and history buffs, you’ll visit the grave of Bobby Sands, the Irish Republican History Museum, and other places you might otherwise overlook, while benefiting from the undivided attention of your personal guide.”
An itinerary for the tour includes information on a guided visit to Milltown Cemetery, where participants can “pay their respects” to the former hunger striker who died in May 1981.
Other tours advertised by the company on the platforms charge £73 for a typical two-hour black taxi tour telling the history of the Troubles in Belfast.
Belfast Famous Black Taxi Tours was contacted for comment.
A spokesperson for the Bobby Sands Trust, which aims to ensure the written works of the hunger striker and MP remains in print while honouring other hunger strikers, says it has no involvement in the tours.
“We have no involvement in tours to republican graves but are aware that ex-prisoners’ organisations do provide informed, comprehensive and insightful political tours, often of a personal nature, which are moderately priced,” Secretary Danny Morrison said.
