Manchester will see the 20th anniversary of the IRA bombing this June, and groups interested in commemorating this event can take a guided or audio tour to find out more about what happened.
The anniversary falls on 15th June, and the group-friendly tours will uncover some of the stories from the significant date, and showcase the changes that Manchester has gone through since.
Manchester Guided Tours
Manchester Guided Tours will be holding a Detonation! The Bombing of Manchester tour. This will take place on the date of the 20th anniversary of the IRA bombing, and groups will be able to learn about what happened and see how the city has been rebuilt.
The tour meets outside Selfridges on Exchange Street at 11am, and lasts between one and a half and two hours.
GTOs can book bespoke tours with Manchester Guided Tours for any size group, including coach parties.
Walk Talk Tours
Meanwhile, Walk Talk Tours has a Manchester: Then & Now audio-guided walking tour, which looks at how the IRA bomb shaped central Manchester.
Groups on this tour will see how the Royal Exchange Theatre, which was once home to the city’s Royal Exchange, has changed, as well as discover how two old inns were moved after the bomb explosion.
There will also be an insight into how old buildings have been put to new use, like at the Deansgate Locks development where a comedy club and several bars are based in premises set under railway arches.
Groups taking a Walk Talk Tour will be assisted by an audio guide rather than a person. Each audio tour is downloadable and comes with a tour plan. This tour can be taken at any time.
More about the IRA bomb
The Manchester bomb, which was detonated by the Provisional IRA in the city centre, caused £700 million (£1.2 billion as of 2016) worth of damage, and injured 212 people. There were no fatalities.
Several buildings near the explosion were damaged beyond repair and had to be demolished, while many more were closed for months for structural repairs.
GTOs can book tours by visiting manchesterguidedtours.com or walktalktour.com.
