Heritage Bus Tour

“Bright and Beautiful”: New Heritage Bus Tour Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Cecil Frances Alexander

Saturday April 25th 2026.

A new, one-day heritage bus tour celebrating the remarkable life, faith, and social influence of Cecil Frances Alexander will launch this April, inviting participants to journey through the landscapes and places that inspired one of Ireland’s most influential 19th-century women.

Designed by members of the Cecil Frances Alexander Celebrated Steering Group and the CFAC Project Coordinator, Sinéad Smyth.

This cross-border tour has been created by The Churches Trust and funded by PEACEPLUS, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and supported by Derry City and Strabane District Council. It is free to attend and there is no booking fee. Places are available to book on Eventbrite only.

Titled “Bright & Beautiful: The Cecil Frances Alexander One-Day Heritage Bus Tour,” the experience, from 9.00am to approximately 5.30pm on Saturday April 25th 2026, began and ended in Strabane, with an optional early pick-up in Derry~Londonderry at 8.30am.

This tour wove together faith, poetry, landscape, education, and social conscience, offering a richly layered exploration of Alexander’s enduring legacy.

Best known worldwide as the author of hymns such as All Things Bright and Beautiful, Once in Royal David’s City, and There Is a Green Hill Far Away, Cecil Frances Alexander lived much of her adult life in the north-west of Ireland. Her work combined literary brilliance with deep compassion, reflecting a lifelong commitment to children’s education, charitable action, and inclusive community life.

The day began at Christ Church Strabane, near the site of the original church, no longer in existence, where Alexander worshipped during her years in the town and her husband, William Alexander, served as rector. A guided talk exploring the church’s history, stained-glass windows, and Alexander’s pioneering work in local charity and education, including her involvement with setting up a school for deaf and mute children in the area, was be presented by Gordon Smyth.

The Journey

Travelling by coach through rural Tyrone, participants passed Milltown House, the Old Rectory, visiting Baronscourt Estate, before continuing to St Bestius’ Church in Killeter and Aghayarn. This area was Alexander’s home following her marriage and is closely associated with some of her most influential hymn writing. Here, the focus turns to parish life, rural ministry, and her innovative approach to hymns written specifically for children and education.

Crossing into Donegal, the tour continued to Fahan, overlooking Lough Swilly. Often described as the setting of some of the happiest years of Alexander’s married life. Fahan’s dramatic landscape against the shores of Lough Swilly, reflects the natural imagery that runs throughout her hymns. Visitors explored the St. Mura’s Church of Ireland site and the area around her former home at The Old Rectory, with guided reflections on her social influence in 19th-century Ireland.

A provided lunch at the Diocesan Offices in Derry~Londonderry, was followed by a guided visit to her former home, The Bishops Palace, which is now a Free Masons Hall. Then the group continued to St Columb’s Cathedral, where William Alexander served as Bishop for 27 years. The cathedral contains a stained-glass window dedicated to Cecil Frances Alexander, and her memory is further honoured through portraits and a music room named after her, underscoring her cultural and spiritual significance.

The tour concluded at City Cemetery Derry, where Alexander is buried. This reflective final stop offers insight into her remembrance, with a group rendition of ‘There Is a Green Hill Far Away’ and laying flowers at her gravestone, before returning to Strabane.

Speaking about the tour, Project Coordinator Sinéad Smyth, said it was designed to “bring together place, poetry, and people in a way that honours Cecil Frances Alexander not only as a poet and hymn writer of international stature, and as a unifying historical figure, but as a woman of profound social conscience whose work continues to resonate across cultures and denominations.”

The Cecil Frances Alexander Heritage Bus Tour was designed to be accessible, informative, and reflective, appealing to heritage enthusiasts, faith communities, literary audiences, and anyone interested in women’s history in Ireland.