Northern Ireland: Belfast

Gillian and I are currently on the train from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland for the final leg of our journey, hoping for a passport stamp as we cross the border out of the United Kingdom for the first time this trip.  As you may know, Northern Ireland is separate from the rest of Ireland as it has retained its ties to England by remaining a part of the United Kingdom.  Although I certainly had a basic knowledge of the conflict between Protestant and Catholic Ireland before my trip to Belfast, it was much more powerful to be in the center of the historical action to really understand more of the struggle.  Since I was only 8 years old when the latest and longest peace accord (The Good Friday Accord) was signed between the UK and Republic of Ireland, I do not have the first-hand knowledge of the struggle for rights and independence between the Unionist Protestants and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) that plagued Ireland from the 1960s-1990s in what was dubbed the most recent set of "The Troubles."

Our day-long journey to Belfast began at 4 in the morning with a 25-minute flight from Glasgow to Belfast. Luckily, this time our travel luck at the airport was present.  We scored a free ride on the bus to the airport because the ticket machine wasn't working, and there were no lines or snafus at security.  Guess the luck of the Irish was shining upon this leg of our trip!  Once we landed and made our way to the city center, we dropped our bags off at the train station and headed for the tourist information center. Ireland's friendly people were immediately apparent, and everyone was willing to help us.  Plus, we could definitely understand their accents better than those of the Scots.  After doing some research before our flight, we decided to take one of the famous Black Taxi Tours to get a better sense of Belfast.  Gillian and I were taken on a private tour of Belfast's West Side, where the majority of the violence between Catholics and Protestants was concentrated during The Troubles.  Our driver, Bobby, was born and raised in the Protestant section of Belfast; however, his description of events was incredibly honest and unbiased.  He has been a taxi driver in Belfast for 41 years, since before the beginning of The Troubles.  Taxis are the only method of transportation that was consistently open for the entire period of violence when buses and city transit shut down.  There's even a dedicated mural to those taxi drivers like Bobby who risked their lives to keep the citizens of Belfast moving. 

Having a guide like Bobby gave us a whirlwind history lesson on the immense struggle between Irish and English sentiments that have torn apart Northern Ireland, which is only recently recovering to have tourists like us coming to visit the city.  We began our tour on the Protestant side of West Belfast where the sides of many homes are painted with murals honoring the heroes, dead, and historical figures of the Protestant and English traditions of Northern Ireland.  This part of town was fairly run down and gloomy, but there are improvements and new construction finally coming to this section.  Next, we saw the wall that separates the Catholic and Protestant sections of town, which is three stories high to prevent bombs and violence.  It reminds me of the Berlin Wall with its murals and peace memorials.  What makes it different is the fact that it is still very much intact, and the 17 gates in and out of the wall still close on large holidays like St. Patrick's Day and Remembrance Day.  On the Catholic side, there were more updated dwellings and memorials to the 10 men who died on hunger strikes in the 1980s and those killed in the first bombings of the Catholic side in 1968.  Although there is clearly peace and progress in Belfast, it's hard to shake the feeling that there is still a great divide between the people in the city.  According to Bobby, it will be up to the younger generations to maintain peace and bridge communication between both parties to grow as a people. 

After the riveting and enlightening tour, we explorered the Queens University area of town where students of both religions attend in the main academic institution of the country.  We had lunch at a small breakfast place popular with students called Maggie Mays (à la Rod Stewart), where I had a traditional English/Irish breakfast of sausage, bacon, eggs, beans, potato bread, and soda bread.  When we finished lunch, we headed to tour the Botanical Gardens of the university and the Ulster Museum, which contains artifacts of the history of the 9 counties of Ireland that make up the northern region constantly divided between Irish and English.  On the most typical weather day so far (cold, rainy, and gray), we headed for refuge at the train station before our cross country journey south to the capital of the Irish Republic in Dublin.  We were sure to spend all our British Pounds as we head to the Eurozone next. 

Although Belfast is a mix of Irish, English, and even Scottish (Gaelic brethren) traditions, it very much reminded me of former communists cities that I have visited in the past like Prague and Budapest.  Although the streets were busy and there were beautiful historic buildings, something felt distinctly non-Western in Belfast.  First, there is a lack of long-term culture from medieval and Renaissance times that exists in other European cities and countries.  Belfast seems to have been the most likely place for the English in Northern Ireland to establish an economic center and cultural hub; however, there are a disproportionate number of 20th century buildings in such an ancient country like Ireland.  To me, there is a clear affect on Belfast like I've seen in Berlin where conflict stunts the development of a city culture, leaving it unable to match the prowess of other European destinations.  Like Prague or Berlin, I very much enjoyed my time learning about the city's rich history, but I wouldn't want to spend a long time there if given other European options.  Nevertheless, I am happy to experience a new place with such a distinct history and uncertain future full of both hope and tenuousness.  That's all for our short jaunt to Northern Ireland!  Next up: a return excursion to Dublin!