April 29th
We met Steve Malone at the entrance gates of Belfast City Hall for A History of Terror tour. We stood out of the rain under the portico at City Hall while Steve provided the historical background to the development of Irish identity since Henry VIII. Of course, Irish history long-precedes the 16th century, but the troubles between the Irish and The English begins when Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church because Pope Clement VII wouldn't dissolve his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. We all know the story.
Anyway, we had an unbelievably informative walk around Belfast City Centre, stopping at corners and store fronts where assassinations, IRA bombings, and the cycle of violent action, reaction, vengeance, and revenge took place where many of the victims were innocent citizens. Steve provided detailed historical context peppered with first hand knowledge about what we all call "The Troubles."
It's too complicated to explain here, and even though we were riveted by the information, what Steve really did was highlight what it felt like to live in a police state and with random violence. He spoke passionately but calmly about the intergenerational trauma engendered by violence and propaganda that fueled fear, geographic separation, anchoring yet more prejudice. This cycle was made worse by economic laws that targeted Catholic men where seventy percent of them in the 60's & 70's were unemployed. So, between the historical English minority rule established by the 17th century, and legalized Catholic oppression and discrimination for fear that the outnumbered English protestants might lose their political power in the 20th century, and all of the other factors described earlier, the Northern Ireland was ripe for distrust, prejudice, anger, violence, and retribution.
This was one of those experiences that was just too difficult to encapsulate; you had to be there. So the pictures I've included here are meaningful to us, because we were there, but I couldn't possibly provide captions describing their significance.
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| Belfast City Hall |
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| Steve Malone, our guide. |
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"Spirit of Belfast" unveiled in 2009 to celebrate
the city's steel and ship manufacturing, but most
citizens refer to it as "The Pretzel." |
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| Catholics wouldn't dare walk this lane after dark. |
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The whiskey store to the left claims to have
the largest collection in the world. |
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This street and the corner to the left
were scenes where Catholics were
routinely kidnapped, tortured, and
murdered. Today, these are some of
the safest and most inclusive streets. |
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Just loved this sign advertising the Yardbird's food.
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Just some cool architecture and artsy stuff in this
once violent neighborhood. |
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This police station was built 25 years
after violence against the police ended...
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...but notice the thick blast walls and steel
gates. Old thinking is difficult to change. |
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Steve appropriately ended the tour in front of the Beacon of Hope sculpture on Thanksgiving Square where he talked about how progressive Belfast is now and has continued to grow even more inclusive over the past 50 years.
April 30th
Took the 12:35PM train down to Dublin, and after checking in at Wren Urban Nest, the same hotel we stayed in when we arrived April 8th, we headed to Voyager for a pint and bite. The train was packed with 11-14 year old girls (and one boy) excited for the Olivia Rodrigo "Gut" concert. Best news of the day is that we travelled free from Drogheda, the border town between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. We tried to purchase a ticket but no one wanted to sell us one from Drogheda to Dublin—not the ticket person at the Belfast station or the conductor on the train. Had "linner" at Voyager and then we strolled up and past Wren and into the neighborhood and over and down Grafton Street. Watched a busker singing "Stand by Me" in Italian and English. Purchased some Irish wool socks for Chris and Iris and then stopped by Tesco Express for a few snacks before tucking in for the evening.
 | | Front of Trinity College. |
 | | Street looking up to Molly Malone Square. |
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