29 June 2024 Belfast and The Troubles

 29 June 2024              Belfast and The Troubles

 This morning we set out to explore Belfast’s turbulent history and culture as a native.  We were divided into small groups with each group traveling in Belfast’s famous black cabs.  During the period of the Troubles in the 1970s, public bus service was discontinued in the Catholic neighborhoods of West Belfast.  These taxi drivers stepped in to offer their transportation services.  Today both Protestants and Catholics drive these vehicles.  Our driver will act as our guide and give us his perspective on this politically and religiously turbulent time – a wrong turn and you could find yourself crossing over the dividing line between Catholics and Protestants – and his views on how these conflicts still cast a shadow over Belfast today.

 During the 1970s Belfast was a war zone with fighting between the militant faction of the Nationalists (Catholics) and the Unionists (Protestants).  Bombings, shootings and other acts of terror were a common practice by the IRA in their quest to pressure the British government into recognizing Irish sovereignty over Northern Ireland.  In the meantime, loyalists to the British crown unleashed their own brand of terror on the Catholic population of Belfast.  For 30 years this fighting rocked Belfast, resulting in over 3,500 people (civilians and combatants) killed and more than 47,000 wounded.  All the while, the British soldiers patrolled the streets trying to keep peace between the two religious groups, although they themselves were also responsible for some of the deaths.

 

Liam - Our Taxi Driver

Our taxi driver was named Liam and he is a Catholic.  His family was directly affected by the Troubles – his oldest brother participated in a hunger strike while in prison while another brother (only 15 years old) was killed in his home by members of the Pro Irish Republicans.  Liam was also a bus driver until the service was cancelled in the Catholic area and then he became a black-car taxi driver.

 

Our first stop was to the area in the Catholic sector where the first two people were killed on 15 August 1969 that started the Troubles.  They were 2 boys – a 20 year old British soldier home on leave to visit his parents and a 9 year old boy who was also in his home.  They were killed when members of the local R.U.C (Royal Ulster Constabulary), the police force in Northern Ireland, fired into their homes.  Today there is a mural on a building in the area the 2 boys lived in dedicated to their lives.  There is also a memorial to the children of Gaza who have been either killed or affected by the conflict there.  As we are learning, Belfast is a strong supporter of the Palestinians.

Mural to the 2 Boys Who Were Killed

Memorial to the Children of Gaza

 

We then stopped at a large mural on the Catholic side of the wall that originally had been covered with paintings depicting the Pro-Irish heroes and those who were killed.  However, today, because of the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the mural has been repainted in support of the Palestinians, although there were a few murals from the Troubles conflict. 

Mural to 3 of the Pro-Irish Leaders

Mural to the Hunger Strike Victims

 

Mural to Gaza Victims

Mural to Gaza Victims

Sinn Fein Headquarters

Our next stop (after driving past the Sinn Fein Headquarters) was to Clonard Monastery, which straddles both sides of the Troubles conflict.  It was here in 1998 that meetings between Irish and British leaders, chaired by President Clinton and George Michael, led to the signing of the Good Friday Peace Agreement.  The monastery is still active today and is run by the Redemptorists religious order.  Founded in Italy to help the neglected country people around Naples, it is an order for the pontifical right for men (priests and brothers) and is dedicated to missionary work in more than 100 countries.  The inside of the church is absolutely beautiful with one of the prettiest organs I have seen.  We also saw the room where the peace talks were held.

Clonard Monastery

Inside the Monastery

High Altar of the Monastery

Organ of the Monastery

Room (far wall) Where Peace Talks were Held

We then drove to the protestant side through the gate of the wall that still separates the two sides.  The gates are closed each evening at 8 PM and reopen at 7 AM.  However, there are other ways to get in and out of both sides in this area.  On the protestant side of the wall is the Peace Mural and visitors are encouraged to leave words of encouragement and peace.

Part of Wall Dividing the Two Sections of City

Gate in the Wall

Peace Mural on Protestant Side

Peace Mural

We Both Signed the Peace Mural

At the end of our tour, we re-united with the rest of our group at the Felons Club.  This was a meeting place for Irish Republicans who had been imprisoned for their political or militant activities.  To achieve full membership, you must have been a former prisoner, although honorary membership has been given to other famous revolutionaries like Nelson Mandela.

Here we had the chance to talk with two opposing individuals who had fought in The Troubles – a Republican (Catholic) who fought for independence and loyalist (Protestant) who fought to remain British, and a former British army soldier.  The fact that these two individuals are now able to gather together and talk about their experiences – the dark deeds they did, their prison experience, and their hope for the future – shows how far Belfast has come since those terrible dark days. 

 It was a very interesting discussion with these 3 individuals.  They all gave their reasons for the actions they took during the troubles.  However, they could not speak directly about what specific actions they participated in as they were never charged (although they did go to prison) and still could be arrested.  The Republican spoke of the policy of the British to arrest men they thought were involved in the unrest and throw them in prison with charging them or giving them their day in court.  They also refused to classify them as political prisoners, which lead to hunger strikes among the prisoners and the deaths of 10 of them.  The most import one was Bobby Sands who started a hunger strike in 1981 after British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reneged on a previous decision to classify these men as political prisoners.  While on the hunger strike in prison, a unique opportunity arose for him to run in an election for a member of Parliament from his sector.  In a surprising twist of fate (especially for the Pro-British) he won.  A month later, in the 88^th day of his hunger strike he died.  After these deaths, Margaret Thatcher was forced to concede some concessions to the prisoners.  It was very apparent this gentleman who spoke did not have kind words or thoughts of Margaret Thatcher.

 It was also interesting to see what they have done with their lives since the end of the Troubles.  One (the British soldier) became addicted to heroin and was homeless for a while, before rehabbing and going to college where he eventually got his PhD and now teaches in a college.  Another found work in Community Development and is helping to foster better relationships between the people, especially the young people of today.  The other man has also devoted much of his time working with the young people of today.

Bust of Bobby Sands

The Felon Club

Crafts Made by the Felons in Prison

Two of the Gentlemen that Spoke --
The Pro-Irish (left) and Ex British Soldier
(right). The other man had to leave

 

This was an eye-opening day.  I always had the impression that the IRA (an arm of the Pro-Irish Republicans) were the cause of all the killings and bombings in Northern Ireland.  While they are certainly not lily-white, neither were the Pro-British and the British soldiers sent to keep the peace.  Both sides share the blame for all the killings, bombings, and burning of homes and businesses.  But in the last 25 years, Belfast has made extraordinary strides in keeping the peace.  They still have a ways to go, however, especially in their education system.  It is still mainly segregated with Catholic schools in the Catholic sector and public (but protestant) schools in the other half of the city.  Perhaps one day they will find a way to integrate.

 

Will Northern Ireland ever become part of the Republic of Ireland?  That is still a very good question.  Most of the men we talked to today think it will, but maybe not in the very near future.  In recent years, the politics have changed a bit as the number of protestants and immigrants have increased.  Today the Prime Minister, a woman, is a member of the Pro-Irish Nationalist party.  The men we talked to today think that this younger generation won’t be thinking about religion as they decide how to vote, but what will be best for them economically.  Brexit has not been kind to Northern Ireland, and that may well be the turning point for this younger generation.  But all agree – it will be economics and not religion that will determine Northern Ireland’s future.

 After returning to our hotel, Bill and I had lunch and then walked across the street to the City Hall.  As we arrived, there was a large pro-Palestinian rally/protest going on in the street in front of city hall.  The Hall itself is a magnificent building with statues located throughout the green lawn that encircles the building.  And the inside is even more spectacular (as the pictures below will show).  They have an exhibition on the history of Belfast that is open to the public, so Bill and I took a little stroll down history lane, refreshing what we had already learned about Belfast.

Pro-Palestine Protest

Belfast City Hall

Dome Ceiling

Staircase

Stained Glass Window of Dock Strike

Famine Stained Glass Window

Lobby of the City Hall

Stained Glass Window Dedicated to
British Soldiers

Stained Glass Window Dedicated to
Irish soldiers

 

Robe Once Worn by Lord Mayor of Belfast

Wardrobe the was to be on the Titanic - Drawing of 
Room behind the Wardrobe was a First Class Cabin

On one side of the City Hall is the Titanic Memorial Garden. dedicated in 1920 as a remembrance of the 1,512 people who died when the Titanic sank in 1912.  It consists of two levels – and upper level of 15 bronze plaques containing the names in alphabetical order (known as the Belfast List) of all who died and a lower level with a grassed terrace surrounding the marble monument.  The Belfast List is the first time that all the people who died (including the crew, entertainers, postal workers, and musicians) have been recorded on one monument.  The monument is a statue of a female figure (either Death or Fate) who is looking down at 2 sea nymphs holding the body of a drowned sailor in their arms.  The garden’s color scheme consists of white, silver, blue, and green foliage, flowers, and bark.  The colors reflect the colors of water and ice and project a feeling of relative peace and rest.

Titanic Memorial - List of Victims

Titanic Memorial-Marble Statue

Grounds Around the Titanic Statue

Statue Dedicated to the Soldiers of
the Royal Irish Rifles

Grounds Around City Hall

Grounds Around City Hall

City Hall

 

Later in the afternoon we walked over to the Grand Central Hotel which has a bar on the 23^rd floor with great views of the city.  There we enjoyed both the views and a glass of wine.  We then walked back to our hotel and went to The Loft, a bar located on the 7^th floor.  It also had a wonderful view of City Hall.  There we had several glasses of wine, some little bar snacks (that became dinner), helped a group of 5 ladies celebrate their 50^th birthdays (oh to be that young again), and spent some time talking with our server, a young girl from Poland.  It was a very enjoyable evening.  

View of City from Grand Central Hotel

View of City Hall from the Loft in our Hotel

 

 

Tomorrow is a free day with nothing planned so we will sleep in, get caught up on laundry, and I will continue to work on my pictures and blogs.  But Monday will be an exciting day as we travel along the Atrium coast to the Giant Causeway.  More on that in Monday’s Blog.

 

28 June 2024 Belfast, Northern Ireland •

 28 June 2024              Belfast, Northern Ireland •

 Today we leave the Republic of Ireland and cross over the border into Northern Ireland as we travel to its capital Belfast. 

 Along the way we stopped at the Armagh Cider Company, a family-owned apple orchard.  Here we learned how they came to make cider.  The climate in this part of Northern Ireland is very conducive for growing apples.  Apple growing grew out of the time when England took land away from the Irish and gave it to people that were loyal to the crown, a system of “Plantations.”  In order to keep the peace, England sent many soldiers from his kingdom to Ireland; however, the drinking water was not very clean or safe.  It was no problem for the locals as their bodies had become used to this water, but soldiers drinking the water soon became disposed because of dysentery.  The British learned that cider (and here in Ireland cider means alcohol otherwise it is just apple juice) helped to dilute the water and kill some of germs that affected their soldiers.  So many plantations planted apples.  The land of the cider maker that we visited had many acres of apple trees, but they are Bramley Apples which are very tart and most commonly used for making apple tarts (or pies).  But, except for local use, there was not much demand for Bramley apples, so the owner decided to use them for making cider.  He soon learned that he needed to add some different apple varieties to produce good cider, so he planted more apple trees between the existing apples.  Today he is one of the largest producers of cider in Northern Ireland.  He produces a dry cider, a sweeter cider, and cider that is infused with honey, dark berries, or my favorite, cider infused with summer fruit – strawberries and raspberries.  After his explanation we walked through his plant to see how they press the apples to extract the juice, ferment the juice and then bottle or can the cider.  We then had a tasting of the above mentioned 4 types. We then enjoyed a traditional lunch at the farm, complete with homemade soup, freshly baked brown bread, and an assortment of homemade jam and chutney, a salad and sausage roll, and a glass of the cider of our choice.  Our dessert, of course, featured their Bramley apples in a homemade apple tart.  During lunch we learned a little about life on a rural farm in Northern Ireland.  In addition to their apples, they also breed and raise horses for competitions and show events (none for racing).  It was an interesting morning and he and his wife still live in a house that was built in the 1700s.

Our Host with a Bramley Apple

Our Cider Tasting

Our Lunch Menu - All Ingredients Came
from Their Farm or within Farms 10 Miles of Their Farm

Leaving the farm, we arrived in Belfast around 4:30 in the afternoon.  In addition to being the center of the conflict during the “Troubles”  (the 20^th century conflict between the Protestants and Catholics), Belfast has its own long history.  The name Belfast means "mouth of the sand-bank ford."  There have been settlements on the site of Belfast since the Bronze Age.  Near the city stands the Giant’s Ring, a 5,000 year-old henge.  It wasn’t until the 17^th century, that Belfast became a substantial settlement with the arrival of the Scottish (Presbyterian) settlers.  From there it grew into an established port on the Lagan River as a center for linen manufacturing in Ireland.  In 1888 it finally received its status as a city.  During the later part of the 19th century and early part of the 20^th century, Belfast became a world-class shipbuilding center, known for their innovative and technically advanced ship designs.  It was here in 1909-1912 that the Titanic was built and launched on its fateful maiden voyage.  Two other large ships were also built here – the Olympic, which was scraped in 1937 and the Britannic, which was sunk by a German mine off the coast of Greece.  During WWII, Belfast was heavily damaged by German bombers.  And as I recounted in my Northern Ireland blog, during the 1960s – 1999s, Belfast was rocked by violence and bloodshed, becoming one of the most dangerous cities in Europe

However, the beautiful, serene countryside just outside the city belies this image of conflict.  This area was the inspiration for books like the Chronicles of Narnia and Gulliver’s Travels. 

Following our arrival at our hotel (Ten Square Hotel), a local guide took us on a short orientation walk that featured Belfast’s city hall with its beautifully manicured gardens.  The City Hall, built just after Belfast gained its status as a city in 1888, is today the home of the Belfast City Council as well as housing a collection of art and items from Belfast’s history.  One of the most impressive is the series of stained-glass windows reflecting Belfast’s past.  Around the grounds that surround the building are statues of Queen Victoria and King Edward VII, the Northern Ireland war memorial, the Titanic Garden of Remembrance, and a granite column dedicated to the American Expeditionary Force which was based in Belfast before D-Day.  It was very windy so no pictures from our walk, but e have a free day in Belfast and we will be visiting the City Hall and most likely the Titanic Museum and I will post pictures then.

Our dinner was in an Irish Cultural Center that works to preserve the Irish culture and language here in Northern Ireland.  The chef gave us a demonstration on baking Guinness Brown Bread.  It only uses a few ingredients – flour, oats, brown sugar, Guinness beer, and molasses.  I like it but Bill is not very keen on it.  Perhaps someday I will try it at home.

 As we were driving back from dinner, we were stopped for about 25 minutes as an Orange Order Parade was marching through the intersection.  The parade is held every year around 12 July (give or take 5-6 days either way) to commemorate the victory of the protestants under King William III (William of Orange) over the Catholics led by King James II in the Battle of the Boyne (near present day Belfast) on 12 July 1690.       

 

History of Northern Ireland and Belfast Blog

 

History of Northern Ireland and Belfast Blog

Before I continue with the more recent history of Northern Ireland (from the 17^th century to the present), let me add this glossary of terms to help you better understand the two sides of the issue (who is who) and what terms and organizations belong to which side.

The Unionists are the majority in Northern Ireland and can be best defined as  (1) Protestants (a mix of Presbyterians and Anglicans), (2) ancestors trace back to Scottish and English settlers who arrived in Ulster in the 17^th century, (3) identify themselves as British, and (4) wish to remain within the United Kingdom with Britain.  Within this faction are the Loyalists – Unionist members who favor violence to keep the Protestant majority and defend the United Kingdom.  Groups that are associated with the Unionists include Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Ulster Volunteer Force (UVA), Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The Nationalists, which account for about 45% of the population of Northern Ireland, are defined as (1) Roman Catholics, (2) descendants from the original Gaelic people of Ireland, (3) identifying as Irish, and (4) wanting to see unification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland.  Within this faction are the Republicans who favor violence as a means to achieve the unification of Ireland.  Organizations associated with the Nationalists include the Irish Republican Party (IRA), Sinn Fein (their political arm), and the Irish National Liberation Party (INLA).

As I alluded to in my History of Ireland blog, much of the more modern history of Ireland has. centered around the struggle between the two major players – the Protestants and the Catholics.  While the difference between the two factions really begins to rear its ugly head with the Norman conquest of Ireland, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that nationalism begins to grow on both sides and rebellions and civil wars begin to happen. 

Fast forward to the 17^th century and the War of Three Kingdoms.  On 12 July 1690, William, Prince of Orange (Protestant) defeated King James (Catholic), which the Protestants took as a sign they could view the Catholic as second-class citizens.  During the 16^th and 17^th centuries a series of Penal Laws were passed by the British in an attempt to curtail religious, legal, and political rights of anyone (mainly Catholics and a few Presbyterians) who did not conform to the state church, the Anglican Church of Ireland.  This basically legalized the Protestant domination over the Catholics. 

Even after the repeal of these laws in the late 1700s, conflict continued.  In 1798, the Irish Rebellion was fought between the Society of United Irishmen (made up of Presbyterians, Catholics, and liberal Anglicans) against British rule.  But the rebellion was unsuccessful and many of the Irish rebels were sent to penal colonies in Australia. 

Then came the Acts of Union 1800 in which Ireland officially became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.  Although the Catholic emancipation was achieved in 1829, they were unable to repeal the Acts of Union even though they represented a majority of the population (75%).

This was then followed by the Potato Famine in the mid-1800s which did little to quell the conflict between Catholics and Great Britain.  The Catholics felt that England had the resources (food especially) to help the Irish, but instead they sold those resources on the international market and as a result over 1.5 million Irish died.  This further cemented the bad blood between the Catholics and the United Kingdom.

As I previously talked about in my Introduction to Ireland Blog, the 1870s saw a rise in the Home Rule movement as a backlash to the Act of Union 1800, and the divide became ever greater.  The Protestants (unionists) were afraid of becoming a minority under a Catholic dominated Irish Parliament, so they threw their support into remaining in the United Kingdom.

Home Rule was finally enacted in 1910-14, but it also gave rise to the Ulster Covenant, which gave northern Protestants the power to resist home rule by force.  Paramilitary forces were being organized by both sides, but the intervention of WWI caused the Home Rule Act to be suspended until after the war.  In 1916, feeling that Home Rule was stagnating, Irish republican leaders led the ill-fated Easter Rising.  While it was unsuccessful and many leaders were executed, it gave rise to the nationalist movement among many Catholics.

In 1918, the Sinn Fein won 73 of the 105 seats in the British Parliament, but instead of going there, they set up their own parliament in Ireland and declared Ireland to be an Irish Republic.  For the next 2 years conflict, known as the Irish War of Independence, was fought between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the British Forces.  The conflict ended with the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty.  This agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the Irish Republic established the Irish Free State as a self-governing dominion of the British Empire (much like Canada was at that time), but it also gave Northern Ireland the right to opt out of the Irish Free State.  This they did in 1922.

While Northern Ireland remained in the United Kingdom, they were allowed to establish their own parliamentary government.  Needless to say, the unionists (Protestants) were happy, but the nationalists (Catholics) saw this partition as illegal and an arbitrary division of Ireland against the will of the majority of Ireland’s population.  In a nut shell, the top dogs in Northern Ireland (the Protestants) basically dominated the low dogs (Catholics), although the Protestants only had a slight majority (52% vs 48%).  As a result, the Catholics had the worst jobs, lowest pay, and worst schools.  Even though the two sides lived in close proximity, they had no mutual social or economic ties.  This resulted in communal strife between the two.  While there were many skirmishes and acts of violence, it was the 1969 Battle of Bogside, a large communal riot/protest that extended from Belfast to Derry (a town about 76 miles from Belfast), that brought things to a head and is considered the beginning of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland and Belfast.  We will learn more about the role Derry played in the Troubles with its “Free Derry” proclamation and the 1972 Bloody Massacre, one of the most significant events of the “Troubles” when we visit Derry later in this trip.

As a result of the 1969 riot, the British government sent in troops to Belfast try and regain control in the area as negotiations between the two warring sides had broken down.  In an attempt to control the violence, the British built a wall, dividing Belfast into two sections – one Protestant and one Catholic.  Unfortunately, this only escalated the violence, and over the next 33 years over 3,000 people were killed, including 1,617 in Belfast. 

Violence continued until the signing of the Good Friday Agreement (or the Belfast Agreement – they could not even agree upon a name) in 1998, after negotiations between Britain and Ireland that was chaired by President Clinton and his representative, George Mitchell.  As a result of this agreement, the Republic of Ireland gave up all constitutional rights to Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom yielded their direct rule of Northern Ireland, a power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly was established, and new agreements were approved between Ireland and Northern Ireland, especially over the control of their mutual border, and between Ireland and the United Kingdom.  This agreement also came with an apology by Prime Minister Tony Blair for the British non-response to the Irish Potato Famine.  This brought an end to “The Troubles,” but violence still occurs, but on a much smaller scale.  Even in death there is still segregation – the dead are separated by a 7 foot deep wall to keep the opposing groups from tainting the other’s dead!

However, the wall still remains in Belfast and even today the wall gates are locked at night and no one can cross from one part of Belfast to the other.  But today the wall is called the Peace Wall and there are murals painted on both sides.  The murals are divided between signs of harmony and signs of revenge or oppression.  Today the schools and neighborhoods remain segregated. 

As we begin our tour of Belfast, we will be learning about this troublesome era from both sides.  In addition to visiting the usual tourist sites, we will also have a taxi ride in the famous Belfast Black Cabs where our driver will talk about “The Troubles” from his/her point of view.  And we will also have a chance to talk with three survivors from that era – a Catholic, a Protestant, and a former British Soldier who all fought for their respective sides and were spent time in prison for their actions.  I will post more on those to events after our visit with them.  I also think that we will hear more about Brexit and its impact on Northern Ireland.  So as we now leave Dublin and begin our drive to Belfast, we will sit back and enjoy Ireland’s beautiful scenery and learn some more about its history and legends.