Belfast..."The Troubles"

We took the long drive from Dublin to Belfast in Northern Ireland.  The Irish countryside is so green!  They say it rains a lot, but it did not rain the entire 10 days we were there!  We had gorgeous weather!

So Ireland is basically a big island, but it is actually divided into two separate countries; Northern Ireland which is predominantly Protestant & part of the United Kingdom & The Republic of Ireland which is predominantly Catholic.  So we drove from Dublin to Belfast...all the way there our bus driver gave us the short version of "The Troubles"...

"The Troubles" is the common name for the conflict in Northern Ireland that began in the late 1960s...the conflict continued until 1998 (with sporadic violence still occurring even today).  It is primarily a political conflict but it has an ethnic or sectarian element to it, too.

In a nut shell, one side (The Unionists who are mostly Protestant) want to remain loyal to the UK while the other side (The Republicans or Irish Nationalists who are mostly Catholic) want to leave the UK & join a United Ireland..."Sinn Fein" in Irish literally means "we ourselves" or "ourselves alone."  During this nearly 40 year conflict, 3500 people lost their lives...not quite as tragic as the 600,000 lives we lost in our own Civil War, but tragic nonetheless.

We began with a Black Cab private tour that took us to all the political points of interest & told us about The Troubles.  Our particular driver was actually personally affected & involved in the conflict,  witnessing many of the events that transpired.  He was fascinating to talk to as he shared his experiences...

He took us straight to the battle grounds, so to speak, & helped us understand how the story unfolded.  He did a good job of telling both sides, & although it was clear which side of the conflict he was on, he definitely had hope for peace & equality in the future...many of these memorials simply named the victims...many of these victims were innocent civilians...

The city is segregated - literally separated by 3 meter high walls (like the Iron Curtain of Eastern Europe) & the gates are locked by 6pm & don't open until 8am the following day...

These Peace Walls or Peace Lines are painted with tributes & propaganda...

I stood by this wall to get a perspective of how big the walls actually are! You can see a mixture of insults, simple tags, & messages for peace...it was sobering!

More propaganda & memorials for the other side...

This neighborhood is close to the wall/dividing line.  You can see the protective fencing surrounding their buildings...

These are literally cages to protect their homes...

This complex near the wall is not a prison (which is what I thought it was) - it is the police station!

More political propaganda near the center of town...

Even the Sinn Fein office (Irish Republic headquarters) has a memorial on it honoring their fallen leaders...

Throughout history, Belfast has always been an important shipyard.  In fact, this is where the Titanic was built & launched!  After our Black Cab Tour, we toured the Titanic Museum...

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Google Image

Inside the museum were many artifacts, models, & replicas of parts of the ship...the lighting was poor, so my pictures didn't turn out - thank goodness for Google Images!

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Google Image - State Room

Google Image - 3rd Class Cabin

 The museum had an interactive exhibit & a Shipyard Ride!  We loaded into these little cars that worked their way through the simulated ship with information, videos, & photos as it was being built...that ship was HUGE!

It was a long, heavy day filled with a remembrance of historical tragedy.  We were glad to get back to Dublin where our "good neighbors" had planned an exciting evening at the famous Guinness Brewery!  Even though we aren't drinkers, the brewery's tour was interesting & the dinner/entertainment was terrific!

Evidently great beer begins with great water! There were indoor fountains everywhere!

St Patricks windmill is a prominent feature at the brewery...

The most interesting thing about this evening was being in the Gravity Bar.  See that round glass thing on top of the brewery?  That is the Gravity Bar!  You can see a 360 degree view of Dublin Town from there!  We enjoyed the views & the sunset...

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Google Image

This isn't the best quality, but it does give you an idea of how small the bar actually is & the wall to wall glass panels gives you the feeling of floating over the city!

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Goodbye Dublin - It's been fun!  We are off to Adare Manor next in Limerick County!