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Belfast, Northern Ireland

Complexity and diversity embodied

A Note on Organization
Links to Images of Belfast
A Note on the Troubles
Activities, Sightseeing, and Impressions
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A Note on Organization

My trip to Belfast was organized by Arcadia CEA, my program, and they definately tried their hardest to allow us to see as much as possible. It was a whirlwind tour of a portion of the UK that is also uniquely Irish. It is a land of contradictions. As such, it is difficult to separate my activities and impressions into neat little digestible chunks of "travel", "sightseeing", "culture", etc. and thus I have instead organized it by day. In a last-ditch effort to help you find sites of interest mentioned here, I do put the names of places to go and stay in bold text. If you wish to reproduce my itinerary, I would suggest expanding the scheduled events into several days, rather than a long weekend--Belfast has a lot to offer in many respects.

Thumbnail links to larger images of Belfast

A Note on the Troubles

At the time of my visit, things between the Nationalists and Loyalists (and whatever groups are included in these and other umbrella terms) were calm. Nothing serious had happened recently, and the Parliament was dismissed during peace talks that, by the sound of things, were going well. However, still waters run deeply. Subtle behavioral differences exist on both parts, both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic (albeit, to a lesser extent). For instance, as I'll mention later, one Protestant Belfast native was somewhat antagonistic towards another native, who is a Catholic. And it's not like they're wearing name tags that say, "Hi, I'm a Catholic" or "Hello, I'm a Protestant", although I'm told they might as well be. One's name is, after all, an identifying mark: names with an English origin are more likely to denote Protestantism, while those of a French background seem to indicate Catholicism. Evidently there are also subtle differences in speech and gestures. For instance, Loyalists pronounce the "h" but Nationalists don't (they even pronounce the letter in the alphabet differently, "haitch" verus "aitch"). This is all obviously a simplification.

It seems that, at this point in history and time, many people's interactive reactions and thoughts are more gut instinct than conscious decisions to hate and distrust people. The older generations are more deeply entrenched in their anger, and understandably so: they remember more directly the violence and problems that sparked the Troubles in this and the past century. The problems extend much farther back than that, and the gripes are completely viable.

I am probably shooting my mouth off here, as I haven't done extensive research on the issue. All I can say is what I've experienced, and try to see the meanings of events. Also, it's important to note that nothing is as simple as I've tried to explain. "Catholic" doesn't necessarily equate with "Nationalist" or "Protestant" with "Loyalist". And I don't even think I need to say this, but it should be kept in mind that there are extremists, yes, but very very few, and even fewer who would contemplate acts of terrorism as a means toward expression of their beliefs. The people of Northern Ireland do co-exist more or less peacefully. They just have big walls between their segregated neighborhoods.

Activities, Sightseeing, and Impressions

Friday, 4 April 2003: 1:30 pm Depart UCD. Earlier that morning: slept for 2 hours the night before because I was writing my final English paper. Packed in 20 minutes. Ai! What a long bus ride! I tried not to sleep, to see the scenery on the way, but difficult. Warren brought some videos for the ride, thank goodness; we watched Pulp Fiction on the way up (a better movie than I thought, and Corinne was busy reciting lines along with the movie in the seat behind me). Got a full seat to myself!; 6:00 pm Arrive Belfast, Northern Ireland. Check into Belfast International Youth Hostel. Rooming with Corinne, Jess, and Rae. Did they do room assignments alphabetically again? ;) Top bunk over Corinne. I hate bunk beds! The ladder has round rungs that dig into my feet. A great place, all in all, with murals/paintings all over the hall walls, of famous people (mostly Irish, mostly musicians and actors; I only know Sam Neill).; 6:05 pm Realize I’ve forgotten my backpack to carry stuff around in in Belfast. &@^(!#*$#@!!!!! Take a quick shower (I also hate bus rides, and feel really gross).; 7:00 pm Dinner in Fitzy’s Restaurant, above a cheaper-looking restaurant/snooker hall. Sit with Rae and a Limerick kid (full year), Rob (who’s cute, but has a girlfriend). Try to sound intelligent and moderately conscious, and avoid falling asleep in my dessert rather better than when I first arrived in Dublin all that long time ago! Dinner a disappointment food-wise; my chicken is undercooked and I fear food poisoning and Rae hates hers so she kindly gives me hers. Chocolate cake at the end is wonderful, but I feel guilty breaking my Lenten promise. Ah, hell, this is a vacation!; Later that night Catch the tail end of Goldmember (not better the second time around) and we all head to the Globe. Meet up with many of the other Arcadia kids, already there; have missed a karaoke performance by some of the girls. :( Chat more with Rob, some of the Leeson kids I don’t get to see often (short Jen from NH, Jen G., Emily and Abigail, Becky, Natalie) but feel somewhat left out. Head back to the hostel "early", stopping at Burger King for a quick bite (I don’t get anything) with some of the kids.
Saturday, 5 April 2003: 9:00 am Breakfast downstairs at the hostel. Half asleep, but relatively well-caught up.; 10:00 am Workshop on the Troubles in Northern Ireland, with a Protestant Belfast native. He doesn’t seem to know much more than us, and is subtly antagonistic to one of the Arcadia staff, Kevin, also a Belfast native but a Catholic. Identification of elements that we will see in the flags around the areas. Red hand, crown, gold 6-pointed star, Union Jack, and the colors red, white, and blue represent Protestant areas and Loyalist groups; green, white, and orange represent the Republic, a united Ireland, and Catholic areas. There are a lot of political and militia groups, subfactions, etc. and some of them are very small, while some are the more violent portions of other peaceful groups. Quick timeline review.; 12 noon Tour of Belfast by coach. Guided by the same man who ran the workshop. First stop, Milltown Cemetery, situated in between more industrial areas but itself seemingly very old. Wall-to-wall large gravestones, Celtic crosses, angels, Mary, etc. No relatives’ names to be seen. It’s turning into quite a warm day, with lots of sun, which bounces off the stones and the gravel (green and white) spread in the plots. Graves of the Hunger Strikers (died from the strike), and from the IRA Volunteers, open-air corridor of memorials with lots of flowers and pictures. Some stones say "so-and-so murdered by British troops/Loyalists/etc." and other angry sentimental sayings. Back on the bus, we pass a police station, which is fortified like a modern castle, with tall metal walls all around it, barbed wire at the top, and fenced-in look-out stations; the police cars are more like tanks or a Brinks money delivery truck, with small windows and grating around the bottom (I assume to prevent bombs being thrown underneath). One of the lookout stations is very tall, and it feels like "Big Brother is watching you." We go to the Odyssey (Belfast’s cultural center), which has very little to do, a few restaurants, an arcade, and a cinema; several kids get "chewable toothbrushes"! Jen G., Lila, and I sit outside in the sun for a bit. We are running late, so we are unable to stop to take photos of the murals we see, though I get one photo through the window of the bus. Also, we pass by a shipyard which is the site of the construction of the Titanic (H&W cranes). And we pass through Catholic (Catholic Falls) and Protestant (Shankhill Roads) areas, seeing the Peace Wall, actually requested by the residents of the area after a prolonged spell of inter-community violence. It is tall metal, with barbed wire at the top, and you can’t see over it except for rooftops. There are gates to go between, and the wall is painted in the various colors, and with slogans. I know that "good fences make good neighbors", but it is sad to see that people need barriers to feel safe in their own homes, and cannot mix safely with their neighbors. This must be what Germany felt like before the Berlin Wall came down. Even the curbs are painted red, white, and blue or green, white, and orange. We go see the Stormont Castle, home of the Northern Ireland Assembly, currently disbanded for peace talks.; 4:00 pm Free time in Belfast. Walk around downtown a bit, and go to the Botanic Garden with Lila and Suz, a Trinity girl who happens to like anime! The outside of the Greenhouse reminds me of the one in Revolutionary Girl Utena, while the inside reminds me of the one in Mount Holyoke (Massachusetts), where my Advanced Drawing class went once. Go to see the Crown Liquor Saloon, which has a mosaic at the entrance of a crown; supposedly people could tell your affiliation depending on how you walked it: around it indicated a Loyalist, while over it indicated a Republican. Meet with various groups of Arcadia kids along the way, joining and dropping to see different things. Call Teresa’s mom. Feel more out of place here than in Dublin, though the parts of town I’m walking are safer and I feel like I won’t get lost. More like a tourist, I guess, though there is also an undertone of unease (possibly my own construction). Also, the men are ruder here, obviously staring and making comments, though more so at night. The city itself is also dirtier than Dublin, and there are several abandoned (and tagged) buildings in the vicinity of our hostel, which is itself located in a working-class Protestant neighborhood.; 6:30 pm Dinner at the Culturlann, a traditional Irish culture center, of salmon, much better than last night’s! Sit with Conor and two Limerick students, both very nice, and have good conversations. Musicians arrive, and play informally; wood flute, fiddle, and accordion, traditional music, without singing. We get up and begin to move around while listening, talking and exploring the Center. Feel like Corinne and Jess want to hang out together without me, and decide to give them space for the rest of the trip. Begin a conversation with Rick, a Limerick student I had seen reading Robert Jordan, and it turns out that he and his girlfriend (attend the same school in the States) are both sf&f fans, who are planning on meeting Anne McCaffrey in the end of April! Maybe I will be able to go too.; 9:30 pm Meet up with Teresa, her 19-year-old (gorgeous) brother, and his friend Andrew. We go for a pint at Auntie Annie’s, her bother’s recommendation (what is his name???). I feel very comfortable with them, they are friendly and sociable and good talkers. Teresa’s brother is studying science between high school and college. He buys me a pint. :) We head next door to Pizza Hut for some yummy pizza, and chat it up some more, until about midnight. They walk me back to my hostel, and I plan to meet Teresa tomorrow morning to see the Lavery paintings in the museum in the Botanic Garden.
Sunday, 6 April 2003: 9:15 am Meet with Teresa. The Art Museum is closed, so we try to make alternative plans. She doesn’t think much is open today (evidently it’s even worse in Northern Ireland). We end up waiting around a bit, do a bit of juggling, and finally take off to look at murals and monuments. I get a photo of a huge yellow mural marking the entrance to a Protestant Loyalist community, in a pretty spooky area. Teresa and Suz are in the photo. We also head to the City Hall, a monumental marble building in a Grecian style, and I get photos of that and of the Titanic Memorial. We don’t get to see everything we wanted to (St. Anne’s Church with its fish ceiling is too far away), but the architecture is very interesting and the company’s good. Also get a photo of Working Women, a statue of two women in bronze, with various domestic appliances and trinkets attached to them (also in bronze) to represent both prostitution and the necessity for women to enter the workforce while simultaneously being mothers in WWII.; 11:00 am Bustrip to the Giant’s Causeway. Stop midway in Portrush, which is like a run-down version of Portsmouth and Hampton Beach in NH. Lunch with Lila, Jen G., and Mary at Uncle Saam’s, a small family-run diner-esque place with greasy food and an odd smell in the air. Good food just the same, fish and chips, but the girls constantly whine about the fattiness. Sigh. We head to the beach, which we walk across, and watch Warren and Pat race. It feels good to be by the ocean. I keep thinking of that poem, "I must go back to the sea again...." On the drive, we pass a ruined castle on the very edge of the cliffs overlooking the ocean, which is quite impressive and very Highlander-esque.; Later on... Another fabulous-weather day, I am thankful for the sun and the warmth. It could be much worse! We head on to the Giant’s Causeway, and after a rather goofy video on the history, go to the rocks themselves. It is approached via a long winding walkable road, which suddenly opens up to the causeway. The views are breathtaking. Specific rock formations have been given names, such as the Organ and the Chimney. There are a lot of people there, enjoying the rocks too, but I never really feel like it’s crowded. The whole area is covered with hexagonal columnar-jointed basalt, weathered a sandy brown on the outsides, and many with concave centers (worn either by people’s feet or by the tide which comes quite far in). The salt from the water leaves sparkling circular "pools" in these concavities. I run around like a mountain goat, like I like to do around Massabesic Lake at home. Good thing I wore my sneakers—there are people there with high-heeled boots hobbling around that look like they’re about to buy it on one of those hard rocks. Interspersed with the columns are big chunky boulders, one of which Corinne climbs. The columnar rocks march all the way into the ocean, and I go very nearly to the easternmost point (but not all the way, since the last few meters are covered with seaweed, slime, and barnacles and look too slippery) and am splashed by water from a huge wave! :) This is definitely one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I talk to some of the students a bit, but generally enjoy it by myself. It is a magical place.; 6:30 pm Return to Belfast, and head out for dinner with Natalie, Becky, Emily, Abigail, and NH Jen, who make me feel very welcome. We eat at a little café-type place, like the breakfast place in Amherst where I ate with Diana before she left for break one time. The food’s great, and the conversation is lively. We head to the cinema, but can’t decide whether to see a movie (lack of consensus on which one, too) or go bowling, and decide on bowling. It’s the big-ball bowling, and we are all probably more or less funny to watch while we bowl. Abigail refuses to watch after she’s thrown the ball, while Emily throws it with her whole body! Natalie kicked all of our asses. We had a great time! We finally head back to the hostel for a quiet night of movie-watching instead of heading out to a pub with some of the kids. We watch About a Boy with the other crews already in there, mostly Limerick kids, with Patty, Jess, Corinne, and some of the other kids as they trickle in. A great movie. Then we head upstairs, and I chat with the twins and Jen in their room for a bit, about school, and books, and films, etc. This weekend has been drastically different than Killarney socially--I feel involved and welcomed, and people actually come looking for me! I think that weekend we were all still new to each other, and more concerned with making sure our own self got to where we wanted to go. But I’m very glad things are working out like they are here.
Monday, 7 April 2003: 8:00 am Up early to get ready and pack. Breakfast at the hostel is crowded as hell; it seems like all of the guests have decided to breakfast at the same time! I grab a chair with Rachael, Rick, and Patty. On the way home, I sit with Rob and we don’t talk much (he’s definitely not a morning person; that first morning I said "Good morning" and he corrected me: "‘Good morning’ is a paradox"). Warren kindly supplied us with another movie, Adventures in Babysitting, a very silly 80s film, which I enjoy (partly because I am a captive audience!). We stop for a rest break at a hotel and walk about a bit; Suz and I chat too. Jess and Corinne get off with the Trinity kids to go food shopping, and I head on with the rest of the bus to UCD. Fin!