As I bring this travelogue series to a close with the next two posts, I’m not even going to try to pretend that I remember where we went on which day. It’s broad strokes from here on out, friends.
If you would like to catch up on the first part of the trip, here are two posts about Scotland:
The Troubles
The best word I can use to describe Belfast is gritty. It’s a big city with big city problems. However, even surrounded by the ghosts of conflict and thinly-veiled friction between some Catholics and Protestants, there is such beauty, all the more precious after understanding everything lost during the Troubles.
The Belfast City Hall was barricaded for many years to save the building from bombings. Today, the government chugs on there, and the grounds serve as a gathering place for festivals and family-friendly movie nights. Throughout Belfast, there is a significant focus on giving children good lives so they will grow up to be thoughtful leaders.
During our stay in Northern Ireland, we had three separate tour guides go over the history of the Troubles. I’m old enough to remember the Troubles, but like many young people in the USA, I learned that the IRA was the main perpetrator and the source of the danger. However, that’s only partly true.
As a child, I couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea that a war was happening in a country like Ireland. As a teenager, I was too busy reading Tiger Beat and waiting for my crimping iron to heat. So I couldn’t be bothered.
I was sheltered and ignorant about international politics. In many ways, I still am–most of us are. We think we know because some talking head on American TV said something that confirms our biases, but there is no substitute for travel and learning from the people who live in the shadow of their history every day.
I had no plans to give you a lecture within this post. Still, as I listened to each guide unravel history, religion, and the events that led to the 30-year conflict, I couldn’t help but see that the United States is in danger of repeating Ireland’s mistakes, and it makes me sad and a little scared too. Please learn about the Troubles from Irish sources. There is still time for us to right this ship here at home.
The Peace Wall + More Photos
The giant wall that separated the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods still stands in Belfast. Now called the Peace Wall, it’s sobering to think about a time when violence and death were daily occurrences, and the wall offered some protection.
Residents and visitors are now encouraged to sign the wall and leave messages of peace. Our guide gave each of us markers to participate in this tradition.
I can’t say that Belfast was my favorite stop, but it was an important one. It’s healthy to feel uncomfortable sometimes, especially in a different country. Vacations help us relax and have fun, but feeling uncomfortable is a good reminder that the world is vast, and there is life beyond our bubbles.
To be continued…
