Hello,
I was in Belfast for work and it was lovely. That was a very powerful trip and it really blew my mind.
Belfast is a very divided city, as is Northern Ireland. Here is a breakdown of what I learnt:
Belfast Murals
Quick backstory: The English took control of the island in the 16th Century. The native population was, and still is Gaelic and mainly Catholic. After many years and many wars, Southern Ireland (now the Republic of Ireland) gained independence in 1922 whereas Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom.
Overall the native Irish in Northern Ireland are Gaelic and Catholics, and would like the whole island to be united with the South as an independent republic. They are called republicans. On the other hand, the people of English descent, want to stay in the UK, are protestant and are called Unionists or Loyalist.
Both groups kept on fighting in the 20th century both through political and violent means. This lead to paramilitary groups being created on both sides: the IRA and affiliated groups on one side and loyalist groups supported by the British army and police on the other. This period is known as the Troubles.
Both sides have committed atrocities: bombings, kidnappings, extrajudicial killing, riots, rapes etc... War = not good.
In the 1990's, both sides agreed to declare ceasefire and in 1998, they signed the Good Friday Agreement which established a fragile peace, legal and political accord, and ended the Troubles.
Now in April 2019, the divisions are still strong. It is said that particular groups benefit from better jobs, housing, education etc... Each community is divided in different neighborhoods and to mark their territory, they have painted murals to reflect their status.
Here are a few:
Republican side:
The Republicans consider their fighters sent to jail as Prisoners of War:
That's why Republicans love the Che, Nelson Mandela, Palestine, the Civil Rights movement as all of them have fought for independence:
Some fighters and civilians got killed by the British police and army:
They will also mark their territory by painting post boxes green or having the name of the streets in Gaelic:
A Catholic mausoleum in the middle of the estate, that was a surprise:
This sign shows a mural that is now got covered, it's pretty hardcore. Imagine growing up around this?
Unionist side:
UVF was a paramilitary group. Again imagine growing up around this image?
The Red Hand of Ulster is one of the Unionist's symbol:
Unionists will also mark their territory by painting curbs or lampposts in the color of the Union Jack:
Another covered mural, you can just see the coat of arms:
Street signs:
Another one:
Result of all of this:
The city is still strongly divided. And when the two communities live next to each other, they put a barrier or a wall between them. This picture shows one of the more recent one, on this side live the Republicans, on the other the Unionists:
As always, the innocents will suffer. Leanne Murray was 13 when she died in the bombing of a Belfast Fish Shop in 1993, heartbreaking (this is an Unionist mural but innocents were killed on both sides):
Thankfully, some murals are looking forward to a peaceful future:
To conclude, it's crazy to think this is still happening in Western Europe in 2019. Even though things are getting better, a lot of people say the Troubles are still dormant and Brexit might wake up the monster (with the return of the hard boarder and the shattering of the peace agreements). Hopefully all will be well.
On another note:
This is a replica of the staircase of the Titanic, just like the movie (
flute playing in the background):
I also went to Giant's Causeway in the North, a World Heritage Site of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption (thank you Wikipedia):
