Ireland ~ Belfast (Day 5 - Conflict Focus) 26Jul23

From OAT, this is a day of focus on conflict ~ easy to find in Belfast/Ulster. After breakfast we were piled into the "black cabs" of Belfast ~ these historically were the safe way to travel between Republican and Union territories of Belfast. OUr drive was Union sympathizing and gave a talk with that bent. He was a good speaker but when we asked of the potential for re-unification of Ireland he said: 'Never!" We headed to West Belfast where most of "The Troubles" resulted in violence from abutting neighborhoods of Catholics and protestant (really not religious conflict per se - Union/Britain vs Irish really). We saw the prolific peace walls of the IRA-oriented and the graffiti-ladden walls of the Unionists. We saw the gates between Sinn-Fein sympathetic to Union-sympathetic sections of West Belfast ~ they are still closed nightly! We saw the memorials of the Union-oriented as well as their poppy-crossed remembrances. We saw the IRA filled Sinn-Fein party HQ adorned with IRA protestor murals like Bobby Sands, who died from the hunger strike, and Martin McGinness, who became a successful politician, after release from Unionist prison.

The conflict-focus continued @ lunch where we met a former UVF member, a former IRA member (and now a political party member of Sinn Fein), and a former British soldier who occupied and "kept peace" in Belfast. They openly presented their views and answered our questions @ Felons.

Upon return to central Belfast, K3 & I chose to hit the Titanic Experience (kind of a museum). We learned of the White Lines Olympic class (like Titanic) ships built in Belfast, a prior dominant ship building port for all sizes. We saw an infamous "deck chair on the Titanic."

And we reviewed the shuttle ship Nomadic as part of the Titanic Experience too.

As part of the Titanic Experience we went to Exodus exhibit of Barkey, an interesting Irish artist. 

We hit an excellent restaurant Fish City after getting back to City Center and then caught a few songs of Roving Out at Fibber Magees. They are unusual Gaelic band as they used a percussionist. Decent again at this fun location.