Holiday to Belfast #6 - Political Belfast

[debris4spike]

I have always said I don't "do" politics, and even though I am posting these photos it's a hard set to collate.

As I said earlier I grew up with assorted bombings, and threats in London (as I was in that area) ... as well as hearing the news every day.

One of my pre-arranged trips was that of a Troubles Tour and it was centred in West Belfast which is where most of the fighting was based. I started off in the Catholic/Republican half, and our guide turned out to be an ex-IRA prisoner (for those who don't know they were the "army"). He had served 16 years before being released in The Good Friday Agreement. Nearly all of the murals in that area were of the soldiers who had died, either being shot, or in hunger strikes. We then went through one of the 6 gates in the 16 foot wall (these gates are still locked for 13 hours every night), and our new guide took us through the Protestant/Unionists. These murals included WWI & Royalty (not shown here) and of the victims of the fighting ... especially the children. There was also an image of Hyde Park bombings, showing the deceased horses










































On my last day I caught the bus and went to Stormont which is where, if there were an active Parliament, it would be based.



















Right, more to come later x

Comments

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Such a shame that Stormont sits empty.

[debris4spike]

Having spent time around the history of the area, I am (sadly) not surprised

[deepseasiren.livejournal.com]

I remember those bombings in the news to this day,...

[debris4spike]

They were so horrifying, especially as they were "just up the road". I used to always have my lunch in St James Park, and I think it really brought it home that we were just a park away

[deepseasiren.livejournal.com]

I remember this bombing at ...I think it was a shopping area, in a major department store, and the explosion was HUGE and devastating. I never really understood much about the politics in Northern Ireland or the whole IRA thing.

[debris4spike]

I think why the bombings really hit home were that so many of them were at locations where people were getting on with life. One of the bombs that is remembered is that of a Remembrance Day service, where so many families were torn apart.

The pros and cons of war will always be debated, but "civil war" always seems that much more destructive. Communities take longer to heal, that's if they ever manage it.

[deepseasiren.livejournal.com]

Well, civil wars are the most destructive for certain. Look at Vietnam and Korea and even the american Civil War.