Belfast Ireland

The Wall and the Police Station

We boarded a small motor coach with 10 other people in the early hours of a rainy Sunday morning – our tour driver was named Mark and he had a very thick Irish accent – almost unrecognizable to the English language. He suggested that while it was still quiet we drive through the Belfast neighborhoods. How could you not feel a little apprehension? He told us he would drive us into some neighborhoods where other tours don’t go, an area where we could see many hand painted murals. Was this a smart idea? Our van stopped in a neighborhood with brick apartments – at the intersection I saw my first up close Belfast mural – One eerie mural displayed a gunman – Mark told us, “No matter where you walk, the gun will follow you” The gunman wore a ski mask he looked threatening and scary. Next we drove to another neighborhood – more murals – I read them and I felt sad inside. Mark explained to us that it is not a religious war of the Catholics against the Protestants as most of us might think – but rather it was political – the Unionists who are loyal to Brittan and wave the Union Jack flag of red white and blue are against the Irish Republicans who wave the red flag and would rather be independent of the UK and England. It just so happens that the Unionists and mostly Protestant and the Republicans are mostly Catholic. As we sat in the van in one neighborhood the painted mural outside of my window read: “Cluan Clan - five people shot – houses burnt – houses bombed – 20 families intimidated out by sinn” - Why did we stop here? I just wanted to drive away safely. We drove a little more – past the police station which was unrecognizable – all barricaded in metal – you could see where the fence surrounding the building had been built higher and higher – so people could not throw bombs etc. over the fence. Our next stop was to the wall that divides the city – It is a high concrete wall, that wasn’t tall enough so they added a metal wall on top of it which still wasn’t high enough – so they added a chain link fence on top of that one. The concrete part was filled with graffiti – no one wanted to leave the van for a photo – we just took our photos through the van windows. The mood was very somber – no one spoke very much – we just listened to Mark. In front of most houses they fly a flag to let you know which side they are on. I saw graffiti on a wall “We need social housing, not yuppie apartments” The next said “We need regeneration, not gentrification” The people are angry here, that is apparent. Our tour of downtown Belfast came to a quiet close – our next stop would be The Giant’s Causeway – about an hour and a half away – surely this would lift everyone’s mood. Mark put on a CD of “Happy Irish folk music” we listened quietly as he drove.