Belfast - A City Once Divided - August 12

Dublin was sad to see us go and shed a tear, at least that's what we thought the drizzle meant. We headed out of town on the M1 - north towards Northern Ireland and Belfast. It is less than 200 km so not a long drive and we arrived at Tara Lodge on Cromwell Street shortly after 10:30. This new, modern facility sits amid streets of row homes. The removal of a few units and the construction of this place gets an A - a few blocks from Queens University and ten or so blocks from City Hall - perfect location - great for our walking endeavors.

The desk clerk was able to call the Black Cab company for our tour of the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods that were, and still occasionally are, the center of the civil conflict. Tom, our cab driver, talked about the anniversary for the start of this conflict is this week - 40 years ago - August 15, 2009. We toured Shankill and Falls Roads, parallel roads, and stopped at several significant points. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) were the central protagonists in the conflict.

Many of the murals pay tribute to these "fighters" and they are everywhere. Some of the murals contain poems or special messages and some a symbolic of changes that have and are taking place. The composite picture contains 4 murals - the top 2 from the Loyalist side and the bottom 2 from the Republican side.

Something we found interesting is that the wall that ran between Shankill and Falls Roads is still erect AND there are four gates on four cross streets that are closed at night. Even thought the conflict is "over", there still remain groups that are not satisfied and continue to cause disturbances. We stood outside the Sinn Fein offices but did not see Gerry Adams, although he has been known to come out and talk with passers-by. The stories were endless and we will share them next time we see you. It was a very emotional tour and definitely one worth taking.

We drove out to the old shipyards. Belfast was once a leading ship building city. It's most infamous product was the Titanic. The drydock and pump house are still standing - very impressive and as those in Belfast note - the Titanic was fine when it left here - nice way of washing your hands of responsiblity. The shipyard was in the process of building the Titanic's sister ship when the Titanic sunk. The construction stopped and all the wood that was to be used was sold to a local businessman.

He took the wood and used it in one of the cities oldes pubs, The Crown Liquor Saloon (afternoon Belfast Ale and Guinness). The wood is magnificent and the atmosphere electric. The shipyard area is not undergoing a major renovation - office park, entertainment center, movie studios, construction of wind turbines (windmills), and a portion that processes old ships into scrap metal. This part of the city is representative of the entire city - a new birth (phoenix) is taking place. Another sign of the resurgence of this city is the fish sculpture - the sculpture is composed of individual tiles depicting the history of the city and plans for the future.

We wandered around the city - seeing the Albert clock, Belfast's leaning tower of Pisa - the new Victoria Square indoor/outdoor mall with rooftop views of the city - we visitied the Europa hotel, bombed by the IRA 33 times and also 150 bomb warnings, the hotel was targeted because it was the hotel of English diplomats - we stopped by Dunnes for a lunch sandwich and drink - shopped - visited several galleries - and enjoyed the pleasant weather (yes, the rain stopped halfway to Belfast).

Back to the lodge to regroup before dinner. We had a great dinner at Bourbon restaurant. Smoked Haddock and Rissoto of Leeks, Pork and Leek Sausage and Mash and Tennent's ale. We headed down the street to Robinsons Bars and the Fibber Magee Bar for some Irish music and Guinness. Crowded, loud, fun, great music. Another walk back to the lodge and another day in the books. See you tomorrow.