Images of Belfast 2009

[DaveK]

Although I was born in Northern Ireland, my family moved to the Republic when I was only 6 months old (the late 1960s were not ideal times to be an English family living in the provence, as the tensions that lead to what we now know as "the troubles" were starting to develop).

Since then, I've made a couple of business trips to Belfast, but my knowledge and understanding of the situation there has been limited to what I've seen on the news and second-hand accounts from guys who live there. Recently however I started working for a small company that has some roots in NI, and thanks to some funding from the Northern Irish government I was in Belfast on Thursday and Friday of this week to visit our new "Belfast Office" and meet the local guys we've recruited to open the office from January next year.

We took the opportunity to have our company Christmas "do" on Thursday night in a Belfast restaurant, and yesterday morning, we all took a "Black Cab Tour".

The Black Cab Tours, have appeared as a result of the peace process, and as the name suggests, provide a tour of Belfast in a Taxi. Anyone familiar with the NI troubles, will know of the relationship between the cabbies and the paramilitaries during the 70s and 80s, and suffice it to say that any experienced Belfast cabbie can tell you exactly what it was like to live in Belfast during the troubles, and will likely have a few tales to tell that really give an insight into what it must have been like in those dark days.

Our party occupied three cabs, and they collected us from our hotel (that has the dubious honour of being "the most bombed in Europe") on Friday morning. We heard two different figures, suggesting that it had been bombed by the IRA 27 or 33 times! None of the drivers gave any suggestion of what their politics were - just straight, matter of fact, telling it like it was. It was a very moving experience, and I'd recommend it to anybody visiting the area.

The first stop on the tour was at the infamous Shankhill estate. A protestant area, famous for the murals depicting important loyalist events and even paramilitary allegiances. I'd never been there before, but I had seen most of the murals on TV, usually during reports of sectarian killings and bombings. Quite a surreal feeling. I'm sure you guys will recognise some of these images too:



The image of the UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighter) paramilitary in the customary balaclava is famous throughout the area, as the gun appears to be pointing at you, whichever angle you are looking at it from. It's true, it seems to follow you around. Spooky.






Next, we stopped at "the Peace Wall". In the words of our cabbie / tour guide, "although Catholics and Protestants are happy to work, and even soSmurfpillse together these days, they still aren't prepared to live together". So, whilst huge progress has been made during the peace process, the Peace Wall (originally built by the Royal Engineers in 1970) remains, and noone wants it removed.

There are huge security gates positioned at intervals along the wall, but they are still closed at night-time, at the will of people on both sides of the wall. It's a really very graphic reminder of the "traditional" differences in the area.



Through the security gates, we entered the Catholic, Republican, Falls Road area. On the Falls Road, Sinn Fein have an office, and on the side of that office is a mural depicting Bobby Sands. Bobby Sands was the first to die in the infamous Maze Prison hunger strikes in 1981, in protest at the loss of "political prisoner" status given to loyalist and republican terrorists. Bobby Sands was considered a martyr by the IRA and republican sympathisers, and still is.



Finally, we visited an area known as the "International Wall". This is an area showing many murals and paintings depicting international "struggles" similar to those in Northern Ireland, as believed by the Republican movement. There are scenes depicting Palestine / Gaza, the Basque struggle with Spain and the recent "Holy Cross" school incident in 2001. Although, one painting (the Picasso like one), was actually a collaboration between a Republican and a Loyalist artist - a sign that things are starting to change maybe? The paintings here are primarily republican though:







All in all, a very sobering, often surreal, but ultimately entertaining and informative tour - and I would highly recommend it to anybody with the good fortune to visit Belfast in the future. It's a truly wonderful city that has endured just about the worst of human nature, and survived and thrived regardless.

[Chako]

I enjoyed that tremendously DaveK.

Reminds me of a song from one of my favorite Irish groups, the Dubliners.

It is called The Patriot Game.



It is interesting to note that another group that was from Northern Ireland and made it to Canada back in the 60s, The Irish Rovers, stayed well away from the tear up of their homeland.

However, the only political reference they did make was a sort of upbeat satirical song called The Orange and The Green.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

It's all really rather depressing isn't it

Hopefully they'll have a brighter future though

[DaveK]

It's all really rather depressing isn't it

Strangely not. People seem to simply acknowledge things for what they are, and of course the virtual disappearance of the terrorism is itself a great thing.

The city is changing fast, with huge building programs underway. I've never seen so many cranes, and the skyline is changing almost daily. The impression I got from the young lads we're hiring wa sthat it's an exciting place to be.

Very uplifting actually.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I'm very pleased to hear it

[DaveK]

I enjoyed that tremendously DaveK.

Reminds me of a song from one of my favorite Irish groups, the Dubliners.

Since I was very young, I've been a fan of Stiff Little Fingers - a Belfast band. They had a knack of referring to the troubles, without showing any allegiances or sympathy to either cause.

This track (Each Dollar a Bullet), typifies their stance:

Oh it must be so romantic
When the fighting's over there
And they're passing round the shamrock
And you're all filled up with tears
"For the love of dear old Ireland"
That you've never even seen
You throw in twenty dollars
And sing "Wearing of the Green

[Chorus:]
Each dollar a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And Americans kill Irishmen
As surely
As if they fired the gun

Now you've never stood on
Belfast's streets
And heard the bombs explode
Or hid beneath the blankets
When there's riots down the road
No you've never had your
best friend die
Or lost a favorite son
But you'll stand there and tell us
Just what we're doing wrong

Each false word a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And Englishmen kill Irishmen
As surely
As if they fired the gun

From the minute that
you're born you're told
To hate the other side
"They're not like us,
they're not the same
We know because we're right"
But can't you see we're all the same
There is no right and wrong
Why can't we stop and realize
Just what we're doing wrong
We've hated too much too long

Each old lie a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And Irishmen kill Irishmen
As surely
As if they fired the gun

How can you convince yourself
That what you do is right?
When people are dying there
Night after night
Don't you ever wonder
Why it still goes on?
The hopes and fears and all the tears
Are buried in your ground
Buried in your ground

Each rumour a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And careless talk kills Irishmen
As surely
As if words fired the gun

Well it's lasted for so long now
And so many have died
It's such a part of my own life
Yet it leaves me mystified
How a people so intelligent
Friendly, kind and brave
Can throw themselves so willingly
Into an open grave

Each new day a bullet
Each victim someone's son
And ignorance kills Irishmen
As surely
As if we fired the gun

Embedding is disabled - but here's a youtube video of it

This song points out the role of Americans, the British and the Irish in fuelling rather than helping to resolve the violence. Food for thought.

[DaveK]

Oh - here's a live version though. Brings back memories

[youtube]
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[Chako]

Thanks for the link.

Happy to hear there is an upbeat feel to the area.

[J-sews]

Thanks for the link.

Happy to hear there is an upbeat feel to the area.

Me too, as I was not aware of the positive outlook. Good to hear indeed!

Thanks for sharing your trip Dave.

[Gareth]

My brother-in-law now lives there (he married a local lass) and I've been over a couple of times although I've never taken the cab tour.  Despite the recent history it really is a nice city, as Dave says lots of new building works going on and generally quite an up-beat feel to the place.  Large parts are happily mixed areas although as Dave says there are still self segregated areas as well.

It feels a world away from the news stories from my youth of yet another bomb blowing up yet more innocent bystanders.

[prime77]

Thank you for the write up. I found it very interesting.

[cerbera147]

Great pictures Dave 

I live just outside of Belfast and while I have never done the official tour I am frequently up and down the streets you photographed. Some of the murals are absolutely amazing, complete works of art. Most towns across the country will have murals of some kind depending on their political affiliations and talent.

However as life gets better the murals are becoming less political like this one of George Best.


Excellent photos; I have some interesting ones of our annual bonfire season. I hope you enjoy many more visits to Belfast 

[M.TEX]

Ireland is one place I would like to visit....



Some people think they suck....I don't ! 

and they also have Guiness too  and the REDHEADS girls... 

[DaveK]

I hope you enjoy many more visits to Belfast 

I'm sure I will - thanks 

I'd quite like to arrange some time to visit the town I was born in too (Newtownards). All my life I've seen this place mentioned on my Birth Certificate, Driving Licence and Passport - but I've not been there since I was a few months old!

Ireland is one place I would like to visit....

North or South - it's a very beautiful island, and some of the friendliest people you are ever likely to meet.

Shame about U2 though 

Good bands from the Emerald Isle would be:

Stiff Little Fingers
Boomtown Rats
The Undertones
Cranberries
Thin Lizzy

[MultiMat]

Great shots Dave  .Thanks very much for sharing 
My wife & I had planned to go to Ireland at the end of my graduate year but instead had parenthood unexpectedly thrust upon us  .
I have an Irish heritage & was born on St Pat's day(my grand father took months to forgive my parents for not calling me Pat ) , I would love to be in Ireland on St Pat's at least once in my life .

"will know of the relationship between the cabbies and the paramilitaries during the 70s and 80s"

Dave could you enlighten me please.

[AHB]

Great shots and very interesting to read...
Must have been quite an experience.. 

[DaveK]

Cheers Allan

"will know of the relationship between the cabbies and the paramilitaries during the 70s and 80s"

Dave could you enlighten me please.

As much as my limited knowledge will allow - sure

At the height of the troubles, the paramilitaries operated a bit like the 1920s Chicago and New York "protection rackets", so it was common for businesses to have to pay for protection, which went a long way to funding the terrorism. The cabbies were obviously included, but there are also stories of sympathetic cabbies providing transport for bombers etc. It makes sense I guess - who would make a better getaway driver than these guys? I would think you'd need some kind of advantage to operate with troops on the streets, and the cabs would know all the short cuts and provide good cover.

In return, cabbies had their "turf" protected by gun men, so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, although I'm sure many would have preferred to "opt out".

In this picture, you can see a mural with "WBTA" at the top? That is an ad for a Taxi company that now also does the tours, but they are Republican (and IRA) sympathisers! When was the last time you saw an ad for a taxi company with armed gunmen on their advertising?



In fact - I just saw that they have a website, with their own small images gallery.

http://www.taxitrax.com/imageGalleryFeedback.aspx

[MultiMat]

Thanks Dave  . That is very interesting.