Day 28 - August 8, 2022 - Belfast, Northern Ireland

 We woke to a beautiful day in Belfast, North Ireland.  

We left on a walking tour of the downtown Belfast area.  It is quite different from the cities and towns we have visited in Scotland, but there are many beautiful buildings.

This statue is in the Titanic Memorial Garden.

The famous Crown Saloon in Belfast.

The City Hall Building.  Completed in 1906, it is a beautiful building inside and out.

After returning to the ship for lunch, we set off in small groups for a "Black Cab" political murals and peace line tour.

Our driver, Emanuel, asked that I not post his photo, but this was the cab for the four of us.

Emanuel, who is 67, was an IRA fighter who served two prison sentences.  He related his experiences both in and out of prison.  

Our tour lasted 2.5 hours and was extremely interesting.  It is not possible to even begin to relate all that was explained to us.  Emanuel made it clear that this was from his perspective only, but it certainly made the Irish struggle to split from the UK  real.

After we returned to the ship, we had a additional hour of discussion from two other former prisoners from the '70's "Troubles".  Matthew, who was an IRA member who served 18 years for murder and Robert a Loyal who served over 20 years for murder.  Their contrasting views on the Troubles was interesting as was the fact that despite their differences, they were both now striving for a peaceful solution.  I am not sure how realistic that is.

It was a long, interesting and tiring day.  I do wish I could explain more and better of the split between Ireland and North Ireland, but suffice it to say, it is not a religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant, like we have been led to believe through history and news.  It is much deeper and is more of a cultural rife than religious.

Tomorrow is another day...