Northern Ireland - Belfast- Jeph

These are just a handful of photo's I took from Belfast when I was there. I have a lot more but I don't think everyone wants to see all of them. I think this gives you a good idea of what it looks like there. Forgive me if things are out of order or messed up. I'm not exactly keen on how blogger works.

Also, I have some other pretty interesting photos from Derry, where Bloody Sunday occurred, if anyone is interested. It gives another perspective of the politics of Northern Ireland.

This is a large "H" (obviously) in remembrance of the H-block prison hunger strikers that died in the early 80's.
The H-Block prison is a very fascinating and tragic story. Basically these men died because they refused to be referred to as criminals. They wanted to be called "Prisoners of War" and thus given basic rights of a P.O.W. because to them, they were fighting what they considered an illegally occupying government.
Margaret Thatcher let ten of them die of hunger strikes (the two in the middle died in the h-blocks at an earlier time but I'm not sure of what but they weren't hunger strikers).

Another mural dedicated to the ten who died of hunger strikes.
At the top..."SAOIRSE"...Irish for "Freedom"

A mural condemning the H-Block prison. The wanted poster shows portrait of Margaret Thatcher.
The following sign says "Welcome to Falls Road" in Irish Gaelic.
It must be noted that painting murals is illegal in Belfast. There are far less murals in the Catholic neighborhoods than in the Protestant Neighborhoods and that could be due to the fact that until recent times, the police and the government was over 90% protestant.
Notice the high steel fence.

I thought this was interesting. There were a lot of murals on Falls Road that had nothing to do with the politics of Belfast but this one, I thought, was very interesting.

This is the most famous mural on the side of the Sinn Fein building. It is a quote from Bobby Sands, the first of the ten hunger strike victims to die. He was elected to office while he was in prison and while he was on his hunger strike, which showed the political power of this movement.


Sinn Fein headquarters on Falls Road. I wasn't lucky enough to go inside because they just closed. I am definitely a supporter of Sinn Fein, which is Irish Gaelic for "Ourselves." Thus, denoting that they wished to be separate and independent from Great Britain.
Sinn Fein Headquarters. Notice the Irish Flag. It's illegal to fly the Irish flag in Northern Ireland but they get away with it here.

These are some of the Shankill Road Murals, a Protestant Neighborhood. Note the emphasis on hooded paramilitary. We so often see the IRA as hooded terrorist by the media and we don't often see the other side. People don't realize that there is another side. This is that other side.




UVF - Ulster Volunteer Force. The UVF would be the Protestant equivalent of the IRA.
Here are some up close views of the steel walls and fences that separate the neighborhoods.


Some graffiti. Taigs = durogatory term for Catholic.
"Up the pope smokers"
This is me standing in front of the steel gate that kept us from getting to our car. Our car was just on the other side of this gate. We had to walk five miles to find a way out of the Shankill road area and back to Falls Road.

I thought this was a little sad and ironic. A Registered Day Nursery surrounded by the steel walls and metal fences. I'm not sure I would want my child staying there.

This is the other side of the gate where our car was parked. The gate was open when we left.