Northern Ireland

Hi again!

This past weekend my program hopped on a bus and headed North for the weekend on an organized trip focused on politics, the juxtaposition of the British north, and of course, the beautiful sites. Ireland is made up of 32 counties, 6 of which are a part of Northern Ireland: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. The four provinces of Ireland consist of Leinster, Munster, and Connacht, and Ulster which makes up the northern province. Ulster consists of counties that lie within the Republic of Ireland and those that lie in Northern Ireland (the UK) but typically when one speaks of  Ulster, he is referring to the 6 counties belonging to the UK.

The only way we could tell we were crossing the border into Northern Ireland was a change in the road lines and a change in road signs into full English with MPH rather than KM. There is no physical border denoting the cross into a new country, and as you can imagine, the scenery looks exactly the same. The only noticeable differences between the two countries are the strong influences of political propaganda, and the British accents and flags but the land itself still feels Irish.

Friday morning, we arrived in Belfast and headed to the Lodge of the Orange Order, named after William of Orange. The Order is a fraternal society, predominately Protestant, with strong Unionist ties. There, we heard about some history and the present day role of the Order in Northern Ireland and around the world. The man there explained that he feels British down to his bones and that he feels no ties whatsoever to Ireland. After spending some time at the Lodge, we left to take a bus tour of Belfast city. The city center was beautiful with large decorative buildings, and a festive Christmas market full of delicious food (I got perogi and Bailey's hot chocolate). The tour of the city was fascinating. The tension between Catholics and Protestants as well Unionists/Loyalists and Nationalists. There are vibrant political murals everywhere with very blunt messages on every street corner. Part of the city is still divided by a wall designating the Catholic side from the Protestant side. It was shocking to see the reality of the situation that still plagues the city today.

Political Murals

After our bus tour, we head to Stormont to see the Parliament building. Northern Ireland has its own representative parliament that meets to decide on those issues that are not decided for them at Westminster such as roads, education, and taxes. Inside Parliament, we were able to sit in two of the rooms where meetings and debates are held. It was fascinating to hear how the system works. That night we stayed at the Jury's Inn in Belfast city. I was so exhausted by the end of the long day that I think I had the soundest sleep since I've gotten to Ireland!

Saturday morning, we headed out on a long journey to the Carrick-a-Rede bridge in Co. Antrim. There was about a 15 minute walk through the hills to the rope bridge where you have to descend a steep set of stairs down to the wood and rope bridge that hangs 100 feet over the sea below. The bridge connects the mainland to a small island previously used by fishermen. On the mainland side there is an opening to a volcano that lays dormant beneath the sea. The 25ish foot walk across the bridge was extremely frightening as my friends before me walked across shaking the bridge back and forth! Nonetheless, we all made it across and took some great photos! Once back on the bus, we headed further on to the Giant's Causeway, a naturally formed volcanic rock formation on the edge of the ocean. The rocks have formed, over time, into these tall octagonal tube-like columns that stick up from the sea. It looks similar to a jetty but it is hard to believe that these are not man-made rocks. Legend has it that the formations were created by giants in order to cross the ocean, hence the name, "giant's causeway." Surrounding the rocks are enormous cliffs and caves told to be the home of the giant, Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn MacCool).

The cliffs of Co. Antrim

Crossing the bridge!

The Giant's Causeway

The columns

The most gorgeous sunset

The next morning, we set out for a tour of the city of Derry/Londonderry. The city was dark and grey and covered with dark political murals. Later in the day, we visited the Bloody Sunday museum where we read about the tragedy the victims, families, and Ireland as a whole faced. It was deeply saddening to think this event happened so recently in the country's history. The many letters and photos on display were very shocking and I think we were all surprised to see how extreme the violence really became.

The weekend overall was a huge learning experience. I definitely didn't expect that the reality of political propaganda would be so in-your-face at this point in time. However, the issues and debates are still very much alive today. It's hard to believe that crossing the invisible border brings a world of changes.