Day 8 - 3/15

We began the day by taking a short walk to meet our first of two tour guides. The first tour offered a Nationalist perspective on the conflicts of Northern Ireland. Our tour guide was a Nationalist who was sentenced to 3 consecutive life sentences, but only served 14. He led us around Belfast, pointing out specific murals and landmarks that hold significance to the conflicts between Unionists and Nationalists in Northern Ireland. 

Our first stop was at the mural of The Pogram Of August in 1969, in which two people, a 5 year old boy and a British soldier, were gunned down in their homes from a random barrage of bullets. The British military shot at random throughout the neighborhood, not caring who or what they hit. The mural is in remembrance of the little boy and young man who were killed on August 15th.

Afterwards, we visited The Garden Of Remembrance, a monument that recognizes and honors the soldiers of the Irish Republican Army who lost their lives during the Troubles. The monument also recognizes civilians and prisoners who lived in the area. We also saw the mural of Bobby Sands, a member of the IRA who lost his life while on hunger strike. 

After our first tour, we crossed the gates that separated the Belfast communities and met our second tour guide, who offered a Unionist perspective on the Troubles, as well as modern day issues. He told us that the gates that separate the communities close every night at 7 pm and open again at 7 the next morning. He brought us to different locations around Belfast and gave some brief history about each landmark. He told us that there were  45 “peace walls” around Belfast that separate the Nationalist area from the Unionist area. We went to one of the walls and each person got to sign their names on the wall. 

We ended the tour at the memorial garden outside the Hugh Smyth Centre, which commemorates the veterans and victims of war. Our tour guide mentioned that he had served 15 years in prison for being a member of the Unionist party. Despite his individual beliefs, he says the tension between the communities will only make things worse. Our tour guide emphasized his support for integration of the Unionist and Nationalist communities, striving for change and real peace.

We had a quick lunch at a restaurant down the road from the next tour. We sat and ate our food before hurrying to the James Connolly Visitor Center. At the center we learned about IRA member James Connolly, who was a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Our tour guide walked us through the experience, informing us of Connolly’s life, legacy, and influence on Ireland, as well as the rest of the world. We learned that Connolly traveled to New York and helped organize The Industrial Workers of the World. We got to see many different artifacts and learned about their significance to both Connolly and the history of Ireland.

Our tour guide told us how Connolly was injured during the Easter Rising of 1916, and after being brought to Kilmainham Gaol, was tied to a chair and executed. His death sparked immense support for the IRA. After walking through the experience, our tour guide told us how he has served 21 years in prison for being a member of the Nationalist party. He told us he opened the center in order to carry on Connolly’s legacy for years to come. Overall, it was a very interesting experience to learn about the past of the Unionist and Nationalist parties from people who were actually involved in the conflicts.

- Luke, Garrett, Jay, Nathan