Though our trip started off with a rocky start (a broken bus and an… interesting bus driver) the entire day trip was educational and provided a whole new perspective to our visit. The entire semester, we had been learning about the Troubles, and we got to see the site of many of the tragedies we learned about.
Something I noticed immediately while still on the bus was the sudden switch when entering Northern Ireland. I started seeing Union flags everywhere. The difference became more apparent when walking around the city and neighborhoods. I think what was the weirdest adjustment from Dublin is the lack of the Irish language. In Dublin and the rest of the Republic of Ireland, Irish preceded all English on street signs. In Belfast, Irish was either second or not present at all.
I also noticed a difference in transit. Dublin seemed more bus-heavy while Belfast felt more like for cars or walking. Professor Gilmartin walked us through different memorials and sites of violence where you could see bullet holes in buildings. There was such a stark difference in memorials from location to location as well. One of things that stuck out to me was Checkpoint Charlie, a gate between communities. It is near the wall separating communities and still closes around nine pm every single night. While it is still possible to get over to the other side after that time, it is a long way around. I find it kind of unnerving how there are still systems still in practice like that from Troubles times.
On a lighter note, we went to St. Georges Market and I finally was able to purchase a nice Irish cap, something I’ve wanted for years.
I think the thing I learned while exploring Belfast is although it is not like it was during the Troubles, the remnants of that time still linger rather prominently. It is incredibly complicated and truly difficult to distinguish things such as reunification of Ireland when in areas such as Belfast.