Belfast was an experience of a lifetime. I was aware of the political and religious tension, however knowing something and understanding a situation are two completely different things, seeing Belfast taught me that.
We started our journey at the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge; the 20-meter bridge was wobbly and unstable but gave an incredible vantage point to see implausible shades of blue and green surrounding every direction as far as I could see. The salty fresh air and puffy grass was the perfect way to start the weekend. We heard from a local in Belfast a tale of the Carrick-a-Rede bridge, he told the tale of the village of fisherman who lived on the island and when Vikings would try to raid and steal from the people, they would pull a bridge away, isolating themselves and their possessions on the smaller island. While I can’t find any tales on Google repeating this saga I have learned that these clever Irish men have a knack for narrating great myths of Ireland.
After the bridge we headed to the Dunluce castle, which was built in the 1500s. It was the center of power for their Gaelic lordship at the time. We explored the grounds and found a ‘no entrance’ cave under the castle, we entered. We climbed down and found ourselves right next to the waters edge deep within the cave.
Our final destination for the day was the Giant’s Causeway. It is a result of an ancient volcanic eruption causing 40,000 basalt columns interlocking and making an unusual and uniquely beautiful sight. Personally I prefer the legend of the Irish Giant causing the Causeway but that might just be my soft spot for the great Irish storytelling once again.
After walking around on the slippery causeway rocks we saw a mountain in the distance, we decided it would be cool to hike. We trekked up the face of the mountain, which was muddy, and slick. Alex and I were holding our cameras with one hand and scaling the mountain with the other. 30 minutes later, fatigued and tuckered out, we finally reached the top only to realize there was a much less painful route we could have taken. Then again what fun would that have been? We sat at the top of the mountain speechless, we bounced around on the spongy grass doing cartwheels and handstands, we rolled down the hill and played, blissfully laughing, but taking in every incredibly fresh breath. We were parallel with the sun and had a cool view of a waterfall on one end and crashing waves on the other.
The next day we were all feeling the effects of a local pub from the night before called ‘Filthy McNasty’s’ – quite a classy joint. We ate a classic Irish breakfast at the hotel and headed out for our tour of Belfast. I am still in shock with the religious and political friction; it is absolutely mind blowing the things I was completely oblivious to prior to this day and it still astounds me. The most recent conflicts, which they refer to, as ‘The Troubles’ is primarily a political one but the root of the issues, are also religious. Protestants want Northern Ireland to remain within the UK and the Irish nationalists who are Catholics want Northern Ireland to leave the UK and join a united Ireland. In the USA we heard that there was a peace treaty and we assumed that it was the end of conflict in Ireland, but that is not the case. To this day, peace walls are continued to be built. The wall itself is three times taller than the Berlin wall and there are fences built ontop of the walls and on houses surrounding the walls so that objects flying over them don’t shatter windows. Each side of the wall had murals of the fallen. One picture that will remain in my mind is on the Catholic side (IRA). A boy had died, he was a leader who was about my age. Other murals on both sides had soldiers in masks pointing guns. This was the first time in my life I realized that my freedom of religion is not a given and I am fortunate to have a say in my beliefs and be able to speak freely without fear. I asked what would happen if a Protestant moved into a house on the Catholic side of the wall, I was told that the family would have their house burned down. The peace walls that divided the two sides and the troubles have been the most eye opening experience I have had. I saw raw hatred and people believing in something so strongly, stronger than I have ever felt for anything.
Belfast is a remarkable place filled with beautiful sights and intriguing people. It is the most unique place I’ve traveled to yet and I hope to go back one day to see a community that is more united and at peace. I believe that one day Belfast will be a place known for its beauty and not for its turmoil.
