Michelle: "The Troubles" area in N. Ireland

The Republic of Ireland (also known simply as Ireland) covers five sixths of the island, with Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom, covering the remainder in the northeast. Ireland is subdivided into four provinces: Ulster, Connacht, Leinster, and Munster.

For many years Northern Ireland has been the site of a violent and bitter ethno-political conflict between those claiming to represent Nationalists, who are predominantly Catholic, and those claiming to represent Unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. The Nationalists want Northern Ireland to be unified with the Republic of Ireland, and Unionists (majority) want it to remain part of the United Kingdom.

The campaigns of violence have become known popularly as “The Troubles”. The Troubles consisted of about 86 years of repeated acts of intense violence. Ireland was partitioned in 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. Six of the nine Ulster counties in the northeast formed Northern Ireland.

The years 1970–72 saw an explosion of political violence in Northern Ireland, peaking in the year 1972, when nearly 500 people lost their lives. There are several reasons why violence escalated in these years. Unionists believe the main reason was the formation of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), a break-away from the older IRA. While the older IRA (the remnants of which became known as the Official IRA) had embraced non-violent civil agitation, the new Provisional IRA was determined to wage "armed struggle" against British rule in Northern Ireland. The new IRA was willing to take on a sectarian character as "defenders of the Catholic community", rather than seeking working-class unity across both communities which had become the aim of the "Officials". Unionists see this ongoing campaign as the main cause and sustaining element of the Troubles.

Nationalists argued that the upsurge in violence was caused by the disappointment of the hopes engendered by the civil rights movement and the repression subsequently directed at their community. They point to a number of events in these years to support this opinion. One such incident was the Falls Curfew in July 1970, when 3,000 troops imposed a curfew on the nationalist Lower Falls area of Belfast, firing more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition in gun battles with the IRA and killing four people. Another was the 1971 introduction of confinement without trial. Moreover, due to poor intelligence, very few of those confined were actually republican activists. But some went on to become republicans as a result of their unfortunate experiences. Between 1971 and 1975, 1,981 people were detained; 1,874 were Catholic/republican, while 107 were Protestant/loyalist. There were widespread allegations from the nationalist community of abuse and even torture of detainees. Most emotionally of all, nationalists also point to the fatal shootings of 14 apparently unarmed nationalist demonstrators by the British Army in Derry in January 1972 on what became known as Bloody Sunday.

The Belfast Peace Wall - this part of the wall is seperating the nationalist Springfield road area from the unionist Shankill road. Originally few in number, they have multiplied over the years, from around 20 in the early 1990's to 40 today. In total they stretch over 13 miles. The barriers themselves consist of iron, brick, and steel walls up to 25 feet high, topped with metal netting, or simply a white line painted on the ground similar to a road marking. Some have gates in them occasionally manned by police, which allow passage by day, and which are closed at night. Any visitor is free to write their own message on the wall. Our taxi cab tour guide gave us all crayons and markers. I, myself, wrote a personal message.

From our tour, it is clear from the fences separating Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods, the graffiti, and the murals, that the Troubles are not far behind.

It was also clear that as occupied people, they have a very negative view of the US actions in Iraq. Before we approched this particular mural, our party was aked our thoughts on current President Bush. I found out later that my fellow classmates were also asked by their own taxi guide.

The print under Bush calls him "America's Greatest Failure".

The print on the right are partial lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner... "And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there"... as a torn American flag waves over human skeletons.

On we went to seeing the murals in the troubled areas, the main purpose of the tour. The writing on the lower left of this mural reads as follows: "CATHOLICISM IS MORE THAN A RELIGION IT IS A POLITICAL POWER THEREFORE IM LED TO BELIEVE THERE WILL BE NO PEACE IN IRELAND UNTIL THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS CRUSHED. OLIVER

Oliver Cromwell was best know as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland who wanted to eliminate Christianity. In general, he saw Irish Catholics as enemies.

Bobby Sands was a Provisional Irish Republican Army Volunteer who had been arrested for possession of firearms.
He was the leader of the 1981 Hunger Strike, in which Irish Republican prisoners were seeking to regain status as political prisioners, and had been elected as a Member of the United Kingdom Parliament. He died from starvation in the prison hospital after 66 days of hunger-striking, age 27.

No matter what angle you are from the above mural, the man with the gun in the center seems to follow you and looks only at you.