Going Up the Falls

The Falls Road has become iconic of the turmoil that tore Northern Ireland apart in the latter half of the Twentieth Century. A staunchly catholic neighbourhood in West Belfast, the Falls witnessed some of the worst violence during The Troubles, and even today is viewed as a no-go area by some of Belfast's Protestants. One former U.D.R man I talked to even mentioned that the last time he went up the Falls he was in the back of an armoured car!

 The Falls Road

 Mural on the Falls Road

 Anti-British Grafitti on the Falls Road

I.R.A Mural on the Falls Road

The way up the Falls is guarded by the imposing Divis Tower, a 200 foot tall monolith, which essentially acts as the neighbourhood's very own Rock of Gibraltar. During the height of The Troubles, Divis Tower acted as a "spy tower" for the British Army, and army snipers at the top of the tower scoured the skyline for potential targets. The British no longer occupy Divis Tower, this is clearly evidenced by the green, white, and orange tricolours and Palestinian flags hanging from some of the windows.

 Divis Tower

Flags Flying from the Divis Tower

As I continued up the Falls I passed a large and ornate Republican memorial, with gold letters in both English and Gaelic. Gaelic, although only spoken by around 6% of the population of Northern Ireland, is actually used in many places along the Falls Road. Banners above bars and political offices urged locals to study the Irish language, and street signs were written in Gaelic instead of English. Just past the memorial was West Belfast's International Wall. On this wall are a huge variety of Republican murals, with themes that range from: supporting revolutionary movements in Africa and the Basque country, decrying injustices done by the P.S.N.I, and calling for the people to "smash Stormont" and end British rule on the island of Ireland. Some of these murals were dated as late as 2015, and I'd never expected to see such an openly hostile attitude towards the government from such a short time ago.

 Republican Memorial 

 Banner Supporting Use of the Irish Language

 Falls Road's International Wall

 Memorial to Deceased Republican Fighters

 Mural Supporting A.N.C in South Africa

Anti-British Mural

In front of a wall was an even more visible symbol of continued Republican resistance. some 30-40 locals had gathered in the street, and we're protesting "British Internment in Ireland." They were actually stopping traffic and handing out fliers to the drivers of passing cars. I noticed that the protesters were wearing little Easter Lilies on their shirts, a symbol of remembrance to Republicans killed during the struggle against British forces. The messages on their signs could be seen hanging above several other buildings along the Falls, showing that even now there is still the belief that Republican prisoners are mistreated by prison officers in Northern Ireland.

 Republican Protesters

Republican Protesters

I've Attached a Link to the Protester's Website

Posters and fliers calling on people to come to anniversary marches and events were scattered on walls and doors throughout the neighbourhood, and the upcoming 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin seems to be an event that will be celebrated all over the catholic areas of Belfast. I'm planning to go to one of these marches in order to see how the Republicans commemorate such a historic event.

Sign for Easter March 

Socialist Gathering Fliers

The catholic Falls Road is clearly very openly political, and this has caused a significant amount of tension with the neighbouring Shankill Road, a largely Protestant area with runs parallel with the Falls. In order to prevent any confrontation between the two groups, a huge steel wall was constructed between the two areas. This is called the "Peace Line", and it's the most famous dividing wall in Belfast. You can still travel between the Falls and the Shankill in the daytime by passing through a set of imposing steel gates, which are locked at night. In all honestly, the border between the Shankill Road and the Falls Road is probably more secure than the border between France and Italy.

 Peace Line

 Border Between the Falls Road and Shankill Road

Sign on Gate at Border

Now a short news update. The prison officer who was injured in the bombing two weeks ago has tragically passed away. Northern Ireland mourns the death of the man described by friends as "a gentle giant." I traveled to the blast site the day after the bomb went off to see if people in that area were acting any differently because of the blast. To my surprise the street was busy and full of folks going about their daily tasks. However, while the man on the street might not seem too concerned, the newspapers have reacted vigorously to the brutal attack. Almost everyday the newspapers have had lead with a dramatic story about the I.R.A, some even claiming that Ulster now finds itself on the brink of war. While the situation on the ground is not as dramatic as the papers have described, it is clear that the people of Northern Ireland don't seem to have the stomach for violence anymore.

 Site of the Bombing on Friday (Above) and Saturday (Below)

Many Newspapers have been Running Headlines about the I.R.A in Recent Days

I've also started taking surveys of the population, but I don't intend to release the results until I've finished getting at least the minimum number of surveys I intend to take. Now I've managed to score four interview over this past week, all of which are extremely exciting. I've talked to an ex-I.R.A fighter, a former policeman, a soldier's wife, and a museum curator. I was initially going to include them in this blog post, but decided that it would be best to make a unique post just for them, so that I don't gloss them over. This blog post will come to you very soon. I'm hoping to bring you more interviews in the coming weeks, and will continue to update you all on the evolving situation in Northern Ireland.

Until next week,
Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn