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

Working at the Museum

Hey everyone,

So today we're going to be taking a short break from the actual topic of my project to briefly discuss where I've been interning over the last two weeks.

The Royal Ulster Rifles Museum, located near the City Centre, charts the history of the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment of the British Army. Starting with the regiments origins in 1783, when the 83rd and 86th Regiments of the Foot were raised in preparation for war with France, to the jungle patrols in Borneo during the mid 1960s; the Regiment has played a crucial role in some of the British Empire's finest moments.

One of the most amazing things about the museum is the sheer amount of artifacts that are stored here. Flags from 1810, rifles from 1898, letters from 1916, the museum has an artifact to correspond with every event in the Regiment's proud history. In addition to the artifacts, the museum has all the written records of the regiment dating back to the late 18th century. Reading these gives you a fascinating contemporary view of some of the most famous battles and campaigns in British Army history.

 Boer Rifles from the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902)

 Captured German Pickelhaube from the First World War

 Original Flag of the 86th Regiment Dating to the Early 19th Century 

Some of the Hundreds of the Books on the Regimental History in the Museum

Now one thing that is worth note is that the Regiment has always been totally non-sectarian. Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics both served side by side, and there was practically no animosity between the two groups.

When I got here the museum was closed, they had just repainted all the walls and they had to work on putting all of the displays back in place.This gave me a really exciting opportunity, because I was allowed to hold all of the old rifles and equipment that the regiment used in the 19th and 20th century.

 Muskets and Rifles Dating from the Early to Mid 19th Century

 German Equipment Captured by the Regiment in World War II

Me With a Lee Enfield Model III, Standard Issue of British and Commonwealth Forces in World War I

The museum re-opened on 2 March, and since then we've had a steady stream of visitors, including members of the BBC who have come to do research for an upcoming documentary on the First World War. So far working here has been very exciting, and if any of you ever visit Belfast I'd definitely recommend visiting! The staff are all well-informed and have great senses of humour and admission is free, what more could you ask for?

Now, back to the actual topic of my research. This morning a bomb went off in the car of a prison officer in East Belfast, he survived and is believed to be in stable condition, but this is just one example of many attacks on prison officer that have occurred in the region over the last 20 years. The PSNI have stated that they fear that there will be an increase of dissident republican activity during the lead up to the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising in late April, and believe that more attacks like this are a possibility. The attack has been condemned by politicians and people in both the Protestant and Catholic communities, and most people are totally against violence. However, while everybody I've talked to only wants peace in Northern Ireland, attacks like this show that there is still a minority who believe in armed resistance. I'll provide a link to a BBC article about the attack below, and provide you more information when it becomes available. 

BBC Link

Additionally I've already completed three interviews, and will give you the first set of interviews in my next update.

Until next time,

Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn

A Walk Through Sandy Row and "The Village"

I fulfilled my promise of exploring some of the working class neighbourhoods a few days ago, walking through Sandy Row and along the nearby Donegall Road. Fun fact about the Donegall Road, it was nicknamed "The Village" by American soldiers stationed in Belfast during the Second World War, and the name is still in popular use to this day.

 The second you walk into either of these areas you'll notice their clear allegiances to the Unionist cause. Not only are Union flags or Ulster Banners hanging from the top of almost every lamppost, but the curbstones on the streets and the bottom of the lampposts are painted red, white, and blue; the colours of the British Flag.

 Union Flag in Sandy Row

 Houses in Sandy Row

 Union Flag on Donegall Road

 Painted Curbs on Donegall Road

Painted Lamppost in Sandy Row

 Another thing that catches the eye is the amount of graffiti sprayed on the walls. I mentioned earlier that graffiti seems to be a norm in Belfast, but unlike in the city centre, much of the graffiti in these two neighbourhoods is related to the U.D.A or U.V.F; both Loyalist paramilitary organizations which have been active in Northern Ireland from the beginning of The Troubles. I even saw a well kept memorial to U.D.A fighters who had been killed during the Troubles among some of the houses in Sandy Row, which might show that there is still sympathy towards these groups. However, even with all this material that seems to support the paramilitaries, there was a huge mural in "The Village" which expressed its support for the peace process in the 1990s.

U.D.A Graffiti in Sandy Row 

Anti-Police Graffiti in Sandy Row

 U.D.A Mural in Sandy Row

 U.D.A Mural in Sandy Row

U.D.A Memorial in Sandy Row

 Pro-Peace Memorial on Donegall Road

U.V.F Artwork on Donegall Road, Opposite the Peace Mural

 I've not had a chance to speak with anyone in these areas about my topic yet, but they seemed friendly and I hope to interview some in the coming days. I noticed the office of a local Ulster Unionist Party politician in Sandy Row, and I will go in to see if he'll be willing to talk to me about how The Troubles has influenced his constituency. One of the things I need to find out is if the graffiti is new or if it's still left over from The Troubles, because obviously if it is new then that would show that members of the community still support the paramilitaries, but if it's old then it may not be a symbol of support but a relic of the past.

U.D.A Graffiti on Donegall Road

 Anti-Republican Graffiti in Sandy Row

Sandy Row and the Donegall Road don't only have murals related to The Troubles, and it would be dishonest for me to act as if the only murals in these neigbourhoods are ones about the Troubles. Belfast had the world's largest shipyard at the beginning of the 20th century, and many of the great ocean liners of the time were built by men coming out of areas like Sandy Row. Another pivotal moment in the history of Northern Ireland was the Battle of the Somme during the First World War. The 36th Ulster Division took very heavy casualties in the battle, which is approaching its 100th anniversary this year. Both of these events are commemorated with huge murals in "The Village."

Mural to the Battle of the Somme, on Donegall Road

So far I've only been able to visit Protestant neighbourhoods in Belfast, but this is a trend that will not last. I will head out to the Catholic neighbourhoods as soon as possible, so that I can give you all an introduction to the Republican side. The first of my promised interviews are in the works, and I should be able to give you some of them soon.

Till next time!

-Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn

Day One in Belfast

One of the most noticeable aspects of Belfast is the myriad of scribbles and drawings on the walls. Graffiti is everywhere here, I even saw one building, several stories tall, that had something written on every single window. Even in the city centre, where I spent most of my day, it seems as if little is being done to remove graffiti.

Belfast's city centre is vibrant and modern now; stores like H&M, the Disney Store, and Starbucks are located alongside 19th century churches and cathedrals, creating a strange hybrid of new and old. During the violence of the Troubles, the city centre was sealed off by a steel wall, and it could only be entered through well guarded gates. This is no longer the case. The wall is gone and there is almost nothing to suggest that there is any sort of sectarianism  at all in this part of town. 

Belfast City Centre 1973 (Photo Credits to the National Army Museum, London)

Belfast City Centre Today

One of the biggest attractions here is St. George's Market, a huge indoor bazaar where you can buy anything from fresh crabs to binoculars from the 1940s. Hundreds of people were spending their Sunday afternoon browsing the stalls and listening to the music being played by a local band. I managed to get a video of one of their songs. (Sorry it was too large to upload to the blog, but here is a youtube link)

Music at St. George's Market

 A Meat Shop in St. George's Market

A Local Prepares Northern Irish Cuisine for a Customer

However, even with all this progress there are reminders of the city's dark past. Armoured police Land Rovers drove into and out of the police station at Musgrave, and I saw writing on a lamp post by St. George's which seemed to support the I.R.A's bombing of Manchester in 1996. 

An Armoured Police Land Rover

Pro-IRA graffiti?

While the city centre now seems no different to that of any other Western European city, if you walk a few streets out of it the sectarian allegiances become much more visible. I took a wrong turn by my apartment and found myself on the outskirts of Sandy Row, a staunchly Protestant, Loyalist, working class neighbourhood that has been associated with the Ulster Defence Association (U.D.A), and the very conservative Orange Order, for quite some time. The difference between the city centre and Sandy Row is night and day, and I can only imagine that many of the working class neighbourhoods resemble Sandy Row, although in some the Union Jack may be replaced with the Irish tricolour.

 The Union Jack hangs by Loyalist Graffiti on Sandy Row

Sandy Row - "British and Proud"

Mural Commemorating the Battle of the Boyne (1690), a Protestant Victory

I plan on exploring more of Sandy Row, and intend to go to similar neighbourhoods in the coming days. 

-Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn

D-Day

I set off at around 8:40 p.m. Arizona time on a direct flight from Phoenix's Sky Harbour airport to London's Heathrow. The plane was packed, so packed that British Airways was offering to pay around $1,800 to anyone willing to take a flight on the 20th instead of the 19th. It wasn't even a small plane, it was a Boeing 747, a "Jumbo Jet", one of the finest examples of 1970s aeronautical engineering but unfortunately also a plane that was showing its age; a third of the toilets on board were broken, in-flight entertainment consisted of a tiny TV that played more static than actual film, and leg room was a luxury that only those in first-class could say they had.

Actual Image from Inside the 747

Nine hours and two mediocre meals later the 747 touched down in rainy London, the pilot set it down so smoothly that I didn't even feel it.

 Our 747 at the Gate in London

At Heathrow I transferred terminals, went through more security, and waited by the gate for around two hours until the next plane finally showed up, forty minutes late. Belfast is just a short hop from London, and by the time we had reached cruising altitude we we're about to begin descent for landing. As we broke through the thick clouds which hung low over Belfast, the rocky coast and choppy seas of Northern Ireland became visible for the first time. I must admit I was pretty intimidated by the sight at first, the whole city looked like it was trapped in a oppressive haze, and the Irish Sea looked like something out of one of those dramatic fishing shows on the Discovery Channel.

The Outskirts of Belfast

George Best Airport is probably one of the smallest airports I've ever been in, from what I could see it was really just one terminal, a control tower, a runway, and a big bombardier aerospace building (Bombardier is cutting its workforce in Northern Ireland as we speak, which is a huge blow to the cities economy). The corridors are narrow and the whole building was frigid, but hey, it had free WiFi.

The Terminal at George Best 

The Corner of Lisburn Road and University Road

One short ten minute cab ride later and my mother and I were at the apartment we had rented. It's small but quite nice, right near the university in the city centre. Anyways, I haven't seen much of the city because we only arrived after night, but I'm excited to start exploring the area tomorrow! I'll report back then.

D-7

Hey everyone!

Wow I can't believe how quickly the 20th is approaching! We managed to find an apartment near the Queen's University, which is only a little over a mile from my volunteering location. I will be volunteering at the Royal Ulster Rifle's Museum, and I am extremely excited to start there! The museum's focus is on the Royal Ulster Rifle Regiment, which was a part of the British Army from the late 18th century until 1968. The museum specifically covers the time between 1793 and 1968. The regiment participated in some of the most famous battles in British Army history, such as the Normandy Campaign in 1944. I start there on Tuesday the 23rd of February, and I am eagerly anticipating that day.

I have bought some equipment for my trip, including a camera and a voice recorder. I intend to take as many photos as I can, and hope that you enjoy them! The voice recorder sounds crystal clear, and I believe that I will be able to bring you many exciting and informative interviews. I believe that interviewing the locals will be one of the most fascinating aspects of this project, as they will really be able to provide a firsthand perspective of the situation in Northern Ireland. They're also much more personal and intimate than surveys, and I hope than I will be able to provide you with an interesting and exciting overview of the views that the people of Northern Ireland have.

Another interesting thing to note is that I am staying only about a mile south of the Falls Road, a staunchly Catholic neighbourhood in Belfast. Just north of the Falls Road is the Shankill Road, a staunchly Protestant neighbourhood. This is one of the most prominent sectarian divides in Belfast, and I am so excited that it is within walking distance from where I am staying.

Anyways, I will send my next update when I arrive in Northern Ireland!

-Luke van Reede van Oudtshoorn