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)
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
Belfast seems like such a beautiful place. From your descriptions/pictures, I would love to visit St. George's marketplace someday. There are so many cool murals scattered around the city too..if you do find any more, please do share the pictures with us :) It was also really interesting to read from your post that small vestiges of the city's history remain if you look closely. Hope you're having a wonderful time there!!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that there is such a juxtaposition between the city center (the correct way to spell it ;)) and the surrounding sectarian neighborhoods. Are you expecting to do more interviews in the city center or the residential areas?
ReplyDeleteProbably more from the residential areas, but I'll have to see where people are more willing to be interviewed.
DeleteAwesome photos and commentary. Next stop, you need to find the soccer stadium! I am sure there are lots of divides between the supporters of the various teams. Keep up the great work. - Mr. Hirsch
ReplyDeleteHey Mr. Hirsch, I've actually seen many clubhouses that support the Rangers, a Scottish soccer team. From what I understand, in Catholic areas there is a lot of support for the Celtics, another Scottish soccer team.
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