Belfast Day Two

The second day in Belfast was lighter than the first, focusing more on the peace efforts and discuss peace efforts from a more political perspective. We had a chance to stop in and Ireland and Northern Ireland, though different countries officially, still share very close relations. We had the chance to meet two members of the Department of Foreign affairs, both of whom grew up in the Republic of Ireland. They discussed with us their jobs, and how both Irelands work in unison in order to keep relations in good terms across the border. There is a lot fo trade back and forth every day, and keeping the border open, with no interruption is an important issue in light of Brexit.

After our enlightening meeting, we were off to meet with a local official who is the director of Good Relations on the Belfast City Council. In light of the Troubles, and the repercussions, the local government works very hard to get things under control and stay that way. They find this especially difficult around the 12th of July, with the bonfires and the parades that are put on by the Protestants. While the Protestants claim these traditions as part of their culture, some Catholics see it as a reminder of Catholic repression since its celebrating the destruction of the Jacobites who were catholic. It is a tricky situation, and in recent years the day has led to protests and violence. In the past few years, the city council has been working to get people to come together around the bonfires. One of their plans included setting up a legal bonfire in one of the local parks. It was built safely and closely maintained, while the night before they held a camp out for some of the younger members of the community who would normally ben standing watch over their neighborhoods' bonfires to stop people from destroying them. This festival of sorts was meant to keep people away from the illegality of the unsanctioned bonfires. The city council is hoping to repeat the process.

Another form of fighting the the prejudice that has grown between the two communities in Belfast is to make sure to include everyone. when there is a major festival or event that the city is putting on, the council works to get representation from both sides, as well as participation from businesses on either side and community leaders. By bringing people, they hope to get people to see that either side are not horrible monsters.

The troubles were an explosion of built up tension that had been growing for decades. This rift was the high point of creating two cementing two different identities. The constructivist wave of identity that had built up on other side, especially since William beat King James II, finally peaked during the troubles. It was an instrumental point in the ideas of different ethnicities and identities between catholics and protestants in Northern Ireland.

Our final stop of the day took us to an event center known as Belfast Castle. It's an old mansion that has been dubbed a castle and is mainly used for conferences and weddings. We had a mini conference of our own as we met with two women who grew up during the troubles and are trying to bring awareness of the women' role during the peace agreement. There is a sense that the women need to stay back and be quiet in this whole situation. They were just as much in the middle of the conflict as the men. One of the women we talked to was actually part of the riots and her brothers were members of the paramilitaries. Her son later got involved with the paramilitaries , who are still very much in control of the middle class neighborhoods, and he ended up getting shot in the knees as a punishment.  The other woman was a member of the British Armed Forces and was on the front lines of the violence as part of her service. Now, these women are speaking out about the atrocities that occurred, and the woman part in it all. The people who get the credit for the peace agreement in the 1990s were the men there, but one of the most important key players is always left out of the accounts. Mo Mowlam was Tony Blair's secretary of state at the time of the agreement and she laid a lot of groundwork for the agreement to happen. She is accredited, but not acknowledges for as much as she should be. The women we talked to are part of a women in conflict group that are working to create a safe place for other women in the community to talk about what happened, and to work towards better peace. They each want a safer world for their grandchildren, and work hr behind the scenes of the politicians in order to make their dreams happen.


















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