Please note that Dr. Novosel will write the next post! 

With another early start, the group gathered in taxis for a journey to East Belfast, a predominantly Protestant/Unionist neighborhood.  The first stop of the day was at Ashfield Boy’s High School for an assembly with the students, followed by individual classroom visits.

Once arrived at the school, we were led to an assembly that centered on the school’s latest assessments.  The group was lucky enough to greet the Lord Mayor of Belfast, as he chose that day to attend the assembly and speak to the staff and students about their wonderful achievements.  After this initial assembly, the group met Andy McMorran, the school’s principal, who took some time to talk with us about several key points regarding the school.  Specifically, we discussed the student population and their experiences as they grow up in the very poorest areas of Belfast, the strides the school has made over the years to better serve these students, and the hope that now exists for their future. 

After we spoke with Mr. McMorran, our group found itself in another assembly where the 10^th form (the 14yr age group) waited to speak with us.   Dr. Novosel and the Pitt students went on to participate in a lively discussion with these high schools boys.  The questions and answers centered around the divide that still exists between Catholics and Protestants, as well as how these young men can and must work to remain proud of their heritage while still cultivating friendships from other backgrounds and faiths.  This second assembly was then followed by individual visits to various classrooms in session.  Our group used this time to talk to the teachers in the school and have more intimate question and answer sessions with the students.  Everyone came away with the sense that the continuation of the peace agreement must really begin with these youths and healing those scars they have inherited from the narratives of their parents.

After quite an intense morning, our next stop was a little fish and chips shop in East Belfast named “For Cod and Ulster.”  How could we resist a stop?  Many of the student purchased t-shirts and the owner took a picture of our group in front of the store.  He even closed the metal door to show what passersby see when they walk by during closing hours—Ian Paisley and Gerry Adams pronouncing that “the best chippies in Northern Ireland—at least we can agree on that!”  A clear example of how these Northern Irish people have coped with such a long conflict and intense heartache: humor.

After this more relaxed stop, the group moved on to a visit with the Orange Order at Schomberg House, also located in East Belfast.  After a presentation regarding this organization and its long history with the Protestant/Unionist community, the students asked many questions, including some related to their parade practices and new directions for the organization.  The highlight of the visit was a picture with the Order’s latest public relations campaign—“Diamond Dan” is the new face (superhero) of the Order and dedicated to educating children about their heritage in a healthy manner.  One must look at the group’s various pictures with Diamond Dan to get a sense of the hilarity.

Finished with our visit at the Orange Order, the group continued their day in East Belfast with a powerful visit to the Raven Social Club.  Not a place open to many, if any, visitors, we felt a keen sense of gratitude and extreme appreciation for this entry into David Ervine’s local club.  Meeting with his widow, Mrs. Jeanette Ervine, the students had a wonderfully intimate opportunity to speak with and hear from her as she shared such unique and personal stories about David Ervine as how they first met.  It was an incredibly touching and poignant moment for us all and one that will not soon be forgotten by any.  Mrs. Ervine brought out laughter and tears with her quiet and beautiful anecdotes and “yarns.”

It was with this emotional moment that we ended our Thursday in this lovely city.  We are on to Mt. Vernon tomorrow to continue our firsthand and uniquely accessible look at Northern Ireland.

Quote of the Day: “People stopping and saying what they thought of him, the man, and I could have said ’yes I already knew that, I knew the man-I knew what he was’.” -Jeanette Ervine speaking about her husband, David

To follow up on the post from yesterday, our group had what is being quoted as a “mind blowing” experience hearing a little know narrative from the men who lived it and continue to live it today.

Beginning with a taxi ride to the headquarters of the Ex-Prisoners Interpretive Center (EPIC) on the Shankill road, a Protestant enclave/community located in West Belfast, the students were met by Tom Roberts, William “Plum” Smith, and Tom Winston.  These men, all of them ex-Ulster Volunteer Force members and ex-prisoners of Long Kesh, spent the morning with the students.  They discussed their time in the prison, which guided them to their work with conflict resolution, peace building in their community, and restorative justice programs focused on preventing youth criminality.  The men were direct, straightforward, and frank in their discussion of the Unionist/Loyalist perspective, the fiery “blood and thunder” street rallies of Ian Paisley and his selfish political agenda, and their own self-reflection in prison that helped them move beyond violence to a focus on peace.  As they put it, they chose to show “their warts and all” to the group. 

After this morning discussion, the group and all of the men sat down to lunch at the Farset International Hostel.  Over the meal, the group heard more from each man regarding their personal experiences during the conflict.  It struck everyone how thoughtful and compelling it was to hear this candid story from a perspective little heard from in the United States.  The ideas regarding Protestant politicians’ treatment and manipulation of the working class Unionist/Loyalist community in Belfast made it clear to everyone that this was a side of the conflict that should be and must be acknowledged.

Once finished with lunch, our group met up with Noel Large, another former UVF member and ex-prisoner, who led the group down a tour of the Shankill.  As the group passed murals depicting the Queen, interfaces separating the Protestant and Catholic communities in the area, and street after street of social housing highlighting the poor conditions of this community, Noel gave further details regarding the history of the conflict in the Protestant community, touched on the issue of subservience amongst this working class group, and their work towards a peaceful country for all citizens whether as a united Ireland or not.  Noel’s tour ended in a memorial garden dedicated to those men of Ulster who fought at the Battle of the Somme and at which time he told us a powerful story of their sacrifice in this battle.  We came to understand how a community could believe themselves to be both Irish and British and wish to remain so connected to a country for which their loved ones gave their lives.

Moving away from the Shankill, the group met up with Sean Brennan from Intercomm for a walk back to their offices in North Belfast.  Once arrived, the students discussed their experiences over the last two days, including a comparison of the oft heard Republican viewpoint and the lesser if unknown Unionist perspective of the conflict.  It became apparent how necessary it was for the group to engage in this discussion in order to begin to process the two sides of the conflict and how each community differed and mirrored each other.

Finally, the group wrapped up the day with a lecture by Graham Walker, a political scientist and professor at Queen’s University Belfast.  In honor of the ten year anniversary of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement, Mr. Walker outlined the history of the previous peace agreements and went on to discuss the positive and negative aspects of this latest agreement, one that has allowed a fragile peace to exist into the new millennium.  This final discussion of the day and the activities of the last two days reminded us all how far this country has moved forward and yet still remains in a tenuous balance of tension and hope.

Quote of the Day: “I don’t want to wake up every morning and ask myself am I British or Irish? I want to think ‘Am I late for work?’” -David Ervine 

Due to a computer error, the blog entry written for today did not save and there is not enough time to re-write it.  The author would like to apologize and will attempt to work on it again tomorrow.

Suffice it to say, words do not really do justice to the powerful experience our group had as we heard a direct, thoughtful, and detailed narrative of a much lesser known perspective of this conflict.  It is a lesson to us all that there are always two sides to every argument and who are we to judge what we have not experienced for ourselves.  Thank you to Tom Roberts, William “Plum” Smith, Tom Winston and Noel Large for taking their time to tell us about their personal experiences from this period in Northern Ireland, as well as discuss their meaningful work with community centers, restorative justice programs, and conflict transformation/peace building.

Again, the author apologizes and please look for a more detailed entry soon.

Before beginning to summarize the second full day of the trip, it should be noted that Ric’s pictures of this journey around Falls road provide real life and color to these words.

Our day began with an early breakfast at Stranmillis University College before meeting the waiting taxis at the front gate.  We called ahead because only certain drivers will take people to our stop for today, the Falls road in West Belfast and a 100% Catholic community.  Tomorrow we will visit Shankill road, the protestant neighborhood residing literally a stones throw from the Falls, but an unmeasurable distance away in idealogy regarding this conflict.

On our arrival at Divis Flats (now Towers), we began our tour with Séan Mac Bradaigh of the Coiste organization.  Coiste is an anti-unionist, socialist organization dedicated to moving the peace process towards a united Ireland.  Mr. Mac Bradaigh began by pointing up to the eleventh and twelfth floors of the Divis flats, which the British army occupied to better monitor and control the Falls road during the outbreaks of violence.  Following, Mr. Mac Bradaigh’s lead, we proceeded to make our way up the Falls road and listen as he recounted the history of this Catholic community in Belfast. 

Along the way, we stared at the stark, striking murals dedicated to Bobby Sands, Frederick Douglass, and the hunger strikes of the seventies and eighties, each a romanticized representation of those people and slogans still so meaningful to this community.  The group stood in the many memorial gardens dedicated to those men, women, and children who died during the conflicts, members of the IRA or civilians, struggling against what is now being referred to as “ethnic cleansing” in the Republican/Nationalist community.  We stopped in at a museum dedicated to women held in the Armagh Women’s Prison and watched a video clip produced by Cloiste portraying the more violent moments in West Belfast.  Our walking tour of the Falls road ended at the Milltown Cemetery, where the group stood at the grave of Bobby Sands and the rest of the men who perished in the hunger strikes and then listened as Mr. Mac Bradaigh paraphrased the Irish Proclamation of Independence carved in marble behind their headstones.

After the walk, the group headed to the Felons Club.  Just as it sounds, only ex-prisoners can belong to the club and we were extremely lucky to be allowed inside.  We were met by Pádraic McCotter, an IRA ex-prisoner.  Mr. McCotter was in Long Kesh Prison for fiteen years and agreed to meet with our group and talk about his time in the IRA, in Long Kesh, and answer questions about the current state of the Northern Ireland peace process.  Over soup and sandwiches, Mr. McCotter shared his personal experiences during the conflict years, including his part in the blanket strikes and the life he lead in the H-blocks during his many years of incarceration.  It will remain a powerful experience for all of us.

The evening ended with another beginning, to consider the Unionist/Loyalist narrative.  Roy Garland, a journalist for the nationalist Irish News and member of the Ulster Unionist Party, began this discussion around the Shankill road community of protestants, the Orange Order marches, and the St. Andrews’ Agreement.  Mr. Garland opened the door for us to start to examine where this community now finds itself in the peace process.  Our group looks forward to a closer discussion surrounding this lesser known narrative of Northern Ireland.

Quote of the Day: “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.” -Bobby Sands, as seen on a mural along the Falls Road in West Belfast.

 

On the first full day of the trip, with the sun continuing to peek through the clouds, our group found itself on an informative walking tour of the Belfast City Centre with Henry Bell, a local historian and instructor at Belfast Metropolitan College. 

As we made our way through the centre and its various tiny churches, winding side streets, and grand Victorian architecture, we learned about the initial construction of the city and the beginnings of sectarianism in the region with the punishment of dissenters of the Church of Ireland–including Catholics and Presbyterians.  Mr. Bell showed us an old map on the wall of one building depicting the city as organized in 1686, pointed out the shipyards in which workers built the Titanic and the Olympic, and highlighted the various linen merchants that allowed the Irish economy to compete with England.  Apparently there was some shadiness with a stolen patent for a linen spinning machine and the mysterious burning of a factory for weaving then rebuilt as one of the largest linen makers of the time.  Ah, commerce and trade.

Onto the next part of our day, the group hopped a bus for North Belfast, an area of the city where tensions continue to run high and division remains very real.  Stepping into Intercomm, an organization devoted to peace building and conflict transformation in Northern Ireland, we were met by Sean Brennan, one of the organization’s program directors.  Mr. Brennan proceeded to spend several hours with the group, preparing us for the rest of the week that will include direct presentations from and discussions with ex-prisoners and ex-combatants from both the Catholic/Republican/Nationalist and Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist sides.  With many questions from every group member better trying to understand this conflict, the complexity of the situation and its impact on many different groups living in Northern Ireland made for an engaging, informative, and intense discussion.

After this deep and lengthy discussion, Mr. Brennan took to the group around the area directly next to the organization’s building to show us the various interfaces located in the immediate area.  These interfaces represent the gray areas in which Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods border each other.  The quick tour also included a look at the wall built after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that divides a local park along sectarian lines.  The poverty and tension is quite evident throughout both neighborhoods and the walk was a very sobering reminder that the wounds of this conflict are still very raw for many.

To end the day, the group found itself seated with Brian Rowan, the fomer Northern Ireland security editor for the BBC.  After a wonderfully detailed discussion of his experiences as the news/media contact for both the IRA, Sinn Fein, the UVF, and the UDA, Mr. Rowan produced a binder full of original documents containing announcements delivered to him via his contacts on each side of the conflict for him to report via the BBC.  These documents showed the various signatures utilized by each organization and included the original announcement of the IRA’s 1994 ceasefire.  Mr. Rowan proceeded to answer many student questions and allowed the group to take pictures of a few of the more amazing historical documents.

After all this, the group was then reminded that the next three days will actually be the most intense! 

Quote of the Day: “If you can see the hills, it is going to rain.  If you can’t see the hills, it is raining.” -Henry Bell, regarding Northern Ireland’s weather

After long journeys by each group member, we now find ourselves safely tucked into Stranmillis University College in Belfast.  And as luck would have it, enjoying sunny days too!  The only hiccup in weather occured this morning, while having coffee under an outdoor awning, as we were asked ever so politely to move or be drenched by the water that gathered and then began to drip through the middle seam.  A very surprised passerby received two wet feet when the baristas pushed the middle of the awning up and the water splashed and gushed above the rim to the concrete sidewalk.

The first evening of the trip went as well as the weather.  After a lovely dinner in the College’s cafeteria, including a dessert liberally spiced with nutmeg, the entire group and guests, Eamon Phoenix and Louie Edmondson, met in a very well-appointed conference room of picturesque windows that allowed that rare sun to stream through.  The first wonderful guest speaker, Mr. Phoenix, is a local teacher at Stranmillis (a college of Queen’s University Belfast) and a rather extraordinary, encyclopedic historian.  Without notes, Mr. Phoenix proceeded to succinctly provide an immensely engaging overview of the history leading up the beginning of the conflict in Northern Ireland. 

Our speaker began with a reminder that 2008 is the 40th anniversary of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland, one that echoed the movement occuring in Washington D.C. and utilized the principles of civil disobedience and nonviolent protest.  Mr. Phoenix then proceeded to discuss the concepts so important in leading to the “troubles” period from 1969-1994, including home rule opposition, “change without change” in terms of social services provided by the liberal British government under Gladstone that did not address the needs for political changes, and the ongoing failure of each group to see or hear their opposition.  As students scrambled to take notes, Mr. Phoenix connected these concepts to our current location in Stranmillis and those places the group will visit over the next two weeks.  What a fantastic way to begin a week of study in Belfast!

To end the discussion, Mr. Phoenix discussed why the people of this country feel certain that, though there may be differences, this will be a lasting peace.  His example being that next Tuesday, Paisley and Ahern, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland leaders respectively will meet next to the Boyne and renew their vow of friendship in their finals acts as leaders of their countries.  A very hopeful example, one might believe.

Quote of the Evening: “Grass soon grows quickly over a battlefield but never over a scaffold.” -Sir Winston Churchill   

Dr. Tony Novosel, the faculty member leading this study trip, sent the following in an e-mail to students in his class last year.  The video is quite powerful, especially when paired with the The Shins’ song, “New Slang.”

“A young guy from Portrush put this up on YouTube.  I’ve contacted him and congratulated him. He put this together to illustrate the positive changes over there.”

  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDiMI6pqB08

 

The University of Pittsburgh’s College of General Studies is preparing for an amazing trip to Northern Ireland.  This study abroad opportunity was designed for our nontraditional students, a population underrepresented in study abroad.  We are so pleased and excited about this study trip and hope to have many wonderful experiences to share in this space!