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.
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