Northern Ireland

Our venture to Northern Ireland began bright and early on Friday morning at 8:00. Our plan for the weekend was to see and experience all that we had been learning in the classroom about the history and present conditions of the North.

Here is a little background. Six of the nine counties in the northern providence of Ulster make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (quite a mouthful). The name is not the only issue that they have. Tension fills the air between the Catholics, or Nationalists who view themselves as Irish citizens and look for independence from Great Britain, and the Protestants, or Unionists who with to retain this Union.

Our first stop on Friday was Belfast, the capital and largest city in Northern Ireland. When we arrived, we checked into our hostel, had a quick break for chocolate biscuits and tea, and headed back to the bus for a mural tour of the city. Loyalist artisans started this tradition of mural painting in 1908, and the Republicans have added contributions to the color of the city since.










Belfast is strictly divided, creating a strong tension between these two groups. Between the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods actually exits a Peace Wall, as ironic as it seems. The walls are covered with different graffiti and murals, depicting many ideas present in the city today. Our tour guide explained to us the amount of money needed to keep the peace between these two sections, for they are forced to build two of everything, including grocery stores, gyms, and movie theaters, to ensure both sides are happy, separate and equal. That is the way that the people prefer to live and I still can't seem to wrap my mind around it.




This gate is closed at sunset to prevent young rebellious boys from trying to start trouble with the neighboring community.

Following our tour, we headed over to Queen's University in Belfast for lunch. It is a beautiful campus.




The day continued at the same pace and we left Queen's University for a tour of Stormont, the Parliament Buildings of Northern Ireland. We had a short presentation about the current government structure, including the two main parties in power, and then were given a tour of the remainder of the building.




Having a little fun after the tour.

After a long day, we headed back to the hostel where I was able to take a nap (despite the fact that I was in a room of 12 girls.) Following a short rest, we headed out to Laverys for a delicious buffet dinner which left us all uncomfortably full but delighted. Our teacher led us to the Crown Saloon, which was one of Belfast's oldest and most loved pubs. The architecture of the pub was incredibly ornate and the atmosphere inside fit the part.



A group of us jumped in one of the "snugs" for a quick photo. We were told these elaborately decorated booths were created to give privacy to those who would not want to be bothered by public opinion during a night out on the town.

Saturday morning started out even earlier as we beat the sun up with a trip to St. George's Market in Belfast city. One of Belfast's oldest attractions, the market was built between 1890 and 1896 and is known to be one of the best markets in the UK and Ireland.


Meghan and I split a potato pancake which was delicious!

We departed Belfast at 9:00 and headed to Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge located in County Antrim which links the mainland to the small Carrick island. The 20 meter long bridge is 30 meters above the water and was built by salmon fishermen. Although completely safe, it was still incredibly thrilling and had my heart pounding pretty hard as I crossed.











Our next destination was The Giant's Causeway, a UNESCO world heritage site. Resulting from ancient volcanic activity, the resulting basalt stone formed a beautiful pattern of hexagonal columns. The scenery here was breath taking, and we had a hard time leaving the incredible natural beauty.







We arrived in Derry city (or Londonderry, depending on who you are talking to) before the sun set for a walking tour of the city. Derry is the fourth largest city on the island of Ireland and is located around the natural peace wall of the River Foyle. Our local tourguide was fantastic, and described to us the present condition of the city as he guided us through the walled city.

It says, You are now entering Free Derry. The eyes were added recently to remember the man killed, displayed in the next mural.





We had a barbeque dinner at our hostel where I was able to satisfy my incredible craving for hamburgers. The rest of our night was filled with traditional Irish music, which we are all growing to love.

Sunday on our way home from Derry, we stopped in Drogheda town to see St. Patrick's Cathedral. Inside the cathedral is the largest shrine to St. Oliver Plunkett. His head is naturally preserved in a glass case for all to see.