Northern Ireland # 9 (March 26, 2011)

Reflection
Over the past couple of days I have been reflecting on stories we tell with our lives. As the time to leave leave Corrymeela and Northern Ireland draws closer, I am increasing aware of what has been written into this chapter of my life over the past three months. A big part of the story has been the many friends that came come into my life during this period - connections that I know will continue. The work of Corrymeela with young people of various ages has been a positive experience and something that causes me to think a great deal about the issues of healing and reconciliation in a place with such a long history of divisions and conflict. I have a new and more complete understanding of these issues. Seeing and experiencing Northern Ireland has given me more understanding of the history and beauty of this part of the world. The story continues and I look forward to sharing this with friends when I get home.

Good Craic
A consistent theme here over the past three months has been stories, laughter, humour and fun - there is much of it and it is good for the soul. The term used to describe these times is "craic." I remember the first time I was asked by one of the women here "what's the craic" I was at a loss for a response - something rare for me. I have heard many expressions and slang terms that were totally new to me and often confusing. I am less confused now and know what a number of these mean, but haven't really taken these up when speaking (at least not that I am aware of).

The Giant's Causeway
This UNESCO World Heritage Site is purported to be the largest tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. Located a short distance west of Ballycastle on the coast, the Giant's Causeway is an easy day trip from Corrymeela. The rock formations are impressive - an estimated 40,000 hexagonal columns of varying heights exist in and around the causeway. Without going into the long geological explanation, the patterns in the stones were the result of rock crystallization under conditions of accelerated cooling. This generally occurs when molten lava comes into immediate contact with water and the fast cooling caused we what we see today. (My friend Betsy the geologist would know a lot more about this.)

The geological explanation is good, but the best story about the Giant's Causeway is about Finn MacCool. Finn was renown warrior apparently going about his daily duties when one of his adversaries, a Scottish giant called Benandonner, starting shouting and ridiculing Finn's fighting prowess. This angered Finn and he took a clump of dirt and threw it over to Scotland to challenge the Scottish giant. In turn, Benandonner threw a stone back at Finn and yelling that he would make sure Finn would never fight again if he could get his hands on him.

Finn then proceeded to tear huge pieces off the cliffs and for over a week he pushed stones to make a causeway to Scotland. When finished, he yelled to the Scottish giant that he now had no excuse to not come and fight Finn. Tired from building the causeway, however, Finn did not feel like fighting right away and slept for a week as he needed some time to recuperate. He quickly made a large large cot and disguised himself as a baby and waited for Benandonner. Arriving at Finn's house, the Scot was told by Finn's wife that he was away, but asked the Scot to sit down and have a couple of tea. She also fed the Scot cake with stones in it making the Scottish giant think that Finn must be pretty tough to eat this cake. Benandonner noticed the baby in the cot and reached in his hand to touch the sleeping baby. The baby bit off one of the Scotsman's fingers. Shocked by this, Benandonner wondered to himself - if this is Finn's baby, what must his father be capable of. The thought terrified him and he ran back across the causeway to Scotland. I understand there are other versions of the story, but this seems to be the most common.

Here are some photos of the causeway stones and scenes in the surrounding area. Some of the pictures were taken from the cliffs above the causeway. Spectacular scenery!!

Northern Ireland #8 (March 19, 2011)

Opening Thoughts
Time seems to be going past quickly and it hardly seems possible that I will be home in less than three weeks. I am excited to see my daughter and friends. At the same time, however, I will be concluding something that has great experience and leaving behind new friends. Thankfully, the friendships will continue. I feel good about what I have experienced and done here and will leave with a thirst for more of Corrymeela and Northern Ireland.

More on Belfast & the Murals
Belfast is easily accessible from Ballycastle via bus (except on Sundays), so it is an attractive place to go on a few days off. In addition to exploring new things, it is great to be able to spend time with friends. A couple of weeks ago, I was back there and decided to take one of the Black Taxi tours of the murals in the Shankill (Protestant) - Falls Road (Catholic) area of West Belfast. This is where I previously took a walking tour guided by a couple of friends. However, our walk was cut short by rain and darkness.

This time, the weather was fantastic - sunny and quite warm. In an earlier post, I wrote a bit about the murals and don`t have a lot to add. In many ways, the pictures below speak for themselves. I would like to note that there are more murals in the city than the ones I have seen. While many of the murals are loaded with strong political statements, I find them an attractive form of accessible public art. It is important to note that there are a number of murals that have themes related to human rights, racism and injustice outside of Northern Ireland

One of the highlights on this tour was stopping at the Peace Wall. This 8 metre high and 5 km long wall separates the Protestant and Catholic communities in West Belfast. Just the name `Peace Wall` is ironic because of the way in which it divides the city. It sits as a constant reminder of the separations and divisions between people of these areas. The wall had a number of plaques that mark a visit of international figures, including former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Movement between the two parts of West Belfast is blocked off by imposing gates that are locked in the evening and then opened in the morning.

 

 
The Red Hand of Ulster (depicted in the picture below) is a symbol used to denote to denote the Irish province of Ulster, which is Northern Ireland. Its origins are said to be attributed to a mythical Irish figure and is strongly rooted in Irish Gaelic culture. According to one myth (also told by the taxi driver), the kingdom of Ulster at one time had no rightful heir. To rectify this, it was agreed that a boat race should take place and whoever's hand was the first to touch the shore of Ulster would be the king. The legend is that one potential king so strongly desired the kingship that when seeing he was losing the race, he cut off his hand and tossed it on shore, thus winning the kingship. The hand is most likely red to represent the fact that it would have been covered in blood. Apparently, there are other stories about the origin of the Red Hand, but this one seems to be the predominant one.

The familiar London-style cabs (picture below) were brought to West Belfast at the height of the Troubles when public buses did not serve this area of the city. The taxi service provided a hop-on, hop-off  service when regular bus service were severely disrupted. While they originated during a troubled time, the black taxis continue to provide a hop-on, hop-off service and remain an identifiable part of the local community.

I very much enjoyed the tour and appreciated the running commentary by the taxi driver who had grown up in the Falls Road area. He was very entertaining, told excellent stories and certainly had the gift of talking.


Ernie

Northern Ireland # 7 (Mar. 12, 2011)

Ballycastle is a Small Town
Every time I go into town, I see people I know either during the walk or around town. Some of these people are from Corrymeela or folks I have met through connections here, but I am also getting to know a few people around town. These connections may be a short conversation with someone I see from time-to-time when walking along the beach; other times it will be someone from a local store, coffee shop or cafe. Just this morning, I had a great conversation with the owner (I think) of Thyme & Co. Cafe - my favourite place to go for breakfast on a day off (http://www.sabp-web.co.uk/thymeandco/). From previous chats, he knows I am from Canada, so today he asked me if I follow NHL hockey, which provided the opening for a good conversation. He follows NHL highlights on satellite TV.

Walking along the beach about 10 days ago, I struck up a conversation with a man who I think is a few years older than me. He asked if I was "passing through" or going to be in the area for a while. This was a very slick way to engage me. I told him where I was from and that I was at Corrymeela for a few months. We talked a bit about life in Ballycastle and then I had to head off to catch a bus. Yesterday, he showed up at Corrymeela to check out the "Fair Trade Tea" organized by one of the long-term volunteers. I learned that he has a connection to the Co-Op grocery stores in this part of Northern Ireland and had given a lot of fair trade items and information for the tea.

I know these kinds of connections occur everywhere, but I continue to be amazed at the frequency of this here.


Carrickfergus
On my last visit to Belfast a bit over a week ago, I took a day trip via train to Carrickfergus. It is a short and inexpensive trip - 40 minutes each way with a round trip cost of about $6. The sunny weather provided great views of the countryside and the ocean (Belfast Lough) along the rail line. The warm temperatures made it very pleasant for walking around town.

Locals refer to Carrickfergus as Carrick and it is described as a large town (population of about 28,000). Carrick is situated on the north side of Belfast Lough and is home to one of the best preserved Norman castles in Ireland/Northern Ireland. The medieval castle was purportedly completed in 1242. As an urban area, Carrick pre-dates Belfast and for a long time it was larger and had greater economic prominence than Belfast. The castle sits as the most significant building on the landscape of Carrick and can be easily seen from many parts of the town.

  

Carrick is the site of various battles and historic military-related events. One of the most significant historic events in Carrick was the landing of William of Orange (William III of Orange; informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as King Billy). After several days of siege, the forces of William III landed at Carrick in 1689 with William himself arriving on June 14, 1690. Without going into a lot of historical facts, here are a few things that may be of interest. William III was Dutch and reigned over England, Scotland and Ireland for the period roughly from 1689 to 1702. Strongly Protestant, he participated in several wars against the powerful Catholic king of France (Louis XIV). Many Protestants consider him as a champion of their faith and was able to use this to his advantage in taking British crowns at a time when there was much fear over the revival of Catholicism under James II. His victory over James II at the Battle of the Boyne is celebrated annually by members of the Orange Order in many locations in Northern Ireland. These celebrations often take the form of "parade or marches" and even today there are examples of these fomenting violence when they intentionally go through known Catholic areas.

King Billy monument & plaque

Over the years, Carrick has been an important centre of the textile industry, but in the past 30 years or so the town has lost much of this economic base. Well before the demise of the textile industry, Belfast overtook Carrick as the largest urban area and shipping centre of Northern Ireland. While it's impossible to gain a clear picture of the current economic situation, it does appear that tourism is an important activity in Carrick. The town likely benefits from being on the main transportation route between Belfast and Larne, with the latter being the location of the terminal for ferries traveling between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The old town centre is interesting with some notable and attractive buildings such as the town hall, a couple of churches, shops and pubs. However, there are many vacant stores and it certainly appears to be a town that is struggling economically. I toured the local museum (free admission), which had lots of great old photos, artifacts and a good gift shop. The most interesting thing about the museum (for me) was the pro-loyalist perspective on the interpretation of historic events.

That's it for this post. Here are a few more photos to help tell the story.

 One of the churches near the town centre

 

 City Hall 

 

 A great business idea.....