Belfast Exchange Teacher's Conference

Upon our arrival in Belfast, our taxi drove by of a huge mural with a three story high sniper dressed in back pointing a gun at passers-by. I found this shocking and a bit unnerving; I've never seen anything like it. I began to wonder why we had come and if it was safe to be here. As the weekend continued we came to understand better the troubles that Belfast is trying to overcome and realized it really is a very safe city to visit. I admit my knowledge of Belfast, and Northern Ireland in general, was limited to news clips before we began this trip. Mostly this was coverage of the bombings that each side carried out; often killing innocent victims in Belfast and cities in England. I learned a lot in the four days we were there and yet still know so little. I attended several lectures about both education in N. Ireland and the Political/ Historical conflict that has troubled the area for almost a 100 years. The schools here are almost completely segregated by religion (Protestant and Catholic) and though there are integrated schools there is little hope of changing the fact that most of the population doesn't want mixed schools (or neighborhoods). The sides go by many names. All of the following groups are against home rule and want to be part of the UK: Protestant, Loyalists, Ulsters, Orange Men, and the Black Order. While the Catholics, the IRA, Republicans, Freedom Fighters, and Unionists all believe there is only one Ireland and want the north (Ulster) to be reunited with the Republic of Ireland and to rule themselves without interference from Britain. I spent Friday in a Protestant School with 80 pupils. The school's population, like the Protestant population in general, is declining. Parents don't want to "lose" this school so many have worked hard to keep it open. As a result of declining enrollment they teach mixed grades - most of their classrooms have two year groups in them- 1 / 2, 3 / 4, 5 / 6, and then 7 has its own class. Each group shares a room and teacher but are taught separately (teaching assistants help make this possible). The school is located on the interface line- meaning that the side of the road where the school is located is all Protestant and across the street the nieghborhood is all Catholic. Many of the problems in the city are because these two very separate groups, who have differing views on Ireland's future, live so close. Over the last 37 years a Peace line has been built. This is a wall with gates in it. In many place the wall has been extended several times because people work hard to send things (bullets, RPGs, bricks, stones, etc.) over it- in some places it is now over 30 feet tall. We heard many stories of the past violence from the people we met here and both sides work hard to keep the memories of the individuals who have died alive. The area is in a period of extended peace and the IRA recently destroyed most of their weapons. Both sides have gotten involved in some criminal activities that will be hard for them to break away from. Many people who live in Belfast want peace and hope it will last but the conflict is still very much alive. Their future still hangs int he air. The gates in the wall between the two communities are still locked every weekend between Saturday and Monday. The city is under going tremendous growth but it will only hold and attract investors and visitors if the peace is maintained. We did a black cab tour of the troubled neighborhoods to view the politically charged murals. I've included a photo of one above.
In addition to the learning all of the above we had some time for fun too. We visited the amazing Giant's Causeway. It is a natural causeway that leads into the Atlantic ocean at the north of Ireland and reappears in Northern Scotland. It is made of six and eight sided basalt columns. The whole area is stunning with a gorgeous coastline and beautiful countryside but this area where the causeway is is a World Heritage site and has been a tourist destination since the Victorian age when people traveled weeks over land and to reach this part of Ireland from London. We also had some fun nights out with many other exchange teachers who are teaching in the UK this year from the United States, Australia and Canada. Our final night in Belfast we visited the Malone House for a formal dinner and Celiah- a sort of Irish version of square dancing. We had lots of fun with our friends from the states and made a lot of new friends too.
The people we met here and our time in this city have convinced us that Belfast will have a great future if peace is allowed to stay.