More Troubles

Belfast is riots and rubber bullets again.


The UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force (a Protestant/Unionist organization) seems to have started things. And we haven't even come to the big days of the marching season yet. 
 






My heritage is Ulster Scot (a.k.a. Scots-Irish) - Protestant, unionist (meaning they want the six counties of Ulster to remain part of Great Britain). 




I had experiences with some Apprentice Boys while in Northern Ireland and let's just say that my people did not exactly endear themselves to me. They were rude, ignorant, bigoted, and their narrow spin on the world was frighteningly reminiscent of the KKK. 
 




Seems like that attitude might promote the Republican view better than anything Sinn Fein could ever say. 

I don't understand half of what this three hundred year plus conflict is about, but I do know 

that violence and retaliation has never solved anything. Ever. 

And it just hurts my heart to hear of it.

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Be Kind to Belfast
...

The bricks they may bleed and the rain it may weep
And the damp Lagan fog lulls the city to sleep.
It's to Hell with the future, we'll live in the past
May the Lord in his mercy be kind to Belfast

Maurice James Craig

The Doors

When I was in Northern Ireland oh so many years ago, I took many pictures of doors. Here's a couple of them.

Do you notice anything different about this door? I'll wait...

That's right, there's no doorknob. That small plate you see on the right of the door is the lock, it has a space at the bottom of the plate just big enough for your index finger to slide into. And that's how you open and close the door. Minimalist to be sure.

Gardening is an art form over there and just about every entry had either hanging flower baskets or flower pots on the doorstep.

Both of these were taken in Portadown, County Armagh. The Orange Gates were up in force in the Protestant part of town
when we were there. It was kinda creepy. There's a "peace line", as there is in Belfast, separating the Catholic section from Protestant, but we did not see it.

This is the church of St. Marks in downtown Portadown.



We stopped in Portadown on our way to Armagh as we had to change buses there. We went a couple of times.

A building right across from the bus stop had been blown up the year before, I believe by the IRA.