Hello, today we visited Belfast, therefore I am making a quick presentation of the place. Belfast is the second biggest town in Ireland, after Dublin and is the biggest harbour on the island. It mostly developed during the Industrialisation era and was a major producer of linen. During the Second WW, there were 2 blitz over Belfast which is why the old town centre is not so new, as it was devastated. Then the Troubles disabled Belfast to develop into a wealthy town, however the 21st century changed that with both developping economies of tourism and services.
During the visit of the town on board the coach, many things stroke me. Due to the Troubles, many walls were constructed in order to divide the neighbourhoods from one another to reduce civil wars by night. The disorder came from the nationalists (Irish Republican extremists) and the loyalists (Unionist extrémistes) as they had opposite ideas over the polical status of Northern Ireland, aka Ulster.
Furthermore, I noticed that the Irish Republicans are very helpful to the Palestinians in Gaza as they see themselves as an occupied country like them. They identify with their cause which they compare to the disaster they endured during the Troubles.
Moreover there is a huge university responding to the name of Queen’s University Belfast, composed of 200 different buildings dispersed all over the town teaching nearly 25000 students. 2000 teachers are completing the daily frequentation of the university in order to let the students achieve the level of education they aim at.
To go further :
- this video in English about The Troubles (including Brexit’s aftermaths)
- and in French : podcast RadioFrance sur Bloody Sunday