The beginning of Belfast

We left The Mill early Wednesday night, on the 16th. Our first stop, after checking into Queens University, was the American Consulate. Susan Elliot, the Consul General, talked to us about the Foreign Service and got a tour and a photo op, and then went out to explore the city. Some of us walked around the city center, then met up later for a pint at the Botanical Inn.

On the 17th, the group under Foras na Gaeilge (Colleen, Liz, Norah, and I) all went to the Cultúrlann in the Falls in west Belfast. There, we met with Jake MacSiacais who intorduced us to a few people, then took us on a tour of his neighborhood. We walked down Falls Road, through the bog preserve, then Miltown cemetery. At the cemetery, I saw Bobby Sands' grave. It was pretty powerful. After we returned to the Cultúrlann and had lunch, we went to Raidio Failte and did a quick interview with Eoghan O'Néill. He told us about how Raidio Failte was a pirate radio station for 20 years until 1998 when it became legal to braodcast in Irish. Yeah, before 1998, it was to broadcast in the Irish language. Then Jake completed our tour with a walk through the Falls and pointed out a lot of significant Troubles sites. It meant a lot to me to be able to be there and just walk around where so much history has taken place.

On Friday the 19th, the Foras group went to Derry (officially, Londonderry). We met with the organizers of the Gaeláras, which is basically the same thing as the Cultúrlann, but in Derry. The leaders, Kevin and Eileen, are married and talked to us about the developing Irish language in Derry and the new multi-million Pound language center that is being built down the street from their current, very cramped headquarters. We talked to them all morning about their mission and projects and had a pleasant lunch with them across the street in the Irish language cafe. In the afternoon, we met Brian Mullen at Radio Foyle. He presents a weekly Irish-language show of modern music in Derry. Apparently he didn't learn Irish until he was 26! Hah, gives me hope about my own future in the language. We finished the day with a stroll through the Bogside, which made me even more exicted for our meeting with Martin McGuinness this Monday, who was second-in-command of the IRA during Bloody Sunday.

Yesterday, on Saturday the 20th, Dr. Campbell let us relax and took us on a day trip to the Giant's Causeway and (back to) Derry. The Coastal Road from Belfast to the Giant's Causeway was amazing. It is probably one of the most beautiful drives in the world. We stopped at a few spots for photos, but the highlight was definitely the Causeway. Legend has it that Finn McCool was a giant in Ireland who was constantly fighting with the giant Benandonner in Scotland by throwing rocks at each other. Benandonner was much larger, and built the causeway to finally fight with Finn McCool once and for all. Finn knew he couldn't win, so he dressed up like a baby and laid on the beach. When Benandonner saw the baby, he thought "If the child is this big, his father must be huge!" and with that, he left, destroying the Causeway behind him. All that is left is the ends in Co. Antrim in Ireland and Iona in Scotland.

After our time at the Causeway, we went to Derry, where we met Gregory Campbell, the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland. Afterwards we got a tour of the Derry walls. Although the tour was biased towards the Unionists, it was very informative and I learned a lot.

This past day was a free day, which I spent walking through the Botanical Gardens, going on a Black Taxi tour of Shankill and the Falls, and taking the Ulster Scots tour of Carrickfergus.