There is still tension in Belfast, even after almost a decade of declared peace. You wouldn’t know it if you stayed in the center of town, though. There are beautiful historical buildings, Tesco, H&M, a mall, an adorable cupcake shop, trendy thrift stores, and the paradigm of consumerism: Starbucks. (Actually, there are two Starbucks and they are about 200 yards apart.) But when I walked outside the main area, the feeling changed. Specifically, when we went to visit the political murals in both the Republican and Loyalist neighborhoods, it was clear that the peace was something the government had mandated or agreed to but had not fully made its way to the people. While there weren’t any car bombs (that was the week before we arrived) or people carrying banners and protesting, the underlying feeling of tension was certainly palpable.

I tried to get a better understanding or some perspective on the whole situation as we stood in front of political murals. Eric took pictures and I walked around looking at them and at times touching the paint that had been carefully applied to buildings as a sign of defiance and remembrance. As I looked at what is probably the most famous of the murals, the mural of Bobby Sands, I wondered if it was worth it. He was just a year older than I am now when he died: 27. He would be 56 if he was alive today. He may have had a family or even gotten involved in the government now that the IRA is a formal party in Northern Ireland. Instead he chose to make his statement by going on a hunger strike that lead to his death. But his death lead to world-wide protests and recognition of the struggle for independence, so was it worth it? I’m positive Bobby Sands would say it was, but I’m not so sure. I would always choose debate over death, but in 1981 in Northern Ireland where they had already fallen into a realm of violence and unrest, perhaps it took one person dying in a non-violent form of dissent to attract the type of sympathetic attention bombing and guns could not.

One side should not garner more consideration than another, though. The IRA was responsible for many civilian deaths. Even noble Bobby Sands was implicated in violent behavior before his politically driven hunger strike. As we stood on the other side of the tall metal fence (yes, the fence that once divided the two sides still stands, though its gates are now open to permit free travel between both sides), I had to let go of the sympathy I felt for the Irish trying to gain independence. We approached the site of the Bayardo Bar Attack and it became clear that tension still remains in Belfast. There is a large memorial set up on which sits a plaque that states that they should always remember the unnecessary violence of the IRA and they should never forgive or forget. Strong words and definitely a strong statement, especially if you were to walk by it every day, but their people died and it is their right to remember and honor the memories.

So which side is right? I don’t know. I thought I would have an idea after visiting both sides, but it doesn’t seem to me that there is any clear “winner”. Yes, the IRA now has a formal party within the government, but there is still an active group of radicals who don’t feel it is enough. There are car bombs, though they are less frequent. No one speaks of the tension, but it’s still there. Change is slow. There are too many people who lived through the violence and the uneasy feeling that any bar or vehicle could be a target. How can you tell people to let go of feelings and prejudices (with or without merit) that they have lived with for longer than not? When there is still protest, how can you tell people there is peace?

So again the question in my mind is: which side is correct? Does it matter now? With so many innocent lives lost to make a political statement, does anyone really win?

On the way home we passed through another neighborhood. There were some political murals and we stopped to look at those too. A little further down, there was a children’s daycare and on the wall facing where the children were dropped off and picked up, there was some graffiti. It was three swastikas.

Until tomorrow and the new adventure…

Rachel