Belfast is not a city weary of tourists. On the contrary, the people of Belfast are ready to welcome visitors with their warmth, their stories, and recommendations for the best place to grab a pint or to answer a question. For a place associated with bombs and shooting, military police and decades of strife, there's little trace of that anymore, 20 years after the Good Friday Peace Agreement.
When we visited Belfast last year, it was a redemption tour for me. More of that can be read on a blog post dedicated to that, but I left hoping I would be back. There was far more to see and experience and explore than we made time for, but like most visitors to Ireland, we weren't sure what we'd find in Belfast and only dedicated 2 days of our time in the North.
Since that trip, I've followed several Instagram accounts, including ExploreBelfast and DiscoverNI which showcase some amazing spots around the city, and the whole country. Those accounts helped with my itinerary and must-sees, as well as talking with Tina & digging into what I needed for my research. Being more informed for this book was the reason for this trip, but I also wanted my mom to be reintroduced to Belfast. It was such a scary experience (more for her than me, since I was reading/napping in between coastal towns and golf courses) and remembers crying as we left on the ferry to Scotland on July 12, 1998. She cried because we were leaving Tina there, among more violence and instability than she had realized. More on that later.
So there had to be a balance between diving deep into libraries and bookstores and interviewing (or eavesdropping)... and being a tourist. I carved out my must-do's with several should-do's and explained that I might check out from some of those with my notebook while Mom really enjoyed the tourist side of things.
For research, we:
- Did a political cab tour of the Troubles
- Spent a chunk of time exploring materials at Linen Hall Library, Waterstones and Eason bookstores
- Interviewed (casually!) Tina's family
- Visited the town where Tina grew up & some of her family still lives
- Toured a school
- Walked the city, noted important descriptions and dialect, soaked in the feeling of the place
If you visit Belfast - and I truly hope you do! - start with a Black Cab Tour. A local driver, typically one who grew up in either the Falls Road (Catholic) area or Shankill Road (Protestant) area will take you through both communities, explaining how and why the Troubles began, what the people of Belfast experienced over 3 decades, and how the city has changed. Last summer, I did this with Chad & Tina, we had a Catholic driver who showed us much of the neighborhoods, and went into detail about the bonfires that are built up over weeks to burn on the night of July 11th to kick off the Twelfth celebrations. This trip, we went with Black Taxi Tours Belfast and couldn't have landed a better driver than Mark. Typically these drivers stay neutral and will have you guessing which side they were raised on; but Mark understood quickly that I knew a bit more than the average tourist... and I was taking notes! That didn't stop him from talking so fast I couldn't keep up with my writing! I don't want to give too much away, but Mark was extremely generous with his time and sharing personal stories about growing up around the peace wall. 2 memorable takeaways from this experience was that Mark went to Berlin during the Troubles and people would ask about the difference between their wall and the wall in Belfast. "In Berlin, they wanted to reach across and hug each other. In Belfast, they wanted to kill each other." There's a long rooted history here, and it's hard to understand -- even if you dig in and try. I'll write a post soon about what to read, watch, explore if you want to know more about the Troubles. Another memory I left this tour with is how he spoke of his kids and how he's working to make Belfast a better place for them & their generation. He explained that education was the best way to achieve that and to open more opportunities for the youth in Belfast. While we photographed and talked in the midst of these neighborhoods, I asked what the people who live here think of being an attraction, a place for tourists to come do exactly what we're doing (on a daily basis!). Mark shared that firstly, it's completely safe. There's no reason for a tourist to feel nervous or unwelcomed in these areas {unless you go try to convince them that the other side is the victim and then you're just not being smart...}. He also explained how important culture is to these areas, and that by coming to visit, the locals appreciate that we're learning about them, the history and heritage.
At the end, I asked Mark, "What do you wish people knew about Northern Ireland?" and his response: "Just give us more than a day on your holiday." -- After spending a week in the country, I'd have to agree with this!
Linen Hall Library has been serving the people of Belfast since 1788. It's free to enter and use the materials in the library, which is excellent for doing some research in the biggest collection of Irish Studies. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of amazing & unique books that would help inform my writing, and simply knew there wasn't enough time to cover it all. Fortunately, I had my Mom there to take notes and write down important titles and things to explore later from home. Meanwhile, I browsed the stacks for books about Belfast, about the Falls Road and the Shankill Road (especially during the 1990's), as well as anything I could get my hands on for the Antrim Coast/Portrush. Knowing it would be much easier to find historical and political references online and in print here in the States, I focused on rare, local treasures. My librarian skills got a workout trying to understand their cataloging system, which is different from Dewey! If you're a literary person, it's worth a stop in this library while in Belfast! It's open, bright (at least it was on a sunny Belfast day!) and really enjoyable to browse the Irish Literature, as well as the popular fiction and children's sections! Also, on the first floor, there's a nice cafe and even a literary gift shop.
Even though my book is set over the course of a summer and doesn't involve the characters going to school, I thought it would be beneficial to visit one, ask questions, and better understand how both the building and the education system differs from the US. Of course, one tour wouldn't answer everything, but it helped me form better questions for interviews and know what to research in the future. Tina took us to her primary school (what we call elementary in the US), which had been completely renovated since she was a student. Her mother also worked there before her death, so it was a homecoming of sorts for Tina, as well. It was fun to visit on the last day of school, as the atmosphere was relaxed and it afforded more time to chat with the school principal, several teachers, and even have a cup of coffee in the nursery (or Pre-K) building. As an educator, I had loads of questions, but I framed everything around what I really needed for my book. I learned that much like the US, the subjects are all taught in 1 classroom by 1 teacher (literacy, math, history, science and IT/tech); their school years are longer, running until the end of June so summer is July and part of August for students. Some of the biggest differences are that after primary school, students take a test to determine if they go to Grammar School or Secondary. At age 11, students take the 11+ exam that may allow them into the more selective Grammar school (historical for students headed on an academics route), of which there are about 60 in Northern Ireland, otherwise they attend secondary schools until they are about 16. At age 16, they take a series of subject exams to determine if they will continue to what's called sixth form (ages 16-18) where students take more specialized learning to prepare for university. Now, I'm still wrapping my head around all this... so don't quote me! Now, add in the influence of religion. Perhaps the biggest difference between US education and NI is that schools are segregated. No, not like our race segregation. This is based on religion. Less than 6% of students in Northern Ireland attend what's known as an Integrated School. These schools are locally-run, typically started by volunteers and families, but do have funding from the government and several trusts. See, the tradition is that schools teach religion as well. And in a country fiercely divided by those differences for decades (centuries, really), it's a challenge to break away from "the way it's always been done" - nevermind the cultural and religious pressure that comes with doing this. Shockingly, it's from one's "own side" that does the bullying... I spoke with both a Catholic family who has elected for integrated education for their children and learned how the local Catholic church threatened to no longer provide the sacraments for the children because of it; and I spoke to a Protestant who has been on the board of several integrated schools, to find that Protestants are against the schools because of the fear of losing enrollment and funding. I'm doing more research now into Integrated Education in Northern Ireland as it's an important piece of my story, so I'll share as I go. Ultimately though, at this primary school, I had an opportunity to see how despite some major differences, students are students no matter the location.
When we visited Belfast last year, it was a redemption tour for me. More of that can be read on a blog post dedicated to that, but I left hoping I would be back. There was far more to see and experience and explore than we made time for, but like most visitors to Ireland, we weren't sure what we'd find in Belfast and only dedicated 2 days of our time in the North.
Since that trip, I've followed several Instagram accounts, including ExploreBelfast and DiscoverNI which showcase some amazing spots around the city, and the whole country. Those accounts helped with my itinerary and must-sees, as well as talking with Tina & digging into what I needed for my research. Being more informed for this book was the reason for this trip, but I also wanted my mom to be reintroduced to Belfast. It was such a scary experience (more for her than me, since I was reading/napping in between coastal towns and golf courses) and remembers crying as we left on the ferry to Scotland on July 12, 1998. She cried because we were leaving Tina there, among more violence and instability than she had realized. More on that later.
So there had to be a balance between diving deep into libraries and bookstores and interviewing (or eavesdropping)... and being a tourist. I carved out my must-do's with several should-do's and explained that I might check out from some of those with my notebook while Mom really enjoyed the tourist side of things.
For research, we:
- Did a political cab tour of the Troubles
- Spent a chunk of time exploring materials at Linen Hall Library, Waterstones and Eason bookstores
- Interviewed (casually!) Tina's family
- Visited the town where Tina grew up & some of her family still lives
- Toured a school
- Walked the city, noted important descriptions and dialect, soaked in the feeling of the place
If you visit Belfast - and I truly hope you do! - start with a Black Cab Tour. A local driver, typically one who grew up in either the Falls Road (Catholic) area or Shankill Road (Protestant) area will take you through both communities, explaining how and why the Troubles began, what the people of Belfast experienced over 3 decades, and how the city has changed. Last summer, I did this with Chad & Tina, we had a Catholic driver who showed us much of the neighborhoods, and went into detail about the bonfires that are built up over weeks to burn on the night of July 11th to kick off the Twelfth celebrations. This trip, we went with Black Taxi Tours Belfast and couldn't have landed a better driver than Mark. Typically these drivers stay neutral and will have you guessing which side they were raised on; but Mark understood quickly that I knew a bit more than the average tourist... and I was taking notes! That didn't stop him from talking so fast I couldn't keep up with my writing! I don't want to give too much away, but Mark was extremely generous with his time and sharing personal stories about growing up around the peace wall. 2 memorable takeaways from this experience was that Mark went to Berlin during the Troubles and people would ask about the difference between their wall and the wall in Belfast. "In Berlin, they wanted to reach across and hug each other. In Belfast, they wanted to kill each other." There's a long rooted history here, and it's hard to understand -- even if you dig in and try. I'll write a post soon about what to read, watch, explore if you want to know more about the Troubles. Another memory I left this tour with is how he spoke of his kids and how he's working to make Belfast a better place for them & their generation. He explained that education was the best way to achieve that and to open more opportunities for the youth in Belfast. While we photographed and talked in the midst of these neighborhoods, I asked what the people who live here think of being an attraction, a place for tourists to come do exactly what we're doing (on a daily basis!). Mark shared that firstly, it's completely safe. There's no reason for a tourist to feel nervous or unwelcomed in these areas {unless you go try to convince them that the other side is the victim and then you're just not being smart...}. He also explained how important culture is to these areas, and that by coming to visit, the locals appreciate that we're learning about them, the history and heritage.
At the end, I asked Mark, "What do you wish people knew about Northern Ireland?" and his response: "Just give us more than a day on your holiday." -- After spending a week in the country, I'd have to agree with this!
Linen Hall Library has been serving the people of Belfast since 1788. It's free to enter and use the materials in the library, which is excellent for doing some research in the biggest collection of Irish Studies. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of amazing & unique books that would help inform my writing, and simply knew there wasn't enough time to cover it all. Fortunately, I had my Mom there to take notes and write down important titles and things to explore later from home. Meanwhile, I browsed the stacks for books about Belfast, about the Falls Road and the Shankill Road (especially during the 1990's), as well as anything I could get my hands on for the Antrim Coast/Portrush. Knowing it would be much easier to find historical and political references online and in print here in the States, I focused on rare, local treasures. My librarian skills got a workout trying to understand their cataloging system, which is different from Dewey! If you're a literary person, it's worth a stop in this library while in Belfast! It's open, bright (at least it was on a sunny Belfast day!) and really enjoyable to browse the Irish Literature, as well as the popular fiction and children's sections! Also, on the first floor, there's a nice cafe and even a literary gift shop.
Even though my book is set over the course of a summer and doesn't involve the characters going to school, I thought it would be beneficial to visit one, ask questions, and better understand how both the building and the education system differs from the US. Of course, one tour wouldn't answer everything, but it helped me form better questions for interviews and know what to research in the future. Tina took us to her primary school (what we call elementary in the US), which had been completely renovated since she was a student. Her mother also worked there before her death, so it was a homecoming of sorts for Tina, as well. It was fun to visit on the last day of school, as the atmosphere was relaxed and it afforded more time to chat with the school principal, several teachers, and even have a cup of coffee in the nursery (or Pre-K) building. As an educator, I had loads of questions, but I framed everything around what I really needed for my book. I learned that much like the US, the subjects are all taught in 1 classroom by 1 teacher (literacy, math, history, science and IT/tech); their school years are longer, running until the end of June so summer is July and part of August for students. Some of the biggest differences are that after primary school, students take a test to determine if they go to Grammar School or Secondary. At age 11, students take the 11+ exam that may allow them into the more selective Grammar school (historical for students headed on an academics route), of which there are about 60 in Northern Ireland, otherwise they attend secondary schools until they are about 16. At age 16, they take a series of subject exams to determine if they will continue to what's called sixth form (ages 16-18) where students take more specialized learning to prepare for university. Now, I'm still wrapping my head around all this... so don't quote me! Now, add in the influence of religion. Perhaps the biggest difference between US education and NI is that schools are segregated. No, not like our race segregation. This is based on religion. Less than 6% of students in Northern Ireland attend what's known as an Integrated School. These schools are locally-run, typically started by volunteers and families, but do have funding from the government and several trusts. See, the tradition is that schools teach religion as well. And in a country fiercely divided by those differences for decades (centuries, really), it's a challenge to break away from "the way it's always been done" - nevermind the cultural and religious pressure that comes with doing this. Shockingly, it's from one's "own side" that does the bullying... I spoke with both a Catholic family who has elected for integrated education for their children and learned how the local Catholic church threatened to no longer provide the sacraments for the children because of it; and I spoke to a Protestant who has been on the board of several integrated schools, to find that Protestants are against the schools because of the fear of losing enrollment and funding. I'm doing more research now into Integrated Education in Northern Ireland as it's an important piece of my story, so I'll share as I go. Ultimately though, at this primary school, I had an opportunity to see how despite some major differences, students are students no matter the location.
To be tourists, we:
- Explored the Cathedral Quarter
- Visited Titanic Belfast
- Shopped and ate at St. George's Market
- Ate at and enjoyed various pubs around the city (Salt Bistro, The Cloth Ear, Harp Bar, Dirty Onion, McHughs, Henry's (Jailhouse), Butcher & Bar, The Crown Bar, Titanic Belfast Drawing Room)
*Bold are must-experience; the rest are strong recommendations along with Duke of York, The John Hewitt, Kelly's Cellars
- Explored the Cathedral Quarter
- Visited Titanic Belfast
- Shopped and ate at St. George's Market
- Ate at and enjoyed various pubs around the city (Salt Bistro, The Cloth Ear, Harp Bar, Dirty Onion, McHughs, Henry's (Jailhouse), Butcher & Bar, The Crown Bar, Titanic Belfast Drawing Room)
*Bold are must-experience; the rest are strong recommendations along with Duke of York, The John Hewitt, Kelly's Cellars
If you find yourself visiting Belfast - whether on a trip to Ireland or as a now popular cruise port, you'll likely visit Titanic Belfast. Did you know Belfast is where Titanic (along with MANY oceanliners) was built? When we were there in the 1990's we stood near the H&W gates and I remember someone pointing out the slip where the ship was built. Last year on our visit, we walked the Titanic Quarter; a part of the city that's building and growing around the tourist industry. The museum was closed the Sunday night we were in town, so instead, we just explored some of the outdoor exhibits, including that giant slip that was pointed out to me as a kid. My mom has been intrigued by the Titanic, so much so that I'm named after the Unsinkable Molly Brown (and Mom's Aunt Molly). I had a rough start to life, struggling to breathe on my own, so she blessed me with the courage and resolve of Margaret Brown. Mom went off on the premium tour that included a small group guided by a local expert, through the entire grounds and behind-the-scenes views and stories of the history of the Titanic. During this time... I sat in the Belfast sunshine and wrote about the cab tour (above). Mom came back with so much enthusiasm for all she learned and insisted I meet the guide. Come to find out, Rob from Belfast studied for a PhD in American History in the states (at the unspeakable campus in Durham), but has long loved the Titanic so he came home to share that love with tourists like us. We had a great time discussing the politics of college basketball in North Carolina, and he shared a few stories about growing up in Belfast. Can't stress this enough: Talk to the people in Belfast! They are happy to help you, answer questions, and very pleased to tell you about themselves and their city! You can read plenty elsewhere about the museum, but here's what I'll tell you from our experience: It's not just the story of one ship. It's the story of an industry that made Belfast. So really, it's also a museum that shows you how Belfast grew and the people involved, and why the tragedy of losing the ship goes beyond the victims who were aboard it... If you're interested in the Titanic, go. If you want to know more about Belfast, more than the Troubles, GO. This was far more interactive than any museum I've been to, and though I thought I was taking a break from my research and playing tourist, I also learned so much about this city that I'm glad we had time to take it all in.
A question I've been asked about what I shared on social media is: why so many photos of pubs? (and did you REALLY research or just drink Guinness in NI?) The Public House has long been the center of the community; a place where literary folks would gather to discourse, but also to write and find inspiration among the people. So yes, we visited plenty of pubs in Northern Ireland. But typically for a pint and enough time for me to catch up on my notes, enjoy the atmosphere or Craic ("crack") as it's called over there! Or, in the case of the last photo (above), where the local musicians come to getting for a trad session. In which case you order a pint, shut up, and drink in the sweet sounds of Ireland.