Northern Ireland visit

Blog post from 19/11/2017

I was interested to hear this weekend of Gerry Adams' standing down as President of Sinn Fein. It feels like the end of an era, and one which has seen much violence and heartbreak on both sides of the sectarian divide.

I had the pleasure of visiting Belfast this year with friends. It was always my intention to go to the place which used to make the news on what seemed a daily basis when I was growing up in the 1980s, and not in a happy way. The bespectacled, mac-wearing John Cole would report on another tragic loss of life. Back then it seemed like the IRA were waging all-out war on the mainland - to a child's eyes the motivations and targeted attacks of terrorism simply seem like a blunt instrument, perpetually raining down its blows on the good and virtuous. The attacks remain as unfathomable for many of us now as they were at the time, but I have come to see the history behind the Catholics' sense of grievance. Growing up in Thatcher's Britain there was less choice of media outlet; pre-internet, of course, there simply wasn't the regular stream of different opinion which characterises today's online world.

So it was very interesting to visit the city, and to speak to so many friendly people, who must be so pleased to have at least seen the back of the worst of the troubles. It also gave me a chance to see just how the people had tried to move on from its battle-scarred days. Martin McGuinness had recently passed, and I suspect this may have been one reason why Adams has considered standing aside. My friends and I visited the Titanic museum, which certainly made me understand just how important the shipbuilding industry was to Belfast; the hill-set, imposing Stormont; the local market and pubs which had a history of their own. On top of that we enjoyed one of the finest (and largest) pies ever produced by humanity. Even the typically Irish (windy and rain-beaten) weather couldn't take away the fun!

My only concern now, however, is the recent collapse of the coalition between the DUP and Sinn Fein. Such different parties, with their staunchly conservative and progressive viewpoints, seem unable to compromise, and with Brexit sparking fears of a return to a 'hard border' with the South I am worried we may see a return to the bad old days. I would like to go back one day - I know I wasn't the only one who enjoyed my visit - and would be saddened if this unique city, with its storied and troubled history, was to fall back into infighting again.