Szilvia GombolaTHE ART OF WAR AND PEACE
March 28th 2007 12:41
In the wake of the historic power sharing deal struck between Northern Ireland’s Protestant and Catholic parties, the lessons of the past troubles live on in Belfast’s street murals.
“It ain’t pretty but it’s our most popular tour by far. So I guess that’s what people want to see.”
These are the parting words of our former taxi driver guide who has just taken us on a tour of Belfast’s street murals in the Protestant Shankill Road and Catholic Falls Road districts, in the city’s inner west. Like any good cabbie, he is passionate about his city but it is hard to see how any of his other tours – to the steely shipyards that spawned the Titanic or the much-bombed city centre itself – could really be termed pretty. It just isn’t that sort of place.
Like the rest of Ireland, Belfast is riding high on the back of the country’s purring ‘Celtic tiger’ economy. It is undergoing a massive makeover but still retains its historic grit and the scars of more than 30 years in the frontline of Ireland’s sectarian troubles.
With an historic power sharing deal now in place, the residue of the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland appears to be fading, so much so that the history and lessons to be learnt from ‘the troubles’ are now playing a part in modern day Irish tourism.
Troubles tourism may sound crass but it isn’t. Thirty years ago, the streets of west Belfast were among the bloodiest in the world. Now former taxi drivers who once wouldn’t dare take fares through this part of town make a living ferrying tourist around to see the street murals depicting the passions, prejudices and pride of the Protestants and Catholics communities that have long waged war and are now learning to live side by side in the ‘new’ Northern Ireland.
There has been a truce on hostilities since the Good Friday Agreement of 1999 but old scars take time to fade and Shankill Road and Falls Road still proudly display their tribal colours through their spirited street murals.
These are now peaceful communities. Even the high brick walls that have long segregated the neighbourhoods are now called ‘peace lines’. Tourists are no more at risk here than on the outskirts of any other major city in the world and the murals can be taken in on foot as the majority are found within a relatively small area. But who could possibly make a better tour guide than an Irish taxi driver? A number of former drivers are now more than willing to steer you around these battle-scarred streets, with an abundance of insight, explanations and, of course, humour at the ready.
These personalised tours are highly emotive and thought provoking, which is more than can be said for many tourism ventures around the world. They in no way glorify the past troubles that plagued Northern Ireland for three decades and killed thousands. In fact, the drivers openly extol the virtues of the peace in which they now rejoice. They have seen too much bloodshed and now they have a taste of peace, they never want to lose it again.
The street murals themselves are powerful works of art that capture the eye, strain the mind and jolt the heart. They are also remarkably well maintained by their communal owners. Some are aggressive and intimidating, although our driver informs us that cash incentives have been introduced for the removal of weapons from the scenes, and others are more reflective in honour of those lost. All serve as reminders of the suffering and hatred that has long been the hallmark of this city and highlight the importance of not taking peace for granted.
The troubles dominate the artworks but the long centrepiece of work on Falls Road branches out into a variety of themes, including racism and the current troubles of our time – Iraq.
As a traveler from a country with little or no experience of war on our streets, it is no wonder we are drawn to the foreign opportunity to tour the streets of a former urban battlefield. It ain’t pretty but I guess that’s what we want to see. As long as we learn some lessons along the way, as these neighbours now have.
“It ain’t pretty but it’s our most popular tour by far. So I guess that’s what people want to see.”
These are the parting words of our former taxi driver guide who has just taken us on a tour of Belfast’s street murals in the Protestant Shankill Road and Catholic Falls Road districts, in the city’s inner west. Like any good cabbie, he is passionate about his city but it is hard to see how any of his other tours – to the steely shipyards that spawned the Titanic or the much-bombed city centre itself – could really be termed pretty. It just isn’t that sort of place.
With an historic power sharing deal now in place, the residue of the ongoing conflict in Northern Ireland appears to be fading, so much so that the history and lessons to be learnt from ‘the troubles’ are now playing a part in modern day Irish tourism.
Troubles tourism may sound crass but it isn’t. Thirty years ago, the streets of west Belfast were among the bloodiest in the world. Now former taxi drivers who once wouldn’t dare take fares through this part of town make a living ferrying tourist around to see the street murals depicting the passions, prejudices and pride of the Protestants and Catholics communities that have long waged war and are now learning to live side by side in the ‘new’ Northern Ireland.
These are now peaceful communities. Even the high brick walls that have long segregated the neighbourhoods are now called ‘peace lines’. Tourists are no more at risk here than on the outskirts of any other major city in the world and the murals can be taken in on foot as the majority are found within a relatively small area. But who could possibly make a better tour guide than an Irish taxi driver? A number of former drivers are now more than willing to steer you around these battle-scarred streets, with an abundance of insight, explanations and, of course, humour at the ready.
These personalised tours are highly emotive and thought provoking, which is more than can be said for many tourism ventures around the world. They in no way glorify the past troubles that plagued Northern Ireland for three decades and killed thousands. In fact, the drivers openly extol the virtues of the peace in which they now rejoice. They have seen too much bloodshed and now they have a taste of peace, they never want to lose it again.
The street murals themselves are powerful works of art that capture the eye, strain the mind and jolt the heart. They are also remarkably well maintained by their communal owners. Some are aggressive and intimidating, although our driver informs us that cash incentives have been introduced for the removal of weapons from the scenes, and others are more reflective in honour of those lost. All serve as reminders of the suffering and hatred that has long been the hallmark of this city and highlight the importance of not taking peace for granted.
The troubles dominate the artworks but the long centrepiece of work on Falls Road branches out into a variety of themes, including racism and the current troubles of our time – Iraq.
As a traveler from a country with little or no experience of war on our streets, it is no wonder we are drawn to the foreign opportunity to tour the streets of a former urban battlefield. It ain’t pretty but I guess that’s what we want to see. As long as we learn some lessons along the way, as these neighbours now have.
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