Queen's University Tour

Today we took a tour of Queen's University. The grounds are old and full of history. We were told about the different tuition and acceptance systems here. I knew most of that from European friends I made last summer. Our guide also told us about how the university changed from growing from (about) 900 to 20,000 students. I thought it was interesting how buildings where taken down and reconstructed so causally. In fact a building may be taken down because it is not aesthetically pleasing. In a parking lot there used to be temporary buildings for nurses that were put up and removed. Everything is brick, which to me is a an expensive building material to put up and knock down.

After the tour we went to the Parlor, a pub with buy one get one free meals. We ate and watched Chelsea win the FA Cup from Manchester United. FA Cup: http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/

It was a long game of two 45 minute halves and 30 minutes extra time. I enjoy soccer, having learned the game last summer in Italy to watch the world cup. However I had trouble having a good time at this game because I was so cold. It was absolutely freezing in this pub, we all had our sweatshirts and more on and it was still too cold. It seemed warmer when we got outside. However the Irish in the pub were waring short sleeves. Similar to how some of the Irish walk in the rain with out notice, I suppose they have adapted.

Most of the crowd seemed to be supporting Manchester United. However there was still a significant cheer when Chelsea finally scored, ensuring a win. There was even a group with both obvious Chelsea and obvious Manchester U supporters. I guess this rivalry is not a political one in Belfast, or people are really not as hostile because there was no hostility.

"30 years in the RUC"

At the Globe I met a man while getting my sweater who had "30 years in the RUC". As a former member of the RUC [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Ulster_Constabulary] I asked him about his opinion about the conflict in its current state. I did not get very much information because he was more of a drunken old man than political scholar. I was also not being very direct, as I could not remember what RUC was exactly. Additionally I had already gotten his son upset by saying "People from all over the world came to the United States and decided to speak English the way I speak it". Though their Australian relative (who was much easier to understand) appreciated that comment.

This man, from the RUC, believed the troubles were really ending. To me it seems like there is little conflict here. However I am an outsider and have spent no time in the interface areas. I would also imagine that it would seem peaceful until something happened. To hear an old Irishman, who has had significant involvement in the conflict, say he believes it is over really makes me believe that we will not see violence while here.

Notes: Good Relations Lecture

Good relations was started in as result of people polling that government's first priority should be to built good relations between Protestants and Catholics.

1500 deaths, most since 1969

2004 - ethnic groups make up < 2%

In one year 8-9k people came to Belfast

Problems with division:

• Poverty linked to violence
• Duplication of services
• Low trust and risk
• High demand for Catholic housing

Belfast City Council - 51 members, 6 political groups

The assembly is the upper house and council the lower house

Northern Ireland Act, 1998, Sec 75 Good Relations

Transforming Public Space

Securing Shared Space

Building shared organization Space

City Hall

Today we went to City Hall where were shown great hospitality. The next mayor herself greeted us and gave us gifts, various counselors came in to talk to us, I met Conner who Rob and I will be working with at Intercomm, we were given a nice tour, and more information from Good Relations.

After City Hall we went to a the Linen Hall Library and saw the Northern Ireland Political Collection. Web site that might only work in IE:

http://www.linenhall.com/northernIrelandPoliticalCollection.asp

In the afternoon we went to the Crown Bar [http://www.crownbar.com/] which is famous and was awesome. There we noticed a "Stag" or bachelor's party where a large group of guys where all wearing matching shirts, the kind of thing only girls would do in the US. I asked a guy close to the door of our enclosed booth about it and got into a conversation a bit longer than I wanted. They were Kennedy's and I spoke to the father and best man/older brother who was 34 and lived on the mainland now. The father travels to the US a lot, he also frequents the Crown, apparently they used to have a live web cam.

At night we went to the Globe for drinking and dancing. Here we were able to make more cultural observances. We got a late start because it is so light out always we lose track of time. We are so far north, and it is summer, it is daylight until 10 PM and the sun rises well before any of us. The locals at this bar were well dressed; in general everyone on the street is put together to look good. Molly said the guys were "very metro". I would agree, as anyone in the US with similar clothing or a fohawk would be considered "metro". On the other hand, I think we can just consider them "European". Last summer in Italy I saw a wide mix in male fashion. Italian men are definitely not afraid to embrace trendy fashion. Irish seem to lie in the middle of the Italian and US extremes.

Notes: Introduction to Belfast

Introduction to Belfast Lecture at Queen's University, Irish Studies

Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 1:30 PM

Speaker: Dominic Bryant

Speaker background:

Anthropologist, English, lived in Northern Ireland for 20years. Interest in Public celebration and public space.

Believes this is not the same conflict that has been going on for 400 years, unlike many books. Protestants moved to Ireland 400 years ago, but the conflict has changed since.

Introduction to Belfast: Division. Conflict.

Politics

Conflict around identity. Switzerland, Belgium, and Canada all have similar identity situations that do not result in violence.

Northern Ireland is interesting because two sides are very close and friendly to each other.

Geography

South - Middle class

West - Working, 90% Catholic

East - 90% Protestant

North - Patchwork

All cities have cultural geographical divisions. Particular to Belfast..

Good harbor and good dock

In 1820 the size of Nury (sp?) now

Initially Presbyterian city (Scottish)

At turn of century, rebellious, later became the center unionist ideas

This change came from Industrial Revolution. After had more in common with British port cities than Irish.

Become Unionists for economic reasons, want to keep connections.

After potato famine South Irish moved to industrial cities, London, NY, Belfast

In Belfast discriminations are started as protestants in the city did not want incoming cheep labor threatening their jobs.

During economic downtimes tensions increase

Ulster Volunteer Force set up to ensure Ulster remained part of Britain

Rioting cause more segregation

Belfast becomes capital of Northern Ireland, its own state

History note, Seattle put Belfast out of business by building planes that took away from Cruise Liner business

Discrimination

- Gerrymandering

- Housing

- Jobs - Fathers give sons apprenticeships to sons to maintains elite position in work force

1960's start seeing an educated Catholic middle class

1966 - 50 years of conflict, lots of rioting

Civil Rights movement did not happen in Belfast, happened in Derry

Ethnic cleansing, house burning

IRA and UVF not strong at this time

British Parliament introduced holding w/o trial

Bloody Friday - IRA planted bombs, Unionists believe Gerry Adams [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22Gerry+Adams%22&btnG=Search] planned

Did not escalate to points of other countries b/c cultures were already very divided, different schools, no intermarriage, etc.

Start building walls, many put up since peace process started

Conflicts have gone down

Policing by Boundaries

Physical housing division, policy

RUC reformed to PSNI, better police

Policy changes, build everything twice

Two "communities", that are basically the same, not two different cultures

Gate keepers

Other policing - IRA police in Catholic areas, UVF similar to IRA, UDA (Ulster Defense Assoc) to protect Protestant areas (clenched red fist)

UVF and UDA also fight over territory

Self Policing - school uniforms tell what type of school go to, might walk to another bus stop with less protestant kids or take a cab that avoids crossing boundaries

Change

Process of demilitarizing and painting over paramilitary murals

Early Observations

What's different in Ireland

After being here a few days I have more observations about Belfast and Irish people. Our first day everyone immediately noticed the school uniforms on high school aged kids walking around. In most of Europe high school is called college, and university or other education comes after college. We first noticed the hiked up skirts, but Rose pointed out that the same was done at her Catholic school, and I recall those I knew at private school doing the same. We saw a group of boys by the Student Union in black blazers with white stripes, black shorts, and gray socks; pretty sharp looking uniforms. It was pointed out at the lecture Thursday that the uniforms are social control, not only do they tell what school the student goes to, but everyone knows all the uniforms and which are Protestant or Catholic. Friday at City Hall the Good Relations representative told us that the city is hoping to build integrated schools.

On our second night here a few of us on this trip were in the student building where we ate breakfast everyday. We were talking about the different things we had noticed; obvious at the time would be that the university building becomes a bar at night. Mike also noted that he did not know how to pass people when walking. Since traffic goes to the left, does that apply to walking too? Althea pointed out how many more children there are here than in Boston. Walking back from the supermarket we passed a mother trying to keep track of at least five children.

Arriving in New York, Boston, Dublin, and Belfast

Leaving my home 6 AM EST on Tuesday, May 15 it took over 24 hours of travel time where I passed though the cities of New York, Boston, Shannon, Dublin, to finally reach Belfast.

In the Dublin airport I stopped in the Vodafone while some students exchanged their tickets. There I found out how easily and cheep it would be to get a sim card to use my cell from last summer that I bought in Italy. I could not do so there however because Northern Ireland uses UK sim cards, and Ireland has their own. I was also shown how to use a pen to get the charger I had from Italy into the Ireland/UK power plugs.

At passport checks the first person to go through in our group was asked where he was staying, because he responded studying in Belfast the agent said to all of us that Northern Ireland is a different country and he can not give us permission to study there. We were given one day travel, and are not here illegally I suppose. Others were given until the 13th of June and still others where given the standard 90 days that any US citizen would get in the EU. Enforcement of visa policy seems very nonstandard.

One the drive from Dublin to Belfast I noticed the road signs where unreadable and presumably in Gaelic. Also notable was how unnerving being a passenger in a vehicle driving on the left hand side of the road, the abnormal number of KFCs, and the lovely green country side.