Castle Gate, Derry
This picture was taken during a walking tour of Derry. Given their hats and poses, I suspect I may be appropriating another photographer’s photoshoot – very convenient of them to set this shot up for me, however unconsciously!
We only got to spend one night in Derry, but it was a fascinating place. So much history, old and new, wrapped up in one city.
Steps on the path, Antrim Coast, Northern Ireland
To get to the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, you first walk for about a kilometer along a beautiful coastal path running along the edge of the antrim coast. It’s a fairly easy walk, but there are a few sections of steep stairs. Thankfully the steps were nicely photogenic, so I forgave the extra exertion.
The Peace Lines, Belfast
The Belfast Peace Lines are a series of walls ranging in length from a few hundred yards to over three miles (5 km), separating Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. While these walls were intended to be temporary, some have been in place for thirty years. The walls, which were designed to prevent Molotov cocktails being tossed over the top, are now decorated by messages of peace, but there are no plans for their removal.
Belfast (and Northern Ireland generally) is a really interesting place to visit – the tensions of the Troubles are still clearly evident, even as the city enthusiastically embrace tourists, who have been in short supply. If you do visit, be sure to take a Black Taxi tour of the Peace Lines and the political murals – the drivers are normally locals, from both sides of the political spectrum, and do a good job of presenting a clear interpretation of the complex political and social situation through their personal stories of the area.
Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland
Time for another shot of the Giant’s Causeway. According to legend, the causeway was built by Finn McCool so he could walk to Scotland and fight a warrior called Benandonner. For some reason, Finn didn’t arrive, so the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. When Finn’s wife Oonagh saw the size of the Scottish warrior, she disguised Finn as a baby in order to protect him. Benandonner saw the size of Finn’s ‘son’, and, assuming Finn must be truly gigantic, fled home in terror, ripping up the causeway behind him to avoid being followed.
I’m not sure what the moral of this story is, except that brains beats brawn every time. And possibly that if you are going to build a gigantic stone bridge between two countries in order to pick a fight, you should find out how large the guy is first.
Nationalist Mural on the Falls Road, Belfast
Northern Ireland is famous for its political murals, both loyalist and nationalist. This nationalist mural is on the Falls Road, which saw some of the heaviest violence during the Troubles.
