Giant Strides Through Northern Ireland: Johnson Summer Trip Part 3

We have spent six days exploring all we could in Scotland, so now it's time to hop across the pond and visit another new country: Northern Ireland!

Tuesday, August 5: Belfast & Giant's Causeway

Edinburgh Airport

Our morning started early with our flight leaving Edinburgh at 7:05 am, so we were up and out of our hotel and in our scheduled Uber to the airport by 5 am! Whew! Mornings like this make the entire group question my planning skills, but at least we get a full day in Northern Ireland!

The airport lounge came in clutch though, with a free, hot breakfast before our flight. Jen and Kevin said we are spoiled with our airport lounges...and I think they got a taste of the good life and will continue taking advantage of these calm parts of international airports moving forward!

Belfast International Airport

We landed in Belfast about an hour later and were in our rental car and zooming towards the city center by 9 am!

Black Sheep Coffee

Since our bodies have already been awake for four hours at this point, it was time for a refresh- coffee here we come! While we all snagged a cup of joe at Black Sheep Coffee, Bryan and I snuck over to a nearby Starbucks to snag another travel mug for our collection!

At 11 am, we met our tour guide, Poddy, for our morning Black Cab tour of Belfast.

Now I will admit that nobody in our group knew much about Northern Ireland and its strife-filled history, but Poddy taught us a great deal during this hour-and-a-half tour. Long story short, Ireland began as a single country situated on the island next to the UK. In the 12th century, England sent over plantation workers to Ireland, and by the 17th century, the Protestant and Catholic Irish communities were divided on political and religious beliefs.

By the 1900s, this division had turned violent, and Ireland had had enough. In 1921, Ireland became an independent nation, and (to keep England happy) they split into two countries- Northern Ireland remained part of the UK and under British influence, while Ireland became an independent nation.

So now the people of Northern Ireland fractured into two groups: the Irish nationalists (mostly Catholics) wanted to be one united Ireland, while the Irish loyalists (mostly Protestants) liked being loyal to England. These two groups feuded throughout the 1900s and became international news in the 60s when shootings, bombings, and civil unrest exploded in Belfast city.

Neighborhood Gate 1

In the late 90s, President Bill Clinton helped mediate a treaty of sorts between the feuding sides, leading to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. While this treaty has helped to calm the tensions, we learned throughout our tour of the city that things are still not completely peaceful.

Between each neighborhood are these massive metal gates. These gates are closed at 8 pm and are reopened each morning around 8 am. While the fences have deterred a lot of nighttime strife between the neighborhoods, there is still no end in sight to their daily closings.

Stevie "Top Gun" McKeag Memorial Wall 

The first neighborhood we entered was a Protestant area known for being home to the Ulster Freedom Fighters. This guerrilla group is part of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), which at one time was on the international terrorist list. Since the 1990s, both groups have been "downgraded" from the list and instead operate through organized crime and paramilitary-style violence. Listening to Poddy describe these loyalist groups reminded me of a smaller version of the Mafia in the USA and Italy.

This brings us to the first mural of Belfast city: the Stevie "Top Gun" McKeag Memorial Wall. Located in this largely UDA-run area is a mural of this UFF military commander. Given the title of "Top Gun" due to his fame for having the most kills within the UFF organization, Stevie was a high-ranking official within this organized crime group until he died in 2000. Known for busting kneecaps and killing opponents, Stevie lived his life as a big name within the organized crime parts of this city and was a devout Irish loyalist, wishing to be more English than the English themselves.

On the building right next to Stevie's mural is one put together by the neighborhood women that showcases a quilt with illustrations to uplift the city. While the UFF and UDA are still active in the Loyalist neighborhoods, their involvement no longer includes bombings or shooting their opposition. The Women's Quilt mural is meant to remind the neighborhood citizens of the power of positivity.

Solidarity Wall

After passing into the next neighborhood's gates, this time home to nationalists who wish to become a united Ireland, we see very different city murals. The entire Divis Street is lined with murals pleading for international freedoms and thanking international aid workers from around the globe. These murals are constantly changed by local artists, but we saw works that praised the freedom of African Americans in the USA, Nelson Mandela for his fight for equal rights in South Africa, and even more modern murals for the people of Cambodia, Gaza, and Palestine.

It was moving to see a country with such a turbulent past take space and use its artistic skill to speak out for humanity suffering still today. It was a rude awakening to how much focus we (Americans) put on our US politics instead of looking out at the rest of the world and its struggles.

One mural that is important to note was dedicated to the People's Liberation Army. This mural highlights the "volunteers" who sacrificed their lives in the neighborhood strife between themselves, the Official Irish Republican Army (INLA,) and the UDA/UFF groups. The INLA was formed in retaliation for the attacks by the UDA and UFF groups, and the "tiffs" over the years have caused hard feelings on both sides.

Peace Wall Belfast

To end the fighting, the city of Belfast has turned one stretch of the dividing walls into an interactive peace wall. At this wall, all visitors are invited to sign their name in a pledge to end city violence and with the hopes that it will bring lasting peace to Belfast.

Jennifer, Kevin, Bryan, and I all found an empty spot to sign our own names. If you look at the photos below, you can see where the original brick wall was not high enough...due to night activities, where one neighborhood would throw Molotov cocktails over the wall at the other, the wall had to be raised....twice. You can see the first addition is a green metal paneling, and on top of that, extra chainlink fencing was added to make this wall 45 feet tall.

Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden

After going through another gate, we crossed to the other side of the Peace Wall, where we visited a memorial in one of the Catholic/Irish loyalist neighborhoods. Here we were able to see the reasoning behind the still-standing wall: in the second picture below, you can see cages around individual homes to prevent damage from things that could (and have) been thrown over the wall, still to this day.

Along this side of the Peace Wall is a memorial to Irish loyalists who have been killed over the years in various attacks. Most notable is the Bombay Street in 1969, where a mob of Protestant/English-loyalists attacked and burned down many homes on Bombay Street, which was a predominantly Catholic area. This memorial displays the names of those who have been killed in the crosshairs of the IRA/Protestants/Irish Nationalists.

Another scary fact we learned is that the British soldiers who help "protect" these neighborhoods use rubber bullets. (That's right- British soldiers protect those who want no part of the British in their neighborhoods. You can see where problems arise there.) Even worse- we learned the size of those "rubber bullets." The fifth picture below shows the size of those rubber bullets that have paralyzed and even killed several civilians over the years when used at close range and aimed at people's heads and spines.

Bobby Sands Mural

The final mural of our tour was of Bobby Sands, a member of the Irish Republican Army fighting to end British involvement in Northern Ireland. He was sentenced to jail in 1976 for owning illegal firearms after leading a bombing and a later shootout against one of the Catholic/loyalist groups in Belfast.

While in prison, he organized a hunger strike against the prison to be considered political prisoners as opposed to criminals, due to their crimes being associated with the IRA. Together with 22 other prisoners, Sands led a hunger strike for 66 days until he died of "self-inflicted starvation" on May 5, 1981, while lying on a hospital bed in the Maze's prison hospital at the age of 27. When word got out, Bobby Sands became a martyr for the Northern Irish Republicans and helped rally the country around prison reform in Northern Ireland.

Also, peep that Malaysia ad on the side of another Black Cab in Northern Ireland. Bryan and I got a chuckle seeing it! Malaysia wouldn't be the top tourist place we would recommend in Asia, but hey, we have stood in front of those Petronas Twin Towers before!

Belfast Chick-fil-A

With our Belfast tour under our belt, it was time for lunch. And this is the lunch Bryan and I have been looking forward to for MONTHS! That's right, Chick-fil-A crossed the ocean and has two restaurants in Northern Ireland!

The Lord's chicken blessed our souls and fed us GOOD! The sandwich, the nuggies, the SWEET TEA. Mmmmmmm....that's some good stuff!

The Dark Hedges

Once we were back on the road, our next stop was the first Game of Thrones filming location in Northern Ireland! The Dark Hedges are known as the "King's Road" and are featured in several seasons of the famous show:

I told the Johnson crew that in another life, I wanted to be a film and TV show setting-finder! I mean, how in the world did someone find this street in the middle of nowhere, Northern Ireland, and think "this would make a great filming location!" What a cool job that would be! Sign me up!

After finding a nearby hotel to park at, we made the short walk to THE street and enjoyed walking the stretch with other avid fans to relive the true King's Road!

While not nearly as bad as the midges in Scotland at the Fairy Pools, these bugs sure loved Bryan's white sweater! Thankfully, they left the rest of us alone!

Ballintoy Harbour

Our next stop was another Game of Thrones filming location! Ballintoy Harbour was featured in the show as the main port of the Iron Islands for Greyjoy's family's lands. Skip to 20 seconds in this clip to see this setting:

With the skies looking moody, we totally felt like we had stepped foot into the TV Show!

After a little climbing, Kevin, Bryan, and I got a great view of the crashing waves hitting the cliffs below! The wind and uneven, rocky steps kept Jennifer firmly planted on solid ground!

Bay of the Cow

The final stop of the day's drive through Northern Ireland was also the most famous: The Giant's Causeway! We started by checking in for our guided tour and then began the paved walk down the hillside with our guide through the Bay of the Cow.

This bay is named after the local cattle that are allowed to graze in the area to help maintain the greenery. While we didn't see any of them on this day, at least we learned about them!

Giant's Causeway

We then reached the main attraction: The Giant's Causeway! There are two tales of its creation:

1. The Irish giant, Finn McCool, got in a tiff with his Scottish rival across the sea, Benandonner, for blocking his view of the sunset. To reach him, Finn McCool built a bridge across the sea, but then destroyed it when he crossed over to Scotland and learned how much bigger Benandonner was...he was outmatched and hurried back home to avoid the fight!

2. Version two is that ancient volcanoes erupted and covered the land in hot lava. The lava on top cooled faster than the lower layers, leading it to crack and "splinter" into these unique hexagonal pillars. After years of erosion, the deeper cracks are now visible at sea level for us to admire today!

   
   

   So choose your version of the truth and "run" with it!

The waves crashing on the pillars were stunning, and the scenery was too breathtaking not to film! Of course, I had to add some good Irish music to it as well:

Our guide also explained that at the tip of the Giant's Causeway is a natural "wishing chair" that promises to make your wish come true if you sit on it, rub your butt back and forth three times, and then quietly tell the wind your wish!

Of course, Bryan and I had to climb out there to give it a go! Now we just have to keep our secrets to ourselves and wait to see if they come true!

Note to others planning a trip to Northern Ireland: the Giant's Causeway is a national park, so it is free to visit! When planning, I didn't realize this, so we booked the guided tour that included reserved parking. While our guide was fantastic and worth the small fee, it isn't necessary, and you can visit at any time of day for free. Just know, you can't enter the visitor center or use their bathrooms without a paid ticket.

Dunluce Castle

With all these small visits done, it was time to make our way towards Derry for our night's Bed and Breakfast.

You know we can't drive without pulling off at viewpoints, and we stumbled upon Dunluce Castle and had to snap a few beautiful photos!

Bishop Gate B&B

Then we made it to our Bed and Breakfast for the night! As we checked in at 7 pm, our host, Jim, asked if we already had dinner. Of course, we hadn't...so he called in a favor and had a local restaurant take our order over the phone while he walked us to his local favorite place! The customer service was PEEK!

Derry, Northern Ireland

Along our walk to the restaurant, Jim explained a little bit of Derry's history. First off, if you look up "Derry" on a map, it's listed as Londonderry... with a population of mostly Republican Catholics, that first part of the name is considered 'offensive.' The majority of the city wants to be part of a united Ireland, thus they HATE the British addition to their city's name.

Thus, we call it "Derry" like the locals!

We also passed another "walled neighborhood." Much like Belfast, Derry has had their fair share of conflict over the political and religious division. Here, it's only the Protestant loyalists who have to be protected with walls. Since the Republicans outnumber the loyalists in the city, the loyalist neighborhood is still gated at night to prevent "night interactions."

The Bentley Bar

After enjoying our pre-ordered dinner at the Bentley Bar, we took another recommendation from our host and visited George's Bar for a night of cards and drinking! Sitting in the small(ish) town of Derry, sipping a cold Guinness while laughing at each other was the entire purpose of this trip! It also doesn't hurt that we were the only non-locals in the place! Bryan enjoyed watching soccer on the TV and muttered his own opinion of the game while the locals around us boisterously shouted their feelings! It was a good night!

Tomorrow morning, we leave Northern Ireland and begin our journey through the final country of the trip: Ireland! But first: Jessi's photo updates of the babies back home:

Stay tuned for the final part of our Johnson's summer adventure!

--Katie