Belfast Bus Tour

Helen and I went out for a pint Monday at a place called the Belfast Empire. We sat outside at a table next to two men. When one of them got up to get more pints, the other asked how we liked Belfast and what we had seen and done. The other returned with their pints and the conversation continued. Eventually, we joined Joe and Ben at their table as they made suggestions about where we should go and what we should see.


A tour bus went by and Helen remarked that we planned to “do that.” Ben looked at Joe who reached into his shirt pocket and took out two tickets. On the back of each he wrote “COMP Joe.” He handed them to Helen and said, “Enjoy yourselves, we have a tour company.”

Kate and Kris arrived Tuesday, so we waited until Wednesday, bought two more tickets, and took the tour.

Belfast is urban. While the south suffered greatly from the Great Famine, the north fared far better due to its industrial, rather than agricultural, economy. It was and continues to be the largest industrial city in all of Ireland. At one time, the Harlan and Wolfe shipyard was the biggest in the world and its mammoth cranes, Sampson and Goliath, dominate the East Belfast skyline. This is where the Titanic was built. Despite the ship’s unfortunate end, it remains a source of pride to Belfast.

Outside the city are suburban neighborhoods and green spaces. While there is no subway, a good system of buses can get people around. Most, however, seem to rely on personal cars much like the USA.

A large part of the tour was devoted to “The Troubles.”
There is even a term—Troubles Tourism—used to describe people who come to Belfast specifically to see the sites of the sectarian strife. Our guide took us through East Belfast where the most recent rioting occurred. He explained with disappointment that much of the recent rioting is organized and these in the area are “forced” to come out lest they themselves get targeted. Ironically, next to boarded-up windows from last week’s events, is a mural dedicated to reconciliation and an end to the violence.

We passed the Europa hotel which has the dubious honor of being the” Most Bombed Hotel in the World.” It was hit at least 30 times by IRA bombs. Now restored to its 5-star glory, it is where Bill Clinton stayed when he visited in 1995 and 1998. They LOVE the Clintons here. They even offered to give Bill a house so he could visit whenever he wanted.

He pointed out various murals dedicated to the IRA and UVF heroes who gave their lives during the 1971-1998 height of the violence. These murals are quite prominent in the strongly sectarian sections—both Catholic and Protestant. Also, this time of year, July 1-12, Loyalist Protestant neighborhoods and homes are festooned with the British Union Jack. Our tour even took us past our flat as we worked our way through the city center to Falls Road and Shankill Road where the Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods are so close together that an Israeli/Palestinian-style “Peace Wall” has been erected.

The tour was fascinating and enlightening, but not enough light was shed on the mystery that is Northern Ireland to give me a good understanding of the place. I still have 3 weeks to build a fuller understanding.