Mel and I ventured from Edinburgh to Glasgow on Friday; not without some terenchal rain on the way to the bus stop which resulted in Mel falling over, not once but twice before we made it on to the coach! It was a vision; being soaked and having her big backpack on didn't help either! I lost my sunglasses that morning as well so we didn't start the day out in the best fashion.
We got into Glasgow that afternoon; it's a pretty trendy place, with its new age bars, clubs and pubs. We spent our days wandering around the city and visiting the West End; a great place for a drink. We also caught up with some friends; Lucy and Michael in the city on Saturday night.
On Sunday the 10th we headed for Northern Ireland; Belfast, not knowing what was ahead of us. We caught the ferry from Scotland and docked at Belfast about 10 that evening.
For those of you who are unaware there has been conflict in Northern Ireland for centuries. The disagreement between Irish Catholics and the Irish Protestants still continues to this day.
Between 1921 and the mid 1960s Catholics in Northern Ireland faced many problems. After the War Of Independence, in 1919, the country of Ireland was divided into two parts;
1. The North had a large Protestant majority, each of the six Ulster counties had their own parliament and their own government.
2. The South was largely occupied by Irish Catholics, most opposed the idea of dividing Ireland.
In 1921 a group of Sinn Fein, and IRA members signed an treaty with the British, accepting the division of Ireland. This was when what's known as 'Northern Ireland' was created.
The Twelfth of July in Belfast marks a yearly Protestant celebration which begins with the burning of the Irish flag and often ends with riots.
Mel and I were in Belfast for this 'celebration'. At midnight on the 11th the burning of the Irish flag began, with many bonfires around Belfast. We headed into the city with our mates from the backpackers and witnessed some of this madness.
We got into Glasgow that afternoon; it's a pretty trendy place, with its new age bars, clubs and pubs. We spent our days wandering around the city and visiting the West End; a great place for a drink. We also caught up with some friends; Lucy and Michael in the city on Saturday night.
On Sunday the 10th we headed for Northern Ireland; Belfast, not knowing what was ahead of us. We caught the ferry from Scotland and docked at Belfast about 10 that evening.
For those of you who are unaware there has been conflict in Northern Ireland for centuries. The disagreement between Irish Catholics and the Irish Protestants still continues to this day.
Between 1921 and the mid 1960s Catholics in Northern Ireland faced many problems. After the War Of Independence, in 1919, the country of Ireland was divided into two parts;
1. The North had a large Protestant majority, each of the six Ulster counties had their own parliament and their own government.
2. The South was largely occupied by Irish Catholics, most opposed the idea of dividing Ireland.
In 1921 a group of Sinn Fein, and IRA members signed an treaty with the British, accepting the division of Ireland. This was when what's known as 'Northern Ireland' was created.
The Twelfth of July in Belfast marks a yearly Protestant celebration which begins with the burning of the Irish flag and often ends with riots.
Mel and I were in Belfast for this 'celebration'. At midnight on the 11th the burning of the Irish flag began, with many bonfires around Belfast. We headed into the city with our mates from the backpackers and witnessed some of this madness.
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| A Mural in Falls Road, Belfast |
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| A young Protestant setting up a bonfire |
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| One of the many bonfires on July 11 |
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