You Are Now Entering Free Derry

Guest blogger this post...may I welcome to the podium Mr Alexander Protzman...

For years now I have suffered the same condition that many other Americans with Irish sounding names are afflicted with.....a complete and utter fascination with all things Irish.  For me it usually centered on the the fight for Irish independence and The Troubles.  There is probably no need for a history lesson here, although a synopsis may be of import.  It is a story that Alys and I have seen countless times on this trip.  Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Montenegro.........this same war was waged.  People want freedom, human rights and the means to meet their own needs.   Religion is often thrown in, and certainly Catholic/Protestant tensions run high in Ulster, but usually it is really about human rights.  Things have calmed down greatly here over the past few years, although there was a car bombing in Derry a few days ago.   This conflict has left a number of scars, both physical and mental.  It has also left some of the most powerful political murals in the world. 

Ulster Defence Association sniper, near Shankill Road in Belfast.  This is a Protestant neighborhood so many of the murals depicted English heroes of war.

Oliver Cromwell, not very well liked by many Irish, as he and his troops ravaged much of the island.

More Cromwell.

One of my favorites.  Done by two groups of school children, one from each of the neighborhoods.

The wall that was built to separate the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. 

The Catholic side of the wall.  Notice the cage, to prevent Molotov cocktails and fire bombs hitting the house.  That would also be the reason the wall is so high.

An Irish Republic hero, Bobby Sands.  Died as result of a hunger strike while in a British jail.

Frederick Douglass is often referred to in Irish political discourse.  He spent time in Ireland.

We also visited Derry.  This mural stands at the edge of Bogside, the neighborhood where Bloody Sunday occurred.  Also home a great museum on The Troubles.

Awesome mural depicting the struggle for human rights for Catholics in Northern Ireland. 

Made from a photograph of a young Irish Catholic man getting ready to toss a Molotov cocktail.

It has been an amazing experience to see all of this firsthand.  With all the blood lost on both sides, you can still feel some of the tension but it pales in comparison to the sense of relief and hope that now resides.