Spotted This Week – May 18th – Irish Interest

Posted by Liam on May 18, 2012 in Spotted This Week | 0 comments

It’s that time of the week again – FRIDAY The work week is almost over, and time to throw the feet up with a few pints of my favorite Guinness.
Before I do that, I am going to share a few interesting links from around the web that caught my eye since last week.

Travel Tips

IrelandwithKids.com breaks down the pros and cons of buying the Dublin Pass, and where and how to get the best deal. The Dublin Pass gives you admission to 32 of Dublin’s most popular attractions including the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Castle and the Dublin Zoo. You can purchase 1, 2, 3 or 6 day tickets.
The pass is definitely worth looking into if Dublin is on your summer vacation plans. It’s not for everyone though. I was in Dublin recently for a few days with my young kids, and as anyone with young kids can tell you, things don’t always go to plan! Planning 3 adventured-filled days would be all well and good until the first tantrum was thrown. Plan your purchase carefully.

Rural Ireland

Last week I posted an article about old ruined Irish farmhouses that dot the Irish countryside, and posed a question about whether an effort to restore them should be made. Afterwards, I heard from Aine who, earlier in the year, had written an article along the same lines, but with both an Irish and American theme to it. You can read Aine’s article here.

Irish Food

You’re going to LOVE the wealth of recipes that Mairead has put together for us on IrishAmericanMom.com.
This is one that everyone needs to know – How to make the perfect Irish Chips.
Mairead beautifully illustrates all of her recipes with real pictures of the ingredients and the progress of the food as she prepares it. The pictures alone will get your mouth watering.

A Movie and a Walk

Image Credit
A couple of weeks ago I watched a very entertaining movie with my wife, The Way, starring Martin Sheen. The movie is about a guy who embarks on The Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, after his son had attempted it but died soon after. Basically he wants to complete the 500 mile walk across Northern Spain in honor of his son. Well, after watching it, my wife and I talked about how wonderful it would be to actually do the walk at some point in our lives. Finding the time would be the hard part. We’d probably want to set aside a month or more to do it (recovery included). Out of the question for now! But it got me thinking, “do we have anything like that in Ireland?” We most certainly do. The Ulster Way, in Northern Ireland, is a 625 mile walking route that circles the North of Ireland taking in some beautiful landscape such as the Mourne Mountains, the Giant’s Causeway, and the Sperrins. I’d love to extensively walk the beautiful hills and valleys of my own country someday, but the responsibilities of life prohibit it for now.

That’s if for now folks! Thanks for reading. And an even bigger thanks if you share this post, or website, with a friend or 2. Just grab this link http://gotireland.com/?p=3254 and email it to a friend who loves Ireland
Oh, and if you have anything of Irish interest that made you laugh, cry, cheer, or perk up your ears this week, please post a link in the comments below.
See you next week.

P.S. Before I forget! One last thing…for all you kind people who visit this website…I will have some more free CDs coming your way very shortly
Like before, the best way to get notified of the giveaways will be by adding your email address to the mailing list.

You Are Now Entering Free Derry – Northern Ireland’s Wall Murals

Posted by Liam on May 17, 2012 in Beautiful Irish Photos, Featured, Places to Visit | 2 comments

Northern Ireland’s graveyards are dotted with literally thousands of headstones marking the final resting places of the victims of the North’s conflicted recent past. This turbulent time in Northern Ireland’s history has become known as “The Troubles”. The Troubles in the North lasted from the late 1960′s all the way through to the Good Friday Agreement, which was signed in 1998. Bouts of trouble and tension continue to this day, but relative peace has been instilled, and these days the majority of people on both sides want to live peacefully side by side. These headstones serve as a troubled memory of a time that Ireland should never ever return to.

Another daily reminder of the trouble that was endured in Northern Ireland, are the wall Murals that are painted on the gable end of many houses throughout Northern Ireland. The Murals first started to adorn the walls and houses of Northern Ireland in 1969, when one of the most famous of all was painted by John “Caker” Casey. The slogan “You Are Now Entering Free Derry” was painted onto the side wall of a house in an Irish Nationalist area of Derry, and has remained a constant part of the Free Derry Corner every since.

Over the years many more murals popped up in favor of one side or another, highlighting achievements, applauding political figures, and parading the colors of the many paramilitary groups of Northern Ireland. There are approximately 2000 of these murals in the North, the vast majority representing political and religious motivations. Many others were painted to commemorate events unrelated to the Troubles, such as the sinking of the Titanic, Northern Irish sporting heroes, and the Great Irish Famine of the mid 1800′s.

Let’s now take a quick tour of some of the more famous Murals….

You are now entering free Derry - Mural

Probably the most famous Mural of all – “You Are Now Entering Free Derry” at the Free Derry Corner. Image Credit

Bobby Sands Mural In Belfast

A Mural dedicated to the memory of Bobby Sands, the leader of the 1981 Hunger Strike, and the first of 10 hunger strikers to die for their cause. Bobby Sands died aged 27, after spending 66 days on Hunger strike. Image Credit

Titanic Mural Belfast

The Titanic was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. The Titanic famously sunk on it’s maiden voyage causing the deaths of more than 1500 people. The Titanic is remembered on this Mural in Belfast. It’s inscription reads: “This mural is respectfully dedicated to the men women and children who lost their lives in the waters of the North Atlantic on the night of April 14, 1912: to those who survived – whose lives from that night on were forever altered: and to those who built the Titanic. We forget them not.” Image Credit

Kilclief Flats - Ulster Volunteer Force, Loyalist Mural

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. They are celebrated here on this Mural in Bangor Co. Down.

The Irish National Liberation Army Bogside Mural

Another Bogside Mural. This time one from The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) referring to the hunger strike of 1981. Image Credit

Oliver Cromwell Mural

A Loyalist Mural tribute to Oliver Cromwell. The text of the mural contains 2 quotes attributed to Cromwell. It reads: “Catholicism is more than a religion, it is a political power. Therefore I’m led to believe there will be no peace in Ireland until the Catholic Church is crushed”
“Our Clergy persecuted and our Protestant churches desecrated. Also our Protestant people slaughtered in their thousands.” Image Credit

A UVF Mural at Carnhill Walk, Castlemara Estate, Carrickfergus Co Antrim

Image Credit

Ballymurphy, West Belfast. Commemorative mural

A commemorative mural in Ballymurphy, West Belfast, a staunch Nationalist Republican area of Northern Ireland. Image Credit

Further Reading

If you are interested in seeing more images of the Murals of Northern Ireland take a look at these 2 books, Loyalist Murals of Northern Ireland and Nationalist Murals of Northern Ireland. Published material is obviously a great place to start if you’re looking for professional quality pictures, but if you’re happy to see images of the Murals taken by the casual photographer, then I recommend searching Flickr and Wikipedia.

The Troubles in Northern Ireland were horrible times and Irish people all over the world hope to never see those dark days return. It’s hard to digest all that has happened. Killings, bombings, guerrilla warfare were, for far to long, part of daily life in Northern Ireland. Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland attempts to give you a balanced account of what has happened through the years in the Northern Ireland conflict. The book covers “the descent into violence, the hunger strikes, the Anglo-Irish accord, the bombers in England, to the present shaky peace process” and is a great resource for anyone looking to further their knowledge on Ireland’s troubled past.

The Future of the Murals

There have been discussions in recent years about the possibility of painting over some of the murals. Many were erected in an attempt to intimidate people of opposing beliefs and affiliations, and were almost like a trophy collection to the side they represented. I’m sure the people who were most affected by the conflict may have the most legitimate of reasons to leave the murals as they stand, or remove them.

Would you like to share your opinion? Would removing them prove beneficial to attaining long lasting peace in the North? Or do they still serve a purpose? Maybe they should remain as a reminder to people of a time that Ireland should never return to, and to the amazing work that was done to achieve peace in Northern Ireland?

Thank you for reading.
Long may peace in Ireland continue.