In addition to my photos of the actual prison, I visited the Irish Republican History Museum while in Belfast. Inside the museum was a replica of an Armagh Gaol cell, including all of the actual furniture and the cell door that was once used in the prison. I was very happy to have found this, as there is none of this furniture left in the actual jail anymore.

Claire also gave me a better insight into how different the business of news is in Northern Ireland compared to North American news outlets. She explained how she opened a neutral newspaper, as opposed to the more commonly one-sided newspapers that currently run, and it only lasted for six weeks. While that in no way means that the quality of the journalism for the newspaper was poor, it does prove that political and religious beliefs are directly linked with what news outlets people in Northern Ireland choose to read. This was something that I was not used to seeing at home.

My weekend in Belfast also surprisingly provided me with more information on my current feature topic – the Armagh Gaol. While on a West Belfast Mural Tour, I was provided with incredibly detailed information about what life was like for political prisoners in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, with a large focus on the various hunger strikes that occurred.

My tour guide, Tom, also directed me to the Irish Republican History Museum, or the Eileen Hickey Museum. The museum has a replica of what an Armagh Gaol cell would have looked like, with the furniture and cell door that was in an actual Armagh Gaol cell. The minuscule size of the cell shocked me, considering many women spent up to 23 hours a day, every day for years locked in those cells.

Simply put, the history of Belfast left me speechless. I have never visited a city that so openly discusses its considerably recent violent history from all sides, with such a positive outlook on the future. While many believe barriers like the Peace Wall will be up for years to come, a few, like Tom, have a strong belief that the wall will be down within a decade.

Belfast was admittedly not the most visually appealing site I have seen in Ireland so far, despite beautiful buildings like their city hall. In all fairness, it’s hard to compete with the Giant’s Causeway. However, I had the most enriching experience out of my entire three weeks of European travel in just two days. You simply can’t beat a good history lesson.

Chief Inspector John Burrows said that the device was in fact viable, and was “capable of causing serious injury.” 

While not mentioned in the article, it may or may not be coincidental that this bomb was planted only a few days after the Twelfth of July celebrations, which are notorious for massive bonfires and violent outbreaks. However, the police are planning to keep their minds open about why the bomb was placed.

It’s quite disturbing to hear that someone would still create a device with the goal of injuring innocent people in this day and age, and while thankfully no one was injured, those who were evacuated were likely very shaken up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-28307506

“Well you’re very welcome here.”

The incredible hospitality has been like nothing I have seen in any of my travels so far. So many people in the city of Armagh have gone out of their way to make me feel welcomed with open arms, and it’s truly heart warming.

I hope that during my stay here that I earn this hospitality, as I sincerely appreciate how comfortable the Armagh locals have made me feel in such a short amount of time.

http://www.culturenorthernireland.org/article/757/martin-lynch

His sometimes controversial writing style makes him standout as a playwright. Here are the questions I would like to ask him:

1. Some consider your writing style to be controversial. Do you intentionally write controversy? If so, why?

2. How much historical research do you have to conduct before writing plays such as The History of the Troubles Accordin’ to My Da?

3. Which of your own plays are you the most proud of and why?

When you travel to a foreign country, people often take a keen interest in where you’re originally from. We like to believe that by knowing where someone grew up, we’ll have a better idea of who they are.

Without a doubt, nationality holds a high importance to many people on a global basis. I proudly identify myself as Canadian because I identify that as my home, where I developed my personal beliefs, and where I feel safe, happy, and welcome.

It’s the understanding that I may have been a very different person if I had grown up somewhere else that strikes me. Would I have the same sense of humour or moral belief system if I had been raised somewhere else in the world? Likely not.

Nationality matters because it does define who we are. Not because of stereotypes, but because where we grew up impacts who we are. Who we meet, what we’re taught, and social norms shape us as people, and nationality goes hand in hand with that.

One of the first things I noticed about the city was the architecture. I spend a fair bit of time in Toronto, where most of the buildings are rather modern, and during the week I spent in Paris before coming to Ireland, I was surrounded by some beautiful buildings that were centuries old. Dublin, on the other hand, had an even mix of the two. Many of the modern buildings were either across the street, or directly beside the more historic buildings, which is a sight I had never seen before. It seemed to speak volumes towards the cities lengthy history, combined with its recent modernity.

A large portion of my weekend was spent simply exploring the city, rather than rushing through it to see all of the tourist sites it had to offer. This gave me the chance to immerse myself in the culture of Dublin, and what I noticed surprised me.

While I knew Dublin attracted people from around the world, I did not expect the number of people who were clearly not native to Ireland. I frequently heard people on the street who spoke various languages, and many people working in different shops and restaurants had accents that weren’t Irish. This multiculturalism really struck a chord with me, as I’m used to such diversity back home.

However, I did take the time to see some of the touristy destinations, like the Abbey Theatre and the Guinness Storehouse. I was able to tour both, and it became quite clear how important both sites are to Dublin’s culture and history.

While I wish I had more time to explore the city, what little time I did have there was amazing. I continue to fall further in love with this country, and I can’t wait to carry on with my exploration of it.

After less than a day, I have already been given a great taste of what Dublin has to offer. With both a walking tour and some free time to wander on our own, the familiarity of being in a big city settled in. I was given the chance to visit some amazing sites like Trinity College, Dublin Castle, the home where Oscar Wilde once lived, and a powerful memorial for those who died during the Irish famine.

I also had a wonderful backstage tour of the famous Abbey Theatre. I was given the chance to go onto the stage with the current set for Aristocrats, a play that I am looking forward to seeing tomorrow.

The food has also been wonderful, and I listened to some classic Irish music at a bar to finish the night off. All in all, Dublin has thoroughly impressed me, and I can’t wait to see what else this city has to offer.

In regards to the Republic of Ireland’s difference to Northern Ireland, it’s hard to say with how little I’ve seen. Dublin and Armagh are two entirely different cities, and it’s hardly fair to compare such a small city with the capital of the country. However, there hasn’t been a part of either the north or the south that I haven’t enjoyed yet, both for their differences and for their similarities.

The paintings on the wall, often 3-D, had such intricate details of different landmarks in the city. One painting even included graffiti on the sides of some buildings. There was a great mixture of both natural landscape paintings, and paintings of some of the city’s most notable architecture, like the cathedrals.

The Armagh community is also given a chance to appreciate local artists for their talents, as opposed to foreign paintings from people who wouldn’t be able to understand or appreciate the city for what it is to the same degree that a local would. It was refreshing to see local artistry being appreciated.

As for the historic artifacts, there was an impressive amount of detail considering how much of it would have been handmade. The model boat and trains, the “Prehistory Case,” and the clothing were all rich in handmade details. I cannot even fathom the amount of hours that would have gone into a single one of the dresses on display.

The craftsmanship on display impressed me thoroughly, and it really helped me to gain perspective on the amount of work that would have gone into certain tasks that we take for granted as easy.

Also, the dresses were beautiful and I would whole-heartedly support if they came back in style (minus the corsets).

While we managed to get lost on our way to the apple orchard, we were quickly welcomed and given an extensive tour of their facilities. The tour went in the order of the company’s clever slogan, “from blossom to bottle.” So of course, we had to start with the apple trees.

The apple orchard itself was a beautiful, vivid green, which stretched farther than I could see. We were shown the different types of apples before moving inside. Philip then showed us where they press the apples for the juice, along with where the cider is bottled and pasteurized. He seemingly hid nothing as he so kindly described each step of the cider or juice-making process, and allowed us to interview him and snap as many pictures as we pleased.

He then surprised us with the other jobs the company also does, including making rosettes (large prize ribbons), and sport horse breeding. We were given the chance to see the horses, along with the few friendly dogs that run free around the company grounds.

Philip then offered us a taste testing of both their different types of cider, and their apple juice, both of which we thoroughly enjoyed.

With a more natural production than I am used to seeing, I was impressed by their ideologies and methods. On top of that, the hospitality and good humour of the staff helped provide me with such a wonderful experience. The small company is proof that dedication and traditional business values are not lost, and that it’s quality, not quantity that matters the most.