Belfast & Queen's University (Finnbar)

 My experience of the Peace Wall yesterday was extremely eye-opening. From the highly political and radical murals, to the well crafted and thought out graffiti, it was a lovely trip filled with art and life. By traveling through the countryside into Belfast that was a key part of our trip. When looking out the window, I could see rolling hills with vibrant green grass, and I even saw some livestock: sheep and horses. On the way back, we actually were in the middle of some of the protests. There were tractors by our left side on two separate occasions which I thought was pretty jarring. The tour itself was amazing. The most interesting part, in my opinion, was just how much the tour guides differed in views regarding the north of Ireland. Ben is a strong Republican, and Mark is a strong Unionist. I am very thankful that I heard both guides' opinions because I feel I now have a better and fuller grasp on the situation as a whole. The tour was split in half. The first half Ben was speaking his mind and sharing the history of the north of Ireland. and the second half was Mark doing the same. Again, it was so interesting to hear their perspectives on both sides of the political spectrum. In the end, I really enjoyed my time in Belfast and would recommend anyone to have a look and learn the history of the Peace Wall.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Departure to Dublin 4/11 (Tyler)

Image
The departure to Dublin was actually fairly interesting. Everyone had come by around 8:45, so we had prepared our luggage, said our goodbyes and left to get our bags checked and subsequently to go through security. It was a bit saddening, having to say goodbye to our parents, but the trip ahead made it all the more worth it. We went ahead to security and made it though without much hassle, and then it was mainly a waiting game for the plane to arrive while we walked around and bought whatever snacks we could and the like. 
Read more

Pier-to-Pier Challenge Recap(Daniel S)

Image
  Today was what will most likely be the most physically demanding day of the trip. We participated in the 2026 Pier-to-Pier Challenge, a 26‑kilometre journey from Dún Laoghaire Pier on Dublin’s Southside to Howth Pier on the Northside. This was part of a fundraiser for Spinal Injuries Ireland, Ireland’s only dedicated support service for the more than 2,700 people living with a spinal cord injury in Ireland. As part of our walk, students needed to navigate the packed city streets with one student per group in a wheelchair. While I personally never rode in one, helping to navigate and push the students along with the group showed how difficult the daily life of a person with a spinal injury can be. By the end of the event, many generous donors of the BC High team (hi and thank you) raised over €1,000, an incredibly generous amount and a far cry from the original €250 goal. While it’s certainly a long walk that I don’t plan on doing again any time soon, it was a nice change of pace...
Read more

Belfast & Queen's University (Nicholas)

Image
Today, we headed up to Belfast in Northern Ireland to learn about the 2 sides of the political conflict, and to explore one of the most famous colleges on the island. Queen's university sort of felt like a little safe space in the middle of an area of ongoing conflict. The city was full of strong history, but it also seemed a little gloomy, and honestly in a way it felt like something was a little off, which I guess is accurate. The campus was beautiful and there were lots of flowers and open spaces filled with greenery and walkways. It kind of reminded me of colleges in the United States, but it also had a slightly different feel. The student union was crazy nice, it looked brand new and had a whole little store inside it. There were tons of people there and it just seemed like a really cool place to be able to go. Afterwards, we walked back to the sports facilities and headed upstairs to try some Gaelic sports. At first, we tried Gaelic football and it was honestly really hard. Y...
Read more