The Troubles

Last Friday Julia, Heather and I spent the morning on a Black Taxi tour, learning a bit more about 'the troubles' by getting a tour of the some of the areas of Belfast that are still divided and covered in murals. For a little background 'the troubles' refers to the time between 1970 to the mid-90s when Catholic militant groups were fighing to reunite Ireland while Protestant groups were trying to keep Northern Ireland's Brittish rule. In this time many innocent people were killed, the country is still struggling to heal from all the damage done.
We visited Catholic and Protestant communities still divided by a 'peace wall' and gates that close the road between after dark. The messages on murals are similar on both sides, tributes to heroes and successes, prayers that history won't repeat itself and for troubles to end in other parts of the world...
gates to keep kids from causing more trouble after dark...

The peace wall that divides and will continue to do so until the people express a common desire to have it taken down.