Belfast July 15, 2016

[Martin Hash]

When I was in High School, the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) dominated the news for many months. I wrote a report about them that I gave to my erstwhile girlfriend to cover her homework assignment just because the topic of revolution was so provocative to me (plus I was infatuated with the girl), even though I was never enamored to the revolutionary Che in the same way. That nascent interest was again evoked by the Northern Ireland terrorism a decade later, one which I followed but did not know where to place my loyalties because I did not understand the real reasons behind the fighting, which only now have come into focus after visiting Belfast and experiencing the place in person.

Belfast Pat.jpg

Our “Black Cab” driver, Pat, with Provisional IRA sympathies was our tour guide. He started out with an anti-Catholic rant incited by a pushy Asian woman that pontificated “born a Catholic always a Catholic” but after apologizing, he took us through the gates that separated the two halves of the city. Most notable were the giant murals of past participants in “The Troubles.” On the Orange side, was Stevie “Top Gun” McKeag, killer of 12-20 Provos before he was 30 years old, depending on who's telling the story. His giant picture painted on the side of the building is not flattering but neither are the '90s era murals of parliament member, Hunger-Striker, & Dirty-Protester Bobby Sands & his cohorts in the Catholic area; it's like looking at retro pictures of The Partridge Family. Actually, I was repelled by both sides, which I hope is everyone's reaction other than those who were personally involved at the time.

Top Gun.jpg

Bobby Sands.jpg

Pat explained that The Orange “marched” much of the year to celebrate their superiority in Northern Ireland. He told us a local joke: “How come the Orange only have six months on their calendar?”' Punchline: January, February, March, March, March, March, March, March... He also reveled in a recent mishap where one of their bonfires caught three nearby townhouses on fire, which he gleefully pointed out during the tour.

The Northern Ireland conflict has gone dormant in recent years, ever since modern terrorism became so horrific that only fanatics would voluntarily be part of it, and the Irish consider themselves more civilized than that.