Today was such an amazing day. My peers and I celebrated the first day of summer by going on an outdoor adventure. We headed towards the country side Northern Ireland and it was a very interesting experience. Our road trip lasted about 2 hours, and we made several stops along the way. One of the things I noticed is that as you move away the city , neighborhoods become more political and national identity starts shifting from town to town. There were places were the Irish flag flew free in the sky , while in others there were monuments and flags praising the English crown. Although our tour was not meant to be educational or to address this issue, our tour guide shared with us what he thinks is the reality of Northern Ireland. He explained to us that the political spectrum in this particular place is broad. There is people that identify themselves as being Irish, others British, and others simply as Northern Irish. He also shared with us something I thought it was pretty cool. Apparently citizens of Northern Ireland are allowed to have both an English and Irish passport, which kind of allows them to pledge alliance to the country they feel more related too. Also, he explained that after the Brexit referendum a lot of people who didnt have an Irish passport decided to get one to ensure mobility across the European Union. I think this is going to be something to look up at the future because I think it could be a game changer for Northern Ireland’s political situation.
The biggest highlight of the day was our visit to the Giant’s Causeway, and walking to the Rope Bridge. It was such a wonderful experience. I will attach a couple of pictures, but I must say that the camera doesn’t do justice to the beauty of this place. Honestly, it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seem.
Wow! Your tour yesterday was an excellent introduction to the murals we saw today–it gave an idea of how complicated identity in Belfast can be.