iWitnessings

I was fortunate enough to be sent to Dublin Ireland for work.  I added a Saturday at the end of the work to do some sightseeing.  Ireland is a tourist destination, and they have very good sightseeing trips.  I booked a tour bus trip up to the north end of the island to see Belfast and the Giants Causeway, two popular tourist destinations.

The day could not have been more perfect, blue sunny skies that are rare with big billowy clouds.

The scenic sights were great.

What was just as memorable though was the bus driver.  He had spent 7 years in British jails without a trial as a suspected IRA sympathizer.

There was no love of the British.  Through his eyes I saw another side of the conflict that does not show up in the news at home.  A 400 year old oppression by the British that led to the problems.  Land ownership and education were denied to anyone Irish.  I saw newspaper employment ads by Waterford from the 1970s that specified no Catholics could apply.  I found out about how the IRA robbed banks and used the money to found a taxi service for the Catholics since they were not allowed to ride on the bus.  I saw the police stations in Belfast that were in reality forts.  I heard about how the police led the riots against the Catholics.  There really are two sides to every dispute.

The Giant’s Causeway was spectacular, same formation as Devil’s Post Pile.

What was equally moving though were the murals in Belfast. The murals depicted a people tired of being down trodden.

One of the biggest learnings for me, was the re affirmation of a simple truth found on a bumper sticker; “If you want peace, practice justice”

 

If your want to see more photos, stop by PatrickLynchPhotography.com