My Experience

                                                                                   By Charlie Murray

For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of visiting Ireland.  I am of Irish decent and I wanted to see the land where my ancestors came from.  Like most people, I have seen pictures, movies, etc. on Ireland and it's people...all the more reason to want to go there.  In the time leading up to our trip I did a lot of day dreaming about what it would be like.  Are the fields as green and beautiful as they look in pictures?  Are the people as friendly and humorous as they seem to be in the movies?  I also thought a lot about what Northern Ireland might be like after the Troubles.  Would it be dangerous?  Would the people still be friendly, happy, and hospitable or would they be standoffish and suspecting?  Do they like Americans? 

Almost all my questions were answered the first day.  Even on a rainy dreary day in the middle of winter Ireland was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined and each day I was in awe of everything I saw.  The highlight of it all was the north coast and the Irish Sea.  As for the people, they are the most kind, hospitable people I have ever met.  I felt more at home in Derry than I do in Tennessee.  Our sponsor's at The Junction are wonderful people and are doing vital community work.  The staff at the Tower Hotel are the best I have ever experienced.  It was like staying with family.  The people in the shops were extremely nice as well.  I met the most wonderful lady in The Donegal Shop and it was there that I bought all my souvenirs.  I spent most of my evenings in the pubs on Waterloo street and each night I met new people.  Most were from Derry, but some were visiting from places such as Armagh, Surrey England, and even other Americans.  Many of my new friends are Republicans and they were very willing to talk about their experiences and political views.  As for it being dangerous in Derry, they assured me that the violence was over and peace is the only way.  By the way, the Irish do like Americans and many of them have family in the states.  

My experience in Northern Ireland was the most incredible experience of my life and now I am dreaming of going back.  I want to share this wonderful place with my family and introduce them to the many friends I made while there.  Until then I will cherish the memories I made and share them with everyone I can.   

Taking it all in

By Jessica Fresques

Reflecting on the content of the course, I believe that I left Derry transformed. How I will approach situations in the future dealing with conflict resolution, I will look back to what I learned in Derry. The stories, the people and the cultural experience enriched my learning and heavily impacted me. When I signed up for the course I had no idea how in depth the conflict between the communities was/is rooted.  And how the Good Friday Peace Agreement was less then two decades ago.

I learned most from the stories that were told. After seeing how effective the healing through storytelling process was in Derry, I wondered if it would work in America. I feel that the whole idea brought our group closer together and we bonded well.

At the closing ceremony I enjoyed listening to the stories we told about the people we interviewed. What resonated with me most was the metaphor Amber's interviewee used to describe where Northern Ireland was in the peace building process. In describing it as a garden that is being tilled says to me that each community is recovering and moving forward. In moving forward they acknowledge there is still work to be done.

Symbolism At Its Finest

By Elizabeth Collins 
It seems this blog post was hiding in my "drafts" for some time. But I loved the pictures, so I thought I would still share.  

Symbolism seems to be everywhere you turn here in Northern Ireland. On our walking tour around the walls of Derry we saw many outward symbols of allegiance. And through our experiences speaking with people in the community we could tell there were many implied symbols as well. It seems no matter where you turn here there is an enormous amount of meaning behind things that are said and done – small and large things alike.

In the bogside there were Irish flags along with traffic signs graffitied with “IRA”. We saw many murals depicting notable events throughout the history of the Nationalist’s struggles. And of course the bloody Sunday memorial stands near a neighborhood in the bogside. 

Near the waterside there were Union jack flags in yards and on buildings. Curbs were painted read white and blue to show their commitment and murals clearly showed their feelings of loyalty.

There were many outright symbols that would be apparent to anyone visiting which “side” either neighborhood belonged to. We were also told about the parades that march through the streets and bon fires that occur that mark certain historical events. What you might not see are the smaller things; whether a person refers to the city as Derry or Londonderry, tattoos of significant figures in history, what pubs or shops people may attend, etc.

But then, thankfully there are many symbols of peace; the new building that the DiverCity Community Partnership will work out of, the peace bridge, the dove mural in the bogside, the Hands Across the Divide statues, etc.

Before this course began I may have simply seen a bridge or a picture on the side of a building but now I realize the vast amount of symbolism behind the many things you see and hear in Derry/Londonderry.

See below images of peace.

 

See below images from Bogside of Derry where Nationalists reside.

 

See below images from Waterside of Derry where Unionists reside.

See below Murals from Belfast City, depicting things important to the Nationalists.

See below Murals from Belfast, depicting things important to the Loyalists.

 

In A Manner of Speaking

By Kathleen Fueston

     One of the things I’ve enjoyed most in this part of the world has been listening to the Irish people speak.  They are very friendly and engaging. Their dialect is quite lovely and what I would describe as positive and “up”.  Most sentences are completed with an up tone rather than a down tone, like most Americans speak.   

     I thought I would share some of my most favorite phrases I have heard whilst in The Republic of Ireland as well as Northern Ireland.  Apologies to my friends and family at home who have had to put up with my Irish greetings in my emails and texts.  I’ve been trying to help you feel a wee bit of the experience we are having on the Emerald Isle.  By the way all of you Gonzaga Derry Students, these were all approved by our buddy Connor.


Greetings

How you go?  - Bout? (What about you?)  - Hi you.

What's a Craic? (How are you?)

A cup of tea and biscuits (cookies or scones) can be
found day or night.

Irish Versions of Sayings

Small – wee bit

Trash can – Rubble Ben or Litter

Bathroom – Toilet or Jacks

Mom – Mum or Mammy

Dad - Me Da

Little girl – wee cutty (Wee small tiny thing)

Awesome – smashing or brilliant
Yes - Aye

A cup of tea- A spot of tea or a bag o' Charlie

When you’ve missed out on something - I’m ragin’

I’m crushing on you.  - I’m sparking for you

No bother  - OK or sure

Flu shot – Winter Jab Service

Fun – craic (crack)

Here are some of my favorite signs that I have come across on my wanderings:

Yeild

Here's how you get a number
for the fitting room.

 A trash can in the city.

     Keeping Belfast lovely from various offenders.



Another trash bin in one local Build a Burger restaurant.

This explained mind your manners to me.

    Watch out for speed bumps.                                                                

                    

 The toilet or loo - this one was quite fancy.

Now for a few random stories behind the pictures:

The men in our group kept mentioning a wonderful map of Ireland in their bathroom just outside the restraunt at the Tower Hotel and the women in the group would say, "Well we didn't get a map in our bathroom." Finally, one day we asked Charlie if he could check if "the coast was clear" in the men's bathroom and the women invaded to go see the map.  This is the evidence of our adventure!

The Irish love their dogs. The dogs can be found all over the city walking their owners.  One day as we went for a walk on the Peace Bridge, we met Rocky. Rebecca asked if she could take him home with her to be her support dog.  The man laughed and said no.  At least we got to pet this cute pup! 

Craft Village

By Elizabeth Collins

Though our time in Ireland has ended I find myself reliving the memories already as I tell my family and friends of the wonderful time I spent in Derry. One story in particular I have told a few times but when I was in Ireland did not blog about so I thought I would share.

While in Derry we were continuously taken back by how open, enjoyable, and talkative the people are. I visited a shop in the “Craft Village” a few times and found myself chatting with the owner each time I visited. Craft Village is a beautiful little area full of specialty shops selling handmade crafts and cafes serving food and drinks. The woman started off by welcoming me to Derry and asking how my stay had been so far. In no time we were chatting about the place that she had grown up, what living through The Troubles had been like for her, her views on people coming together, the artist’s work in her shop, and more.

The woman described growing up in a small town about fifteen minutes outside of Derry; a place where the Protestants live right next to the Catholics. Neighbors are friends and the children grow up together regardless of faith. She can remember during the height of the troubles a few acts of violence that occurred in her community. However, she said after those few attacks everyone in the community came together for the funerals. They mourned together and then decide that the violence could not continue. The families in this town were friends; they had grown up together and raised their children together. She said thankfully it only took a couple incidents for the community to come together.

Her store front doesn’t have a flashy name or sign but inside are little treasures crafted by people of different faiths and backgrounds – all Northern Ireland residents. In this little store there is handmade jewelry, photography, paintings, statues, and more. The owner proudly told me about one of the artists that sells his things in her shop; a South African man that now calls Derry home. She spoke to me about a Christmas card display that was in her shop in December and how she offered cards that said Derry as well as cards that said Londonderry. She told me about starting her store up and having to get old furniture anywhere she could to put the treasures on because she could not afford to buy new shelves; now she is slowly redecorating.

The woman didn’t want her picture taken, but happily offered to let me take pictures of her shop. She did not have a computer or a business card but offered to take down my email address so that in the event that she knew anyone that would be an asset to our learning in Derry she could point them in my direction. She was one of many open books that I had the pleasure to meet while I was in Derry. I am so thankful to have heard her story.

Visiting The Fountain

by Leslie Simmons 

Our program has ended and most of us have been away from Derry-Londonderry for day a now, but I just wanted to share some photos of The Fountain. This is an area that few of us actually visited while there. It’s a Loyalist/Unionist/Protestant neighborhood with the motto of “No Surrender” -  a reference to the Siege of Derry when King James’ fighters launched a cannonball into the walled city that was hollowed out and contained the terms of a surrender. The response of the Williamites – the Protestants – who were fighting? “No surrender.”

It is an interesting stretch of road we walked. Entering through Bishops Gate at the so-called Peace Wall. We initially wanted to go to the music located in the ancient tower there. It was closed. So Dr. Kelleher walked us through the neighborhood and pointed out some of the murals and some history of the neighborhood.

 

The images we saw included every stretch of curb is painted with the colors of the Union flag – red, white & blue. (And as classmate Kyle, an engineer, pointed out, each color is perfectly measured.) There were also some murals that really pushed the Never Surrender message, including some at a chlidren’s center.

The day before the visit to The Fountain, I walked through the Creggan, which is on the other side of town and is a Republican/Catholic neighborhood. I ran into some sidewalks painted orange, white and green (the color of the flag of the Republic of Ireland), but it wasn’t as consistent as the curbs The Fountain.

I wish all my fellow classmates could have visited and seen this neighborhood. We know Belfast is having some big problems right now. But the visit really drove the point that there is still tension in Derry-Londonderry

No Surrender in The Fountain

The visit to The Fountain came on the last day of our program this last Saturday. At a celebration, we were treated to the music of Roy Arbuckle, who comes from The Foundation and even recorded a CD titled “Songs from The Fountain.” Roy’s music is about peace and love – such a sharp contrast to some of the imagery you see and feel in The Fountain. 

Painted sidewalks in The Fountain.

The monument to the Williamites who died during the Siege of Derry.

The small museum at the Peace Wall on the Loyalist side.

 

The so-called Peace Wall at sunset. To the left, Loyalists. To the right, Nationalists.