Today we awoke with much more enthusiasm than we had after the plane ride, thanks to a far better night’s sleep here at Queens Elms Residence Halls. Everyone got dressed up in our suits or skirts for our journey to Stormont: the Northern Ireland Assembly. Before we headed out, we went to the cafeteria at Queen’s for an “Ulster Fry.” We made our way to the front of Queens Elms Residence Halls to catch our taxis to Stormont.
The Northern Ireland Assembly building is quite impressive and is made of white Portland stone. Later during our tour we were told the buildings were inspired by the Westminster Parliament in England. Upon our arrival we were hastily ushered into the buildings. The Deputy First Minister (Head of State) Martin McGuinness greeted us outside the building in the rare Irish sunshine and “welcomed us a hundred thousand times.” He introduced himself with a warm smile and a firm handshake, allowing everyone to feel at ease as he told us that he could always make time in his schedule for his friends from the United States. His enthusiasm is rooted in the Clinton administration, as wellas the successive administrations’ commitment to foster peace in Ireland. After answering our questions, giving encouraging words for the future of Northern Ireland, and smiling for a group picture, he left his next meeting, which happened to be with the British Prime Minister. I cannot help but mention how surreal it was meeting McGuinness. There was the group of tourists staring at McGuinness during our entire interaction and taking pictures of our distinguished speaker. We felt like ambassadors and truly were some of the most fortunate visitors to Stormont.
Immediately after Mr. McGuinness left we exchanged pleasantries and took a quick picture, one of about a thousand to come via Mr. Bizga, with Ian Paisley, Jr. This encounter was a total switch of perspective from the one we had with Sinn Féin leader Martin McGuinness as Ian Paisley, Sr. has been an influential member of the Democratic Unionist Party opposing Sinn Féin. Our tour of Parliament was lively thanks to a bubbly tour guide, who added her own history to the tour, something I have noticed is very common among people here in Belfast. We heard the history of the great hall, the building’s resemblance to the Westminster Parliament, and she told us what was in the mysterious red boxes in the Senate room. Nothing! Apparently when the Bible and other religious books were taken out of them, the keys were lost so the boxes have remained locked and empty. I’m not the only one who loses their keys, Mom….
After our tour we were privileged to meet with Paul Butler, a former IRA member and a current Member of the Legislative Assembly(MLA). He told us about his life – joining the IRA at seventeen, being in prison until his early thirties, and being one of the “blanket protesters” when he sat in prison naked except for the blanket he wore. To our disappointment, Butler cleverly avoided Patrick’s question about what he had done for the IRA. Instead, he provided a general description of IRA activities. Mr. Bizga took our picture, and he headed off to participate in a session of the Assembly. After briefly sitting in on the Assembly hearings where we were briefed on Swine Flu preventions in the UK and Northern Ireland, not kidding, after which we headed to lunch. Today I finally figured out that all coins are not worth a pound, especially those that say one pence on them (thanks Tom), we were introduced to an unexpected guest speaker, Alex Maskey MLA. He was the first Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Belfast. He welcomed us to Ireland and spoke to us for several minutes. He explained the importance of recent events in Belfast and, of course, took a picture with our group. Raymond committed a misdemeanor by “borrowing” special napkins for all of us, and we headed back to the main floor of Stormont. Even lunch in Belfast is full of experiences!
The weather here is shockingly sunny and warm. I still feel like I am at home in that respect. On the other hand, all four girls will be needing podiatrist appointments upon our return to the states, as we suffer from high heel syndrome (HHS), a health threat even more dire that Swine Flu. Ouch! Much love from Belfast! --Sonja
Our afternoon correspondent is Sarah Murray:
This afternoon we met with the Right Honorable Mr. Jeffrey Donaldson, MLA, MP, of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Mr. Donaldson thoroughly and eloquently answered the myriad questions we had, some of which regarded the police service and the prospect of a united Ireland. Currently, all governing powers in Northern Ireland have been given to the Northern Ireland Assembly except those of policing and justice. Mr. Donaldson believes that when these powers are returned to the Assembly the responsibility for the ministry should be entrusted to a relatively moderate party; opposed to his own party or Sinn Féin. Being a unionist, he believes that Northern Ireland should retain the political link with Great Britain. He is proud of both his British and Northern Irish identity. In fact, he is a member of the Privy Council to Her Majesty, meaning he advises the Queen on important matters and is just all around important. However, he is a committed democrat and recognizes that a majority citizens' vote will ultimately decide the province's fate - whether to be aligned with the United Kingdom or become a part of the Republic of Ireland. Throughout the day, Tom asked the fundamental question "Where do you see Ireland in 10 years?" of every single person we met. Mr. Donaldson hoped for a future of peace and prosperity for all of the citizens of Northern Ireland.
Following our meeting with Mr. Donaldson and an innumerable number of pictures mandated by our fearless leader Mr. Bizga, we hopped into a cab and travelled to the Irish Studies Department of Queen's University. There we received a lecture on Irish literature from Dr. Eamonn Hughes. He explored many of the dominant themes of Irish literature and provocatively asked if there was anything exceptional about the Irish tradition. We then proceeded back to our dorms on foot after one last picture. Yet despite the dull, stabbing pain in our heels and toes, we felt an empowering sense of accomplishment from our intensely action-packed, fun-filled day at Stormont. After arriving home, Mr. Bizga and the four girls prepared a delicious pasta dinner, complete with homemade meatballs! For dessert we had Banoffee Pie which is a local favorite. The festivities were set to some dance-inspiring tunes, and we sang and danced throughout the evening. We have dubbed the night "The Disco Dinner Dance Party." Our trusty companion Raymond then briefed us on the different Irish political parties during our reflective discussion of the day's events.
Quote of the day: "If you're confused [about the situation in
Northern Ireland], then you've learned something."
-Ian Paisley Jr. to us at Stormont
Much love, Sarah :D
