Family ties and traditons

Our morning correspondent is Ryan Brown:

We began our day by getting dressed in our most formal outfits yet (yes, even more formal than our meeting with the President), and took cabs to City Hall to meet the Lord Mayor of Belfast. When we arrived, we were immediately struck by the beauty of the Victorian-era building. The marble walls, gilded chandeliers, and magnificent dome could have been taken strait from a palace in England. A fun fact about the interior of City Hall: it was designed by Daniel Pirrie, the same man who created the Titanic.

We were seated in an ornate board room and served tea and biscuits as we waited for Lord Mayor Convery to arrive. When he arrived, he began to describe the difficulties politicians face in Northern Ireland. He said the current system of government does not work because, in an attempt to be inclusive, the system has only created log-jams and politicians cannot agree on anything. Negotiating is almost impossible because no one wants to concede anything. He said that people must face reality and change their attitudes in order to preserve peace. According to him, students like us play a large role in changing these attitudes when we work within communities because we provide a different perspective and have unbiased opinions.

After a brief tour of City Hall, in which we saw the council chamber and the Titanic memorial, we made our way to the United States Consulate. On the way there, we had an interesting conversation with our cab driver about American football (unfortunately, he was a Bengals fan). When we arrived at the consulate building, we were greeted by tank barricades, identification checks, and metal detectors. After successfully clearing security, we were seated in a dining room and once again served tea and biscuits as Kamala Lakhdhir, the Consul General, greeted us. She began to describe to us her job. The US Consulate in Belfast, founded in 1796, is the second oldest overseas presence the US holds due to the economic relationship and immigration history the two countries share. The Consulate reports to the US embassy in London, and its general purpose is to grant visas and provide Americans in Belfast services such as birth certificates. According to Ms. Lakhdhir, the Consulate has three main objectives in regards to Northern Ireland: sustain and support the peace process, help build the economy and develop employment opportunities, and to help the nation break its sectarian divide.

Ms. Lakhdhir put much emphasis on Northern Ireland’s economy, which is in a terrible state. She described the US’s efforts to improve the economy by bringing US companies and investors to Northern Ireland. Although it may seem counterproductive to take jobs away from the US economy and move them overseas, it is incredibly important in maintaining peace. The working-class communities, which have been hit hardest by the bad economy, are also the most prone to violence. By providing them with jobs, the US provides these communities with an incentive to remain peaceful. One of the challenges is that most US companies that move to Northern Ireland seek and employ highly educated workers leaving behind the groups with the greatest need for employment.

Sectarianism was also a key focus in our discussion with the Consul General. According to Ms. Lakhdhir, sectarian differences are not the focus of most of the citizens of Northern Ireland. Communities are concerned with jobs, education, and funding, NOT a United Ireland. They plead with their politicians to move past this debate and focus on the important issues, but the political parties have narrow focus and are trapped. She says Northern Ireland needs a new generation of leaders who are not as strongly rooted in sectarianism. Emphasis must be put on fostering cross-community contact and relationships. Ms. Lakhdhir stated that the conflict in Northern Ireland is not about religion; it is about self-identity. The Irish are a very tribal people who value their culture and customs. The key to ending sectarianism is to unite the people of Northern Ireland without taking away the culture and traditions of any particular group; which is an enormous challenge.

Now, many may ask: “Why does the US care so much about Northern Ireland?” Ms. Lakhdhir’s answer was “because it’s the right thing to do”. The US has a moral obligation to promote peace in a nation it has such close relations with. Also, the US has put so much money and effort in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, it cannot let those efforts go to waste. She said we could apply what we are learning here in Belfast back in the States because the US faces many similar problems. Discrimination and cultural misunderstanding are problems clearly evident in Northern Ireland, but are also serious problems back home. The most memorable lesson Ms. Lakhdhir said she has learned in Belfast is that, even though humans can do horrible things, they are capable of changing for the better.

Our afternoon correspondent is Ian Varnish:

This afternoon we had to rush to the Institute of Irish Studies for a lecture with Dr. Dominic Bryan. Fortunately for us he is very gracious and was willing to start a few minutes late. His lecture was about the history of the Orange marches and how they are controlled today. Orange marches happen across Northern Ireland on July 12th to signify the "Protestant victory" at the Battle of the Boyne. On the surface the marches celebrate the Battle of Boyne where King William of Orange, a Protestant, defeated King James II, a Catholic. What is ironic is that this interpretation is completely off because King William (Protestant) was backed by the Pope (Catholic).

The parades have become extremely contentious and a source of conflict. In recent years many have been banned to walk their traditional routes because they present a “clear and present danger” to citizens. Along with the parades, Dr. Bryan talked about the Orange Order or the Loyal Orange Lodge or L.O.L. (not to be confused with lol --laugh out loud for those who aren't tech savvy). He discussed the massive rise of the Orange Order in the later 19th and early 20th century. At one point Northern Ireland was referred to as the "Orange State." He then explained factors that have led to its decline in recent decades. He concluded by allowing us to ask him a few questions and with that we headed off.

We decided to go out for Thai food but, unfortunately, the restaurant was closed. So a few of us (Sam, Tom, Ryan, and David) decided to make a stop at our favorite restaurant, Maggie May's, though this time we had an extra guest, Vince. We met up with Mr. Bizga and went to the book store and City Hall. Then we returned the dorms to relax after a long day.

Several of the students have family in Ireland. Tonight David Dugan's family, the Lytle's, came from Portadown, south of Belfast, to visit him and ended up visiting with all of us. They stayed and had a good time. The Lytle's were very friendly and fun to meet. David commented after they left, "It was really cool of Mr. Bizga to set this up." Some of us were unofficially invited to a dance party with Italian students at the Student Center. We all got dressed up and were ready to have a good time. However, there were too many of us, so our Italian friends were sorry to see us leave. We walked back to the dorms for some snacks, everyone filled with antsy excitement for the future of Cleveland sports was to be decided tonight....