Editor's Blog Jun 25th 2012
TOP OF THE MORNING TO YOU
The trouble with Northern Ireland is that there is no trouble, at least not on the surface. Long gone are the days of running battles between loyalists and republicans, with the British Army trying and failing miserably at keeping the two factions apart.
The bad old days of the late sixties and into the eighties saw Belfast hemorrage much of it's population away from the city centre into the surrounding areas and further afield, as the once thriving city started to loose business as the undeclared war started to claim civilian and military casualties.
By the nineties, the civilian population had had enough. Right after the Shankill Road bombing that extinguished the lives of nine people and injured over thirty others, the two kids on the block met in a church in East Belfast and started to hammer out a cease-fire.
Fast-forward to 2012 and Northern Ireland is now touted as one of the safest cities for tourists in the world, and why is this you ask? Well, the simple answer that any Northern Irish Man will tell you, is that all the criminals are now running the country.
Belfast is thriving once again, but instead of being the hub for shipbuilding that it once was. It is now a city for tourists to take in one of the many tours available. The Belfast City open top bus will take you around all the sights that were synonymous with such senseless violence.
You will be happy to know that some habits die hard, rival bus companies are and have been torching each other’s double-deckers for no more reason than religion and turf. Such is the Irish way.
That's just one side of the Irish. The other side is of a warm, welcoming and humorous people; with close community ties and a very clear view on life. I have been staying with an Irish family myself, the kitchen becoming the heart and soul of the house, talking about anything and everything, discussions never ranging far from what's happening on your particular patch, because it will always be about your patch.
The similarities between the Northern Irish and Gibraltarians are many in my opinion. Struggle, toil, fun, family and fun. Yes I said it twice, you see we love a good crack too.
If you are lucky enough to travel to NI, take a drive up the Coastal Causeway route, touted as an area of extreme natural beauty, with flora and fauna in abundance of both terrestrial and marine origins.
The drive can see you take the afternoon tour at the Bushmills Distillery, or wobble across a rope bridge hanging high up in the wind giving you a buffeting you can't believe. Take your wet proofs and don't bother with an umbrella, as the wind will destroy it. The weather can be unpredictable and even in what is full summer it can be very cold.
I have now discovered why the Irish fight; it's to keep warm.
Ed.
