Still living with the past in Belfast

Palm Garden conservatory
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It’s not only the number plates that are different in Northern Ireland.

Passing through Newry, known as the Gateway to the North, we found ourselves on the B8 back road via Hilltown to Belfast, a town immersed in a recent war, supposedly of economic importance but for myself, and I’m sure for many readers, an unnecessary war of unfathomable proportions.

Life’s too short for this shit.

Northern Ireland slid into violence in the late 1960s as the unionist-dominated state resisted demands from Catholics for civil rights and equality. The war continued for 33 years and was marked by atrocities that shocked the world with attacks that shook the very heart of government and business. Ceasefires came and went, as did secret negotiations until 28 July 2005 when former IRA prisoner Seanna Walsh negotiated peace.

One of the earliest examples of a curvilinear and cast iron glasshouse
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Belfast was smaller than I’d expected, nestled in an oval valley between mountains that we could not climb because it rained. After a frustrating time locating Malone Lodge Hotel and being upgraded to a double room because my room hadn’t been made up, we were disappointed to find that dinner wasn’t included. Thank goodness for mum’s “nose bag” and the Irish breakfast.

Next day we were had to make do with a city tour which turned out to be more interesting than expected. Belfast used to be the industrial part of Ireland and was known for producing the best quality Irish linen, spun and woven in Ireland for centuries and made from flax fibre, grown in Ireland. Belfast is also known for the first vertical take-off planes in the world, the first pneumatic tyre and the valve, shipping mineral water to the USA way before coke was imported to Ireland, precision engineering as well as for building the largest ocean going vessel in the world - the Titanic.

Colourful display in the conservatory
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I wanted to see the botanical gardens, especially after seeing pictures of the magnificent Palm Garden conservatory, designed by Richard Turner in 1840. It was one of the earliest examples of a curvilinear and cast iron glasshouse. Our guide Ken then took us to see the 130 year-old tropical garden, an amazing feat of engineering and completed in 1889. There are plants from every country along the equator along with a waterfall diving one storey below ground, the air scented with orchids, loquats, bananas and moisture. The tropical garden was originally only open to the gentle folk of Belfast.

130 year-old tropical garden
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But Belfast is also the place of the IRA wars between the Protestants and Loyalists – one of the main tourist attractions nowadays. We were taken to Falls Road, triggering memories of shootouts and bombings, war torn and destroyed. Nowadays it’s a quiet place marked with murals – memorials commemorating the past, popular with visitors who gawk and try to understand the reason for the war fought for so long. Green flags demarcate the area and the headquarters of Sin Fein, surrounded by pubs and streets named after freedom fighters.

Once only open to the gentry
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The dividing side between “the other side” is the Peace (of mind) Wall and the sight of tit-for-tat killings, marked with messages from visitors such as “life’s too short for this shit”. Next stop, Shankill Road, now a busy thoroughfare emblazoned with Union Jacks and murals decorated with plaques and poppies.

Lunch and a much needed glass of wine (South African of course) with Jan Nugent of Northern Ireland Tourism Board (NITB) at John Hewitt Bar in the heart of Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, featured in the Food Lover’s Guide to Ireland. Just down the road, the Morning Star and the place where Sir Anthony O’Reilly - my ‘big’ boss - works.

Murals on the Falls Road
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And true to form, it started to rain, actually to pour – umbrella stuff. In the afternoon we were supposed to be hiking in the Divis Mountain, managed by the National Trust and winner of the recent national lottery Amazing Spaces award. Divis is in the hills surrounding Belfast, apparently “offering spectacular views of the town and Belfast Lough leading to the North Channel.”

There was nothing we could do but to head back to the hotel and plough through accumulated pamphlets and brochures. Later it cleared a little so we braved the showers and headed for Belfast Castle, a disappointing affair built in 1870 but on a prominent site on the slopes of Cave Hill, 120m above Belfast Lough.

Sinn Fein head office - notice the tourists
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While taking pictures we were absconded by a leprechaun, Timothy of photoboxgallery.com/cavehill who advised us to walk to the Devil’s Punchbowl. This was good advice as we could see the city and sea below and the cliffs above. He joined us to give further ideas of northern Irish politics as we descended, sheltered from showers under his brollie, a rainbow arching over the Lough.