At the risk of promoting the cliches, here are the 4 things I’m reading over and over as I learn about Belfast…
1. Claim to Fame: Famous citizens of Belfast include C.S. Lewis, Van Morrison and Chaim Herzog (the former President of Israel). U2’s signature song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (Isn’t this a blast from the past for all you children of the 80s? Rock that mullet, Bono!) is about…
2. The Troubles: a period of rioting and conflict in Northern Ireland (especially Belfast) between 2 groups that self-identify as British/Protestant/unionist/loyalist or Irish/Catholic/nationalist/republican, lasting from 1969 until the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Today, the city is still separated by peace walls that physically divide the two groups, primarily in the north and western parts of the city, although some integration is occurring. This year has seen some violence. My Smarter Cities Challenge will create a roadmap for integration of city services in these historically divided communities.
Never you fear (I’m looking at YOU, Mom, Dad and Steve), it is totally safe and any demonstrations have to be registered with the city. Happily, there’s been a…
3. Resurgence: Since the 1998 peace agreement, Belfast has made significant social, cultural and economic investments and it’s becoming a center for culture and tourism in the UK, due in part to the….
4. Titanic: The doomed oceanliner was built in Belfast at the Harland and Wolff shipyard. A new museum opened in March 2012 and the historic Titanic Quarter has been a magnet for tourists.
How about that? Some Irish trivia for your day… cheers! #smartercities Challenge
21 Days in Belfast 
I feel like you are tricking me into learning history. By making it INTERESTING. Shame on you. No really, it’s awesome. I now have the answers to four more trivia questions 😉
muwah ha ha ha ha… that is the undercover mission, after all. Teach People History. LOL! I have a deep-seated psychosis about history, brought on by my high school history teacher, who I was deathly afraid of. He’d call on me in class occasionally and my brain would literally freeze. Zap! No dates, names, locations, nothing. I didn’t even know the question. Then he’d move on in disgust to one of the two smartest guys in my class, who sat behind and beside me. Of course, I’ve never been good at memorizing anything at all and that was American history, which I still remember virtually nothing about… but still. Just you wait till I get to Belfast!
I knew there were evil plots afoot, lol. I have a healthy dose of Irish in my American mutt background, so I’m actually looking forward to learning more. I think I might have a greater appreciation for history now that I’m not being quizzed on it. My 10th grade World Civilizations teacher used to throw (clean) balled up socks at me in class because I was always daydreaming.
Van Morrison, aka “The Belfast Cowboy”, one of my all time favorites.
Hi Peter, as part of my Blog Catchup Extravaganza, I’ll soon be posting a photo of the autographed CD that the City Council gave me the day before I departed this lovely city. How cool is that? 🙂
That is awesome, the pic on your blog of the album cover of St Dominic’s Preview, is one of his best! Thanks for sharing your story.
[…] that Van Morrison lives in Belfast and is about to receive a Freeman of Belfast […]
[…] I went to Belfast, I put together a short list of things you… er, I, didn’t know about Belfast. Then later at the beginning of the trip, I put together an even shorter list of […]