In any case, here, in Ireland, (as in many places around the world) discussing any of these three topics in a bar are a perfect trifecta for proscription by the locals. Naturally, the reason for that being that so many people have their own hard-held and often hard-won opinions about each of these things. The existential and critical questions posed by the pursuit of these elements, and the resultant effects on every day life for the people of a community, are the just cause of strong feelings. As I found out first-hand here (and had understood in my own 'research' on this beautiful land before my trip), as in my own experiences elsewhere, this is true all over the world.
It was often (but not always!) with this perspective that I trained my lens on the Ireland that revealed itself during my visit.
History in the making. An original printed public flyer of the the Irish Declaration of Independence, 21 January 1919 (http://www.detroitirish.org/independence.html) . Kilmanhaim Gaol, Dublin, Ireland.
And here another... sort of. View of entry lawn from Stormont, seat of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive. Belfast, N. Ireland.
One of several epic statues surrounding Belfast City Hall. Monument to Queen Victoria, Donegall Square, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Samson and Goliath, the giant gantry cranes over the worlds largest dry dock in one of the 20th century's most prominent shipbuilding cities. Shipyard of Harlan and Wolff, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Some cool lines and perspectives, this photo does the real setting no true justice. Titanic Museum, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Stern view of scale models showing two advanced stages of completion during the building of the Titanic. Titanic Museum, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Stained-glass homage to the freedom fighting workers of Belfast, inside City Hall. Belfast, N. Ireland.
Black Cabs! A must in Belfast, for those lovers of history and the human experience. Of course.. I didn't actually make it on a ride during this trip (otherwise I would have snapped that pic!). But by all accounts this is the way to get unabashedly deep into the history of Belfast.
Mural commemorating the Ulster Defense Regiment and the Ulster Special Constabulary. One, a regiment of the British Army, the other a unit of the Northern Ireland Police Force - both in their times were the more violent arms of the (mostly Protestant) Loyalist movement in Ireland. Lower Newtonards Road, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Tied, as many Irish families are, to their cultural heritage and history of struggle, it is inevitable that those who struggle for independence here do so in solidarity with those freedom-fighters everywhere. These murals depict that sentiment. Near Peace Wall, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Belfast City Hall Flag Protest started as an effort (successful) to prevent the union flag from flying over City Hall every day in favor of the Irish flag. Watching it this day, it seems to have morphed into a people's solidarity march..
..with some decidedly leftist and working-class leanings. Just my style.
Belfast City Hall, Belfast, N. Ireland.
St. Georges Market. An awesome weekend market with all kinds of locally-made and -produced goods and food. Good times with my brother, too. St. George's Market, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Pickled, salted, oiled, and otherwise preserved - old-school food preparations for taste and storage. St. George's Market, Belfast, N. Ireland.
More wares for sale at the Market, these the fresh and bountiful of the Emerald Isle's seas. St. George's Market, Belfast, N. Ireland.
Resistance, protest, and struggle - poignant examples of the ever-present consciousness of politics and culture in Ireland - particularly here in the North where the Crown's influence is so thick. Outskirts of Belfast, N. Ireland.
This was very much NOT in the outskirts. Here, where the struggle for home-rule, independence from the Empire, in the North wages on - Largen, County Downs, N. Ireland.
There was no mistaking on which side of the divide stands this community. All throughout the neighborhood was clear evidence that the people here understood and valued their free-born civil rights. Largen, County Downs, N. Ireland.
I again have to make note of the strength in solidarity found here, with peoples' struggles all over the world. One of the most frequent displays is that for the struggle for justice and freedom in Palestine. The self-conscious contextualization of local and national politics into the regional and global realms are a tribute to success attained in the course of people's democratic struggle - regardless of religion. This is culture.
The photos laid out heretofore are taken with a Sony Cybershot DSC-HX30V
These works by Tim Paez are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
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