Dark tourism day 1: Harland and Wolf shipyard

First stop today in Belfast was the Titanic Experience, the immersive museum experience that opened in 2012: to mark the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic. Very, very good museum, highly immersive, though I hadn't exoected to be emotionally affected. I didn't burst into tears or anything, but after reading the stories of those who sailed out in search of a new life, or a better life, on the Titanic's maiden voyage, I couldn't help but feel moved. And hearing the iceberg being described as 'the size of a building' was a shock. It's disaster tourism, but it's brought money to Belfast, and it's important that we learn from mistakes, even if we're not shipbuilders or safety officers.
Harland and Wolf is still a shipyard, and this is a view from the museum, from behind glass. The guide mentioned that very few (or perhaps no) Catholics were employed at the shipyard, historically. 

Our next stop was Stormont, home of the Northern  Irish assembly. I hadn't realized it's so big! We had seen pictures, of course, but the scale is massive and imposing. We were allowed to wander around the estate, as are dog walkers and members of the public. It belongs to everybody, but is immaculately maintained. The building was closed as it is a public holiday, so we could not see inside. A vast statue of Edward Carson, the architect of Northern Ireland, dominates the parkland, his hand raised in a commanding gesture that looks  interesting if viewed from certain angles. 

From there we went to City Hall in the centre of Belfast. Kitty and I went on the 3om guided tour. It's a very swanky, ostentatiously decorated building, completed 1906. Tons of marble, deep pile red carpets woven with the city coat of arms. We sat in the council chambers and were allowed to try on the councillors' robes. Very heavy! Downstairs we read about some famous citizens of Belfast, including Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins the snooker player, and Van Morrison. 

The coach then took us on to the Falls Road with its Republican murals, the Peace wall, and the Shankhill area with its Unionist murals and crumbling derelict courts of justice, and the former Crumlin road Gail, which is now a museum. I did wonder if it was right to be gawping at any of this. Voyeuristic, and aware that the peace is not something that we can take for granted. The  vast spike-topped gates  that link the two areas are still locked at night. I was brought up in Dublin, lived these for the first ten years of my life. I was raised as a Catholic during the Troubles..so I can't say I am a disinterested party or I know nothing of the history of the Troubles. But, as the sign says over the entrance to the concentration camp at Auschwitz, ',Those that do not understand the past are compelled to repeat it '. Should we shy away from difficult subjects and visions of poverty, in favour of more scenic, less controversial locations?

Tomorrow, we have nature in HD: the Giant's Causeway, and a walk around the city walls of Derry. I'm not going assume anything in advance about Derry except that it's the hometown of the 1970s/80s band, the Understones. Now I've got a cousin called Kevin....