Pretty Pictures and Mighty Rambles

Everything I wanted to say and to show, but failed to find the time and space in the other blogs. You know, I’m going to post this and immediately remember something I wanted to ramble about feel dumb about going back and adding it later. It’s just going to happen and I need to accept that.

IMG_20190527_212649-EFFECTS — I wish I’d been able to get a better vantage point, it seemed like a lovely sunset.

Is this a good picture? No. Did I think it would be when I took it? I mean…not really, but I hoped it might turn out well, and it kinda did. Do I know how to take a good picture? Not. A. Clue.

MVIMG_20190527_211509-EFFECTS — I’ll be honest, I’ve quite forgotten what this is and don’t care enough to figure it out.

I remember what this is now…its a random building on the Trinity campus. I don’t know why I included this…but I did…so there… -_-

IMG_20190527_211412-EFFECTS — Pretty Colors 🙂

This isn’t exactly an original statement, but if you are going to travel, you would do well to find someone worth traveling with. It helps if you don’t want to throttle them every time they open their mouth. (unless you are into that)

IMG_20190521_095433-EFFECTS — Probably the only good thing that came out of the day trip to Corrymeela…sry guys

Honestly though, looking back on all the thing that I have just called unimportant or simply not worthwhile, I could have done a lot more fun stuff and a lot less standing around with my eyes glazing over while people talked at length about things I honestly can’t even remember anymore.

IMG_20190519_160521-EFFECTS — One of the only pictures I was able to take at Giant’s Causeway without a thousand people in it.

I’m really weird about appearances. I hate looking as though I care, and I hate looking like a tourist…even though I often am. So I walked around taking pictures while trying to to look as though I was taking pictures a lot. This gets awkward any time people are standing in front of something you want a picture of, as there is the constant worry that they will think you are some weirdo who is trying to sneak pictures of them, which is correct on two counts. (Weird? Yes. Sneaking pictures? Yes. Of them? Not intentionally) There is one major benefit to this however, as no matter how your photos turn out, as you had a significant handicap in taking them, should any turn out to be halfway decent, you may boost your ego with stories about your natural photo taking abilities. Even if it is abundantly clear to everyone involved, you have no photo taking abilities, natural or otherwise.

PANO_20190519_125616 — Look, I really appreciate that you tried, but now you just look silly.

Honestly, I’m glad it was cloudy when I went to the beach. It made certain there was no ambiguity in my location. I was in Ireland for two weeks and it rained only once. It misted periodically and was cloudy five or six of the days, but I got a lot more sun than I anticipated. Normally I would balk at this being the case, the well of “lol Ireland is rainy” jokes may be bland and watered down, but it is still a well and I need all the help I can get in social situations.

IMG_20190519_125121-EFFECTS — I love it when Google makes my picture pretty for me.

IMG_20190519_124920-EFFECTS — They used this beach too many times in Season 8.

I’ll be honest with you. (Because you, dear reader are special) I hate watched Game of Thrones starting in season 5. When season 8 came out and people were finally on board with the whole “Hey, these guys have No clue what they are writing” I was more annoyed that they hadn’t arrived at that conclusion sooner than anything else. Did I feel validated? Definitely. Did I regret hating on season 5 so much after watching season 8? Absolutely. Season 8 makes season 5 downright tolerable. Well…parts of it at least.

IMG_20190517_135901-EFFECTS — Stormont…its big…its white…its got pillars…not very original…

This is exactly what I think of when I imagine an 18th or 19th-century European seat of power. A big white building on a hill with a massive meticulously kept lawn, that invariably features pillars in order to look stately. Why do pillars make a building look stately? Because all the stately buildings have pillars. There is nothing inherently stately about them, we have just conditioned ourselves to see pillars and think “oh, that building is important”. Its like architectural shorthand…which I say knowing absolutely nothing about architecture.

IMG_20190516_155613-EFFECTS — I mean, how does one actually take a picture of a hole?

So, I used to play a lot of Minecraft right? Specifically Minecraft Factions, that’s where you essentially make bases, raid other people’s bases, and pvp. It is, or was, highly addictive. Anyways, I learned after a few months that if I wanted my base to look…at all pretty, I needed someone else to do it for me. Because my idea of a decorated base was just plain marble with a bunch of arches. Anyways, so I really appreciate marble as a building material, so I appreciate the Belfast City hall, as that is its primary building material. (That was a lot of explaining for the payoff of “I like marble”)

So… who all has seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer? I love that show way too much. Keep in mind that I am a male college student, so my enjoyment of this show that was geared more towards the 8th grade girl audience does feel a little wierd. But I’m trying to get over it. I really am. Maybe I should just stick with the Lord of the Rings and a Song of Ice and Fire. Though now that I mention it, Game of Thrones has sort of taken all the fun out of reading ASOIAF. So what else is there? Oh, I really, really, really, really hate Mortal Instruments, but I love the Very Secret Diaries. (its by the same author, she just tweaked her name) Oh, and Percy Jackson! I never really got into Riordan’s other series, I haven’t even picked up the Norse one, and I only ever read any of the Heroes of Olympus for the Percy and Annabeth story that took three books to pick up again. Political Science major, History minor… Sometimes I wonder whether I should have just majored in History. My history GPA is higher, I am better with history than most history majors (though that doesn’t say much) and history is just something that I find very easy to get into. But they also have to write a lot more than I am comfortable with…so…nope! Now, you might think that this belongs in my bio…and you would totally be right, I’ll just copy and paste it there. 🙂

Dublin

Something that may have been realized simply by reading previous posts is that I am not a very social person. I don’t tend to get along with people, and I don’t tend to tolerate anything even vaguely annoying from people. Now, I do on rare occasion decide that being the world’s premier killjoy is a bit of a downer, so I let myself be semi-anti-social rather than absolute-anti-social. The difference is that I go along with what people say and I laugh a lot. Do I regret this? Every time! Will I stop doing it? Probably!

I mean I tried it at least…Go me!

IMG_20190528_125857 — Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 4 Episode 5. 😉

Did I mean for those traffic cones to be there? Well…no I didn’t really have control over that. Let’s rephrase, would I have preferred those traffic cones to have not been there? Yes, but as they are there, I will just say its symbolism and move on. 🙂

Dublin was nice. I had fun. It was a severe disappointment to come home after being in Dublin with the three nice people I had started to enjoy so much. Honestly, though, I really did enjoy tagging along with them, I would not be surprised if it ends up being the highlight of my entire college experience. I haven’t really had a college experience so far, and I’m a senior so…the first entry also gets to be the highlight entry.

If I learned anything in Dublin…I have been thorough in my forgetting it. Oh, wait! The GPO! The General Post Office was the headquarters of the Easter Rising. They have made a large section of it into an impressive museum. The most impressive museum on the trip by far, and the most worthwhile. Now, apparently I am the only one in my group not incredibly confused by the whole thing, so it may be possible that a background of knowledge about the First World War is helpful. Oh, that and real-time strategy games, it really helps you get used to the camera moves made by the movie they show.

(We also went to another gaol, my thoughts towards which are in line with those on the previous gaol)

The Murals of Northern Ireland

When you go to Ireland, as I am certain you shall, be sure to take a guided walking tour of the murals in Belfast. Now, what you need to worry about most isn’t the convicted criminal giving you the tour, it is the particular spin that they are putting on the story. In my experience, they don’t lie outright, but they give these tours often enough to be very good at strategically withholding information. This, along with their inherent bias, can be as or even more educational than the information that they are conveying primarily. This is why these walking tours should not be the first event on your trip unless you are already familiar with the basics of the troubles.

Now, the murals are also quite important. These are images made to convey to the public a specific narrative, and both communities have them.

There is a concerted effort by the government to reduce the intensity of the murals.

Images of the 1916 Easter Rising and the Proclamation of the Republic

Protestant mural that is, without subtlety condemning the primary Catholic Party

Bobby Sands, leader of the Hunger Strike

Smiling Paramilitaries. Doesn’t really make sense to glorify the same people who were killing those innocents you were so concerned about.

In general, it seems that the Protestants have benefited from the world hearing the narrative of the IRA being the sole paramilitary organization operating in Ireland during the troubles. Most Americans won’t have even heard about them, but I can assure you that even fewer have heard about the Ulster Volunteer Force. Perhaps it is because of this that they do not have to try so hard with their murals. Those were all present in Belfast in May of 2019, depending on when you come across this, they may have been repainted, as happens periodically.

I did not spend nearly so much time with the murals in Derry, but here are the ~~two~~ three most important ones.

Referencing the 1688-89 Siege of Derry. The least siegy siege to ever siege.

Lyra McKee had been killed one month prior to my trip.

My captions speak for themselves! Oh, but the far right is the mural painted during the Battle of the Bogside, during which part of the city of Derry temporarily declared autonomy and demanded concessions from the British government. It used to be on a building, but now it is just a wall of the same shape, which is odd once you think about it.

I’d normally call this a sidenote, but I think it is important so while I think of what to call it, you go ahead and read it. Derry Girls is a very good show. You should watch it.

Something Something More About Belfast

When visiting Ireland, don’t bother going to see any of the gaols. The most notable thing about them is that they have somehow been allowed to retain their ridiculous “gaol” spelling. Even when one is studying say, the hunger strike or the Easter Rising, it is not important to go to see the location. You can imagine what a gaol looks like, or if you are imaginatively disinclined, I suppose you could simply find pictures. What you get when you go to a gaol is rather a long walking tour and somewhat dubious history lesson. (and possibly depression)

The Peace Walls are some of the better-known legacies of the Troubles. They are not as interesting as the murals, or as impressive as the seats of power. This is to say they are somewhat unnecessary as far as stops go. Well, you will probably want to go just so you don’t have to explain to everyone that you meet that you made an actual decision based on what some sarcastic blogger said, but you will be underwhelmed. The Peace Walls are, as far as walls go…poorly constructed? Uninteresting? Perhaps this will show you why;

Apologies if the panorama doesn’t work for you, but this is what I understand to be one of the more visited sections of peace wall. It isn’t very… anything is it? The images on this aren’t as good as the murals that can be found elsewhere. So I hate to say it, but this is just another stop that isn’t entirely necessary.

I understand why we were given a campus tour of Queen’s University. I really do. It’s just… did we have to have a tour of Queen’s University? Again, Victoria was great, but it’s going to take more than just a name to get me to care about a tour. I have never really appreciated campus tours, they are made for people who are not me. I have absolutely no use for them, even if I am going to spend time on that campus. If someone points out something I might want to do, I probably still won’t do it. I think this is exceedingly clear at this point, but I keep to myself whenever possible. That said, it did make me feel as though my school’s architecture was…lacking. Perhaps this will show you why.

I will let you try and figure out which one is named after Victoria and which one is named after of some random town in southern Illinois.

Getting Settled in Belfast

I am generally uncertain of the proper order of things, but here I can boldly state that to not be the case. Springboard was the right choice for a first event. The entire issue can be found summarized there, and the most important part of solving the continuing crisis can be found as well. We gained insights that would help us contextualize everything we heard from then on out, specifically insights into the different paramilitary groups and the micro level effects the continuing sectarianism had on young people in Belfast. It is much easier to avoid choosing sides once one hears stories about what had previously been their mutual hobby; murder.

Being able to evade this compulsion to choose sides is especially important for Americans, as we are so good at tribalism that we have created divides between people who see the same image as a different color and whether people hear different sounds in the same audio clip. Americans, though it is perhaps people in general, love defining themselves in opposition to others and taking labels.

On a vaguely more ehm…upbeat & positive note… I did have an amusingly uncomfortable “conversation” with one of the people at Springboard. I can’t really describe it apart from that, its been a while and my memory is slightly worse than abysmal. I just wanted to write something that says that I actually had a conversation with a random person because even I won’t believe that in a year.

Sidenote about Iceland: Has anyone noticed how many excellent Icelandic bands there are? The population of Iceland is under 350,000. That's fewer people than Wyoming. Do you have any idea how many bands have ever come out of Wyoming? None. Not one. I like to think that it is because they don't seem to have internal problems. I mean, if they do they aren't the same ones that other countries face. Their power is more or less 100% renewable, their gender inequity is nonexistent, and both their average and median income are well above $45,000 in US dollars. What I'm saying is that if it weren't so blasted cold and devoid of necessity for people with Political Science degrees, I'd totally move there.

Before you say anything, I am aware that I may end up looking confused having a random sidenote about Iceland in a blog about travelling to Ireland. This isn’t Atlantis, there was no mistranslation of the Rune on a shield. (or was it a mistransliteration?)

Another sidenote: Has anyone watched Atlantis: The Lost Empire? I like it waaay too much. With all honesty it isn't even that good. The plot is used in about a dozen books and movies a year and their animation could have used a lot more time. That said the soundtrack is the best that you will find in any Disney movie. And they've got a few impressive scenes where the dubiously animation gets wholly overwhelmed by the sheer spectacle of awesome. (Launching the Sub & the Crystal Chamber)

Omg, it was a mistransliteration, not a mistranslation like they say in the movie. (I swear, Milo is the worst linguist ever...and yet he is able to learn that language in all of fifteen minutes...plot contrivances abound)

Anyways! Springboard – Good starting point. Belfast City Hall on the other hand…

Ok, look. I loved Victoria. She was short, she was willful, and she had great hair. That said, it takes more to win my approval of a building than placing in front of it her statue.

I think the most important outcome of going to Belfast City Hall was hearing the tour guide talk about history and politics. We got to hear exactly what someone who felt a little more British (the guy works in a building with a statue of Victoria in front of it (also…come on, listen to his accent)) thinks that a group of American tourists should hear, and perhaps think about the situation in Ireland. Aside from the building being made out of what I, quite frankly, wish all buildings were made out of, (Marble) it is roughly what one expects from a 19th century seat of power. I don’t really seem to ‘get’ much out of going to buildings, unless the building itself served a role that meant it couldn’t have been substituted for a middle school gymnasium.

More interesting than that is that once I was no longer being dragged around to see monuments to a long-fallen empire (Sorry Britain) or hear people talk about things that I honestly think could have been summed up in five minutes and yet seemed to last for five hours, (Sorry PSNI) I rather began to enjoy myself. Of course that wasn’t until a while after I was settled in Belfast that things began to turn around.