Early Friday morning all the students and professors were expected to meet outside of “treehouse” building on campus, bright and early, at 8am to leave on our day trip to Derry/Londonderry. Having gotten about 4 hours of sleep the night before, in hopes of being able to take in all that Belfast has to offer, I woke up at 7:50am. I ran to the treehouse at 7:55 to make it on the bus just in time. Once everyone was on the bus and situated, we began our trip to the highly discussed town of LondonDerry. I learned through conversations with locals and through our tours of the Free Derry and the Siege Museum, that even the name of the town itself is controversial. In the 1600’s, the Native Irish referred to the town as “Dioré” which was pronounced as Derry and translates to oak grove in English. After King James II in 1613 was granted a legal charter to the city the official name was changed to Londonderry and that is how it is officially recognized to this day.
The bus ride to Derry/Londonderry was beautiful, we passed lush green scenery, stunning mountain sides, spotted cows, and white goats as well as small cottage core looking towns in between. It was truly exactly as I would have imagined Northern Ireland to look. Once we arrived into the city our groups first stop was at the Free Derry museum. Here, we were provided an information packed tour about the history of the town of Derry. We learned so much information that further solidified my understanding of the deep history and trauma that underscores the experience of the people who lived there over the years. What struck a chord with me was being able to hear the story of Kevin McElhinney’s tragic death by the perspective of his sister. Hearing her story was heartbreaking and truly a privilege to listen to.
During our walk-though, we learned that American civil rights movement greatly inspired the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland in the late 1960’s. Many murals depict figures such as Martin Luther king jr., Rosa Parks, Bob Dylan, and other prominent American figures. From what I noticed from speaking to locals is that they very much view America in a great light in terms of civil rights progress and economic development. In one conversion I had with a local cab driver, he told me and a few other students that many Irish would love to live in the States, however, many end up in Australia because it is easier to get a visa there. Which also explained to me why in many of the Irish novels I have read that the characters end up moving to or from Australia.
Lastly, during the Free Derry Museum tour we learned that Queens university students held a nonviolent march all the way from Belfast to Derry in early October of 1968. This stuck out to me as Martin Luther king Jr. methods of nonviolent protesting may have inspired it. As well as the fact that Queens had such a close connection to the Civil Rights Association in Northern Ireland.
After grabbing fish and chips at a local pub for lunch our tour continued to the Derry walls, which are such a monumental piece of history. It was truly an extraordinary experience to be stepping across the only remaining completely walled city in all of Ireland. As we walked along the walled route we passed many substantial landmarks. Such as the Bloody Sunday memorial or on a lighter note, the Derry girls mural.
Finally, we concluded our day at The Siege Museum in which we were able to gain greater perspective on the history of the Siege of Londonderry and why it is such important piece of history within Irish and British history.
The story of Ireland is that of deep trauma and even greater resilience, after spending two weeks here I have found that Belfast is a beautiful town with an incredible community. Every local that I have had candid conversations with here are extremely friendly, welcoming, and wanting to discuss their history and experiences with me and other students in this program. All of them have been very excited to find out that we are studying the history of Northern Ireland. I have not met one Irish local that hasn’t welcomed me and my peers with great interest, openness, and genuine conversation. Overall, my experience studying at Queens University Belfast has felt like a dream. Studying at such a remarkable school has allowed me to gain greater understanding of Irish history as well as given me an experience of a lifetime. The valuable memories I have gained here in Northern Ireland are those that I will remember forever.
