"If You Have Something To Say...Don't Say It"

The advice given to us by our anthropology teacher as we made our way up into Derry-Londonderry before reaching Belfast. Notice the weird double name? Prepare yourselves...

Most people associate Ireland's "bad times" with the devastating Potato Famine in the 19th century, but not many know the history behind the Troubles. Claims have been staked in the Ulster region of Ireland for years and years, and Great Britain's arrival brought with it the new Protestant Faith. Wars between the posh British Protestants and the hardy republican Catholics raged ever on in the north, which is why this area remains part of the United Kingdom instead of Ireland. To this day, Protestants and Catholics live divided lives from one another, and if they do come into contact...watch out.

Derry (the republican name) and Londonderry (the loyalist name) are two names for the same town, and still argued to this day. In order to enforce this point, our professors had us booked for two tours in the city: the first to the Apprentice Boys museum and the second to the Free Derry museum. The former comes from the history of 13 young lads who closed the gates of Londonderry to the troops of King James II, a favorite of Irish Catholics, and therefore a Protestant history. Known as the Siege of Derry, the famous saying "No Surrender!" can still be seen along Protestant buildings to reinforce the kind of neighborhood you're in...and for Catholics to stay out. The latter tour down on the Bogside of Derry was led by a man whose brother was the first person to die in the event known as Bloody Sunday. On January 30th, 1972 brought the deaths of 13 Irish Catholics at the hands of British soldiers, and the museum stands to not only remember those who died, but to inform the public that the Irish men were murdered for they had no weapons. It was a very powerful thing to see the bloodstained bandages of the guide's brother as well as hateful letters sent by British soldiers to the families of the dead proclaimed that their victims deserved to die. Seeing both sides of history in one day was unbelievable...

The Troubles is not something to be messed around with, so the warning stood to mind what you say, or even better to not say anything at all. Derry-Londonderry was a significant stop in order to prepare us for the even stronger message we were about to find out in Belfast.