Thanksgiving in Belfast NIE

In the early nineties, my band-mate Mike Ladd introduced us to a haunting Nanci Griffith tune called "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go," and it became a regular on our playlist. His rendition was at once awesome and chilling. The song's central image is that of an American tourist riding in the back seat of a cab through the divided West Belfast district at a time when "The Troubles" were in full force.

This year, with a resort hotel in Cavan our Thanksgiving dinner destination and all day to get there, I calculated that the route from Dublin to Belfast was just over 100 miles by expressway, giving us plenty of time for a lunch stop and a quick tour of the city. We strolled through the downtown area, flush with a Christmas Market at City Hall and booths selling gifts and food, and I stumbled on a BBC One reporter doing man-in-the-street interviews. My question was pretty easy: "Which do you prefer, a real Christmas tree or an artificial one?"


The city is vibrant and our visit pleasant but I wanted to see the Murals of West Belfast most of all. We hired a black taxi and were on our way. Our driver gave us a thorough tour of the Shankill and Falls Road areas and while he had a definite bias, it was apparent that both sides contributed to the long-term
conflict. The murals were numerous and impressive, an art genre unto themselves, and we stopped at a number of memorial sites as well. The 'peace wall,' meant to protect a Catholic neighborhood from drive-by shootings, and gated side streets, stand as additional reminders that the troubles are recent history.

We came away troubled ourselves, that such killing could take place so widely, and for so long, between people not unlike ourselves. Our driver did say that the last two years have been quiet, hopefully a sign that the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 is having some lasting effect.

It seemed appropriate to match Nanci Griffith's song with our photos in the video that follows, although hopefully we can say that it's not 1990 any longer in either Belfast or Chicago.

I know we still have a way to go, but at least we can be thankful this Thanksgiving for some measure of peace.