Just follow the Irishman with the Green Umbrella...

Just follow the Irishman with the Green Umbrella…

I found myself today in a familiar place although much time has past since then…almost six years in fact. A little over five years ago I had been studying in England and decided to take a short trip over to visit Belfast and Dublin. I did not see much of Belfast then because I ventured up to the north coast to see the Giants Causeway but what I remember are the murals on the buildings illustrating the conflict that had grip the city and country for so long. One in particular with a man in a balaclava with a gun…I cannot remember what it said I just remember the image. It was close to the bus station which is where I found myself today sitting waiting for someone. It is the conflict which has brought me back. Now I find myself living in the Shankill near to the peace line here in Belfast. Soon I will start working with a project aimed at teaching forgiveness. Though the violence has all but ended there is still an underlying tension between the two sides.
Which leads me to here today, I just arrived off the plane from England sitting in a bus station. My project manger met me to take me to my new home for the next while…So I followed him and his green umbrella as we walked through the streets of Belfast with my rather huge suitcase…