How long? How long must we sing this song?

Touring Northern Ireland and Belfast was truly a unique history lesson. I visited West Belfast, home of Shankill murals, Bombay Street and the wall put up to keep violence from erupting during the Troubles, from the mid 1960's until the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. U2 provided the background music in my head.

And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die
-Sunday Bloody Sunday, U2

The first picture show a line of women holding hands in August 1970 attempting to protect the police from the protesters throwing rocks. It's a long and complex history, and still pains the people who lived through it and lost loved ones, on both sides. The second picture shows a message, made of photos from Shankill area residents. And the final 2 pictures are from a memorial on Bombay Street. Here' s 2 links to help you brush up on the complex events of the Troubles.

http://youtu.be/ny91Pbt-7X0 Interviews of Bombay Street Residents

http://youtu.be/pdWd8WGQSxM Burning of Bombay Street Historical Photos unearthed