Thinking today...

I saw Elton John perform this song when I was in 3rd grade. My parents took me to see him at the Bradley Center for his Made in England tour in 1995. I always enjoyed this song...now I feel I understand it.

These are the scenes we saw during our tour of West Belfast. The Struggles are still very evident as you'll be able to see in some of these pictures. This is the Sinn Fein headquarters...the IRA was the militant wing of Sinn Fein and the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) was the militant wing for the Democratic Unionist Party. To see the combativeness that still exists in extremist political groups on the island please see this BBC Article: Continuity IRA Shot Dead Officer. Political leaders, even Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, have taken abuse from extremist Nationalist groups who believe that they need to make the entire island one republic.

All West Belfast, one will see murals on buildings represent Loyalist and Nationlist viewpoints. Some of these are extremely moving and depict scenes from the Struggles that one could never imagine.

This is a picture of the peacewall that separates the Loyalist and the Nationalist peoples in West Belfast. The picture was taken outside a memorial built by nationalists to recognize the loss of IRA soldiers and civillians during "The War". This memorial is built a cornenr of Bombay Street...which was one of the most brutally hit civillian areas. To this day, one can see that family's fence off their back yards to keep intruders and potentially explosives away from the foundation of their homes. In the picture, you can see parts of the wall where paint is burnt off. These are areas where bombs were intended to be thrown over the wall but fell back down and exploded. It is extremely sobering...

The last picture is a picture of the barbed wire that encompasses areas of the city. The first picture was taken from the bus of someone's back yard and the second picture is of a community center called the 174 Trust. Notice the barbed fencing that surrounds the Pre-School and daycare beside the church.

Deep inside my soul fights a war
I can't explain, I can't cross over any more
All I see are dirty faces
Rain and wire, and common sense in pieces
But I try to see through Irish eyes
Belfast

Look outside, summer's lost and gone
It's a long walk on a street of right and wrong
In every inch of sadness
Rocks and tanks go hand in hand with madness
But I never saw a braver place
Belfast

And it's sad when they sing, and hollow ears listen
Of smoking black roses, on the streets of Belfast
And so say your lovers from under the flowers
Every foot of this world needs an inch of

Belfast

Who's to say on whom heaven smiles
Our different ways we try hard to recognise
No more enchanted evenings
The pubs are closed and all the ghosts are leaving
But you'll never let them shut you down
Belfast

The enemy is not at home
A jealous green streaks down this faulty diamond
No bloody boots or crucifix
Can ever hope to split this emerald island
But I never saw a braver place
Belfast