This past week we took a weekend trip over to Belfast Ireland. On this trip I learned about many important cultural landmarks for the Irish people. These places include the Titanic Museum, Giants Causeway and the taxi tour we attended. While visiting the site of the Titanic being built I learned about how the RMS Titanic was constructed, how it was launched, the personal stories, and viewing of artifacts off the ship. I learned that it took 3 years to fully construct the titanic and that it costed around 7.5 Million Euros, which today would be around 400 million. The Titanic museum was very informative due to the setup of the museum. First, they had an option of going on a ride that describe the creation of the Titanic and the steps it took to construct. Next they had three different levels with personal stories and artifacts. To me the artifacts were the most intriguing, this is due to the personal connection it added to its story. Seeing chairs from the actual boat, life jackets from actual survivors, and a violin from an actual performer were all unique. At the Giants Causeway we were able to see a special geographical site that was home to a giant named Finn McCool who used the Giant Causeway to cross over to Scotland to face his rival Benandonner. The Causeway was home to the Irish that used to be a part of the fishing industry when it was big, then the linen industry before the creation of cheaper products, and finally to tourism. In today’s economy, they succeed the most based of giving tours and sharing the beauty as well as stories of the Giants Causeway. Ending with the taxi tours, we learned about the history of the city of Belfast. The city of Belfast has way more history than I originally expected, this includes the wars between the Protestants and Catholics this went on for a super long time including when Britain decided to put up a wall that separates the city of Belfast into two, this wall was said to span around 4 miles. It was a very cool experience because I got to read first-hand propaganda from both sides of the conflict and streets that were famous for having past firefights. An additional thing that was cool was that everybody got to sign the wall. Overall, this trip was very informative and taught me a lot about the history of Belfast and how this influences their culture.
An artifact from the wreckage of the Titanic. This was an actual chair from the ship, you might be able to see the star carving on the top of the chair that indicated that it was part of the White Star Line.
Photo within the Titanic museum of the whole ship. You are able to see this on the bottom floor, and underneath it is footage of a submersible going over the Titanic wreackage.
The stone formations from the Giants Causeway. Said to have been part of the story of Finn McCool going against his rival Benandonner
Painting of Bobby Sands who was a big figure during the war between the loyalists and the IRA within Belfast.
