Murals of Derry
von Felix
As already pointed out in the last post of this series about the trip to the North, I am interested in the Conflict. In twelfth grade, I wrote my Facharbeit, a propedeutic project, in this field. Thus, I was keen to see it all myself (especially after having listened to the Irishman the evening before). I’m glad that I could convince my mates to join me on my way to the Bogside, a poor neighbourhood that was 100% Irish Catholic and the centre of the so-called „Troubles“ in the 1970s.
Between 1969 and 1972 the Bogside was part of „Free Derry“, a barricaded, autonomous area that was considered to be a no-go area for British forces. A lot of important historic events took place in this area of Derry (e.g. Bloody Sunday, Battle of the Bogside, Civil Right Marches). I hope the following commented photos of the area can give you an impression of the murals of the „People’s Gallery“ and the Bogside in general.
Of course, I simplified a lot in this blog post. If you want to learn more, I can recommend you the Conflict Archive on the Internet and a German book: „Der Nordirlandkonflikt: Ursprung, Verlauf, Perspektiven“ by Dr. Frank Otto, which I referred to in my Facharbeit.
A visit to the Museum of Free Derry is also worth the two pound sterling.