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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Belfast's ugly peace walls are better left standing - US funding for effort to take them down is misguided

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Belfast's ugly peace walls are better left standing - US funding for effort to take them down is misguided

Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 04:03 AM

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Peace wall, Belfast

The International Fund for Ireland (IFI) has allocated $3.8 million to take down the peace walls in Northern Ireland.

Bad idea.

The IFI money comes mainly from American taxpayers and this use of their hard-earned dollars makes me wonder what planet they are living on.

Northern Ireland is still decades away from being a totally normal society.

Yes, it is horrific that walls still have to be erected between warring communities, but hardly surprising.

Just last week a young Catholic man was almost murdered when he was beaten and chased when he found himself in a Protestant neighborhood.
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The peace walls serve a real purpose, dire though they might look and seem.

Northern Ireland has come a very long way. There are almost no deaths now attributed to The Troubles. A civil society is slowly growing up as well as a cross community government.

Those are magnificent achievements and the peace walls have played their part, ugly as it may seem.

Anyone who has spent time in Belfast knows how closely many of the warring communities live in close proximity to one another, especially in Belfast.

A wrong turn and you can find yourself, like the young Catholic man last week in hostile territory indeed.

On many of my visits there I relied on the graffiti and color of the curbstones, red white and blue in Protestant areas, to warn me if I had strayed.

The peace walls also protect during the marching season when the annual rush of blood to the head among Protestant marchers occurs and violence spikes.

Some day in the future the walls will come down but it it not imminent.

Which is why this is a waste of American taxpayer's money in my opinion.

The intent to do good is very clear and should not be denigrated.

But it clashes with the still sad reality in my opinion.

Sectarian killings could increase and tensions rise if the walls come down prematurely.

IFI money far better spent on cross community projects that will breed understanding and eventually friendship for the next generation.

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17 comments

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Madeliene | Feb 28, 2012, 03:24 PM EST

We are nnot ready to have them removed as yet- they serve their prpose the time may come or not-but it is not now- this is a pipe dream of the liberals

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NARROWBACK | Feb 16, 2012, 05:09 PM EST

Its unbelivable how anti-American this site is. By just going to the IFI web site you find out that IFI was set up by the Irish and British gov. with contributions coming from US, EU Canada, Austraila and New Zealand. The board is appointed by both governments and the removal of the walls is up to the dept of justice the IFI is asking applicants from both to come up with their own solutions at their own pace. America has nothing to do with this they just donate money to a worthy organization. Niall O'Dowd seems to dictate and not report the news

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citizen69 | Feb 01, 2012, 12:23 PM EST

In typical biased fashion Niall likes to paint a picture that the walls are there to protect Catholics only. Not a word about protestant communities who are terrorised by youths on the Catholic side in parts of Belfast.

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abhainn | Feb 01, 2012, 08:29 AM EST

The brutally ugly walls should be left standing for another 10 to 20 years. We live with expectations of rapid change but history and communal feeling evolve more slowly than our modern instincts appreciate. The hard-won peace in Northern Ireland needs to become more well-rooted and widespread among traumatised sectarian populations before the walls come down. It is too soon now, and Americans are not best placed to understand the continuing delicacy and danger far away in Northern Ireland.

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Ajreaper | Jan 20, 2012, 12:38 PM EST

It should be strictly a 10% local decision made by those in Belfast without any input of persuasion from those not the least bit directly connected to the city. When I toured the peace walls I asked my guide about removing them- he'd been a long time cabbie in Belfast including all through the troubles and his response was "Rich, a whole lot of M fer's need to die of old age on both sides before these come down cause you cannot change whats in a man's heart through peace agreements and the like". I think he pretty much hit the nail on the head with that answer.

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SeamusMartin | Jan 20, 2012, 11:21 AM EST

Walls should stay up 'til the "Nirish" want them down. Destroy the tapes at BC. Cheer for Scotland's and Wales' Independence. Hope, pray and strive for a united Orange and Green. May England's depart from is imperialistic ways and let Amerikay learn from it.

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DanOLoingsigh | Jan 20, 2012, 09:39 AM EST

IrelandNorth - It's this kind of attitude that helps to prolong the problems...saying that unionists need to get 'their minds right' on their future, using terms like 'Billy Boys', and so on...and what makes you think the 1937 constitution would survive any UI? New country, new arrangements would be required...with probably the unionists holding the balance of power...be very careful what you wish for...

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IrelandNorth | Jan 20, 2012, 05:39 AM EST

"Peace walls" are a symptom of unresolved conflict. Let's cure the disease first. Until our currently estranged Ulster-Scot first cousins up north realise that their destiny lies in an Integral Ireland (II), there is unlikely to be peace. Ulster-Scot 'Prods' constitute a larger percentage of the Island of Ireland than they do of the currently constituted 'United' (?) Kingdom. With Scotland about to pull out followed by Wales, a 'united' kingdom of England and 'Northern' Ireland is unsustainable in the longterm. As 20% of Ireland's overall population, their British heritage will be enshrined in Bunreacht na h'Eireann/Constitution of Ireland, 1937 soon to be amended by Taoiseach Eanna O'Cionnaith/Enda Kenny agus a chairde Banrion Eilis a do/EIIR agus Daithi O' Cameroon/David Cameron. Besides, Billy Boys! H.M. want's us all back in Her Commonwealth of Nations as a whole, not as parts of a whole. Being loyalists you have to be good little loyalists and curtsy to Her Majesty's pleasure.

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cillowen | Jan 19, 2012, 07:13 PM EST

there be no peace in that apartheid statelet that England and her diaspora needs to keep. Those UKer usurped symbols of Erin will be theirs for ever and a day. Tear down those walls and we'll again see Masonic Orange goodfellas strut their stuff. The troika will summarily lay the usual propaganda of bad dude, on the few brave IRA. Fighters who are easily smeared, overwhelmed and tamed, by Mother's worldwide brotherhood. Amazing how many Irish crave kissing Queenie's ring.

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Searlit | Jan 19, 2012, 05:30 PM EST

With all the trouble Britain is starting right now about the interviews at Boston College, it doesn't seem a good time for the walls to be brought down.

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FallsRNat | Jan 19, 2012, 03:27 PM EST

as long as the peace wall stay, we will forever be reminded of a divided society, however, even if we had non sectarian schools for the kids to go to, they would still come home to this generations either archaic protestant/catholic view of Ulster, this will not be solved for 25 years. As a RC, i don't believe in blaming one side for all of the ills of the troubles, we all share the blame or stay divided. Staements by zagloba are totally unjust as some catholics have a zero tolerance policy of protestants within their area & a lot of beatings go unreported on both sides as the age old mantra of don't get sad, get even is forever played out of our streets. 75% of the people on this board think that if ireland was united then there would be peace, even if to achieve this all the 1.2m brits left & went to the UK, the only thing that catholics share on both sides of the border is their religion, our culture would be as alien to one another.

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Daytonavejim | Jan 19, 2012, 03:24 PM EST

I agree with the author in that is is a wast of dollars the US taxpayers cannot afford. It is symptomatic of the "feel good" Democrats that have no understanding of Northern Ireland in general and Belfast in particular. They have never faced the terror of a sectarian mob ready to beat you to a bloody pulp. It is also the sort of government spending that American taxpayers shake their heads at.

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oneill1912 | Jan 19, 2012, 12:49 PM EST

I am not sure if my support would be the kind that may be appreciated by either Mr O'Dowd or indeed many of the readers to Irish Central. But he's right. Despite the indirect impression given by himself and zagloba in the comments, the Peace walls protect *both* sides from anti-sectarian elements crawling from beneath the stones on *both* sides. I have an elderly relative living close to the main E Belfast interface and at times life is hell in terms of missiles flying over the wall. No wall, that fear would be greatly increased. An education system which isn't segregated along religious lines is one answer but it will take at least a generation for this to bear fruit; in the meantime the walls need to stay.

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KevinPKavanagh | Jan 19, 2012, 11:04 AM EST

Excellent article and I also agree with "Canadian". Integration of the schools is pivotal to the future. Sure, there will be some resistance but CONSIDERABLY LESS resistance than there was in 1972. There's been much progress but much still to do and we need to start with the next generation.....

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Canadian | Jan 19, 2012, 10:43 AM EST

I grew up in Belfast and experienced most of the "troubles". I have always believed that a long term solution is integration of the schools. Too many people do not meet a person of the opposite stripe until they join the workforce by which time predjudices are imbedded. However there was a move to integrate the schools back in 1972 but it got shouted down by both sides. I believe the figure now is about 2% integration. Sad

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