Day 3: More of Belfast! 5-17-23

 We started our day off with a walk to the Crumlin Road Gaol to take a self guided tour and learn about all of the history and prisoners. It was a beautiful building from the outside, and there was so much history. The jail opened in 1846 and operated until 1995 as a fully functional prison. We headed to the basement of the jail, where a tunnel led prisoners to the courthouse. The conditions of these tunnels were incredibly poor when they operated, such as heat pipes creating sauna like conditions. Fun fact: the floors used to be cobblestone but were so broken prisoners would pick up the stones to throw at the judges!

Life inside the prison was far from easy. The prisoners had 10 hours hard labor a day, and many punishments such as “flogging” where they were strapped down and whipped. Children as young as 7 could face criminal charges, though no one under the age of 10 actually served in the prison. Many protests were carried out in the prison, and the suffragettes were the first group to go on a hunger strike! Another fun fact: they did not want to kill women inside the prison at that time if they could help it, so they would release these suffragettes when they became weak from hunger, only to pick them up again when they began protesting in the streets.

       The prison also had many issues during the troubles. In 1971, internment without trial was begun, meaning anyone suspected of being an IRA (Irish Republican Army) member was held in a cell without a hearing. Many of these people were not IRA members at all, but some joined the cause after being falsely imprisoned. In 1976, prisoners in jail for crimes related to the troubles lost political status, meaning they were treated as normal prisoners. Conditions within the prison became so crowded, dirty, and unbearable that in 1994 loyalist (people who wanted Ireland to stay a part of England) prisoners performed a rooftop protest in one of the cell blocks to draw attention to the prison and their treatment. 

We moved into the Condemned man’s cell where people who were sentenced to death ate, slept, and exercised, as they were forbidden to leave. They had 2 officers with them to make sure they stayed alive and in the prison. Their family could visit - but this wasn’t something the prisoners looked forward to - they knew it meant they only had 18 hours to live. The prisoner had a meeting with the cleric of their choice, then they were offered breakfast before their death.The immersive experience offered by the jail gave us a close look at what someone’s last moments would be like, as we moved into a room facing a bookcase. The bookcase slowly opened, revealing the room where people were hanged for their crimes. A projection on the wall showed a shadow of someone walking forwards, escorted by 2 men. The floor shook as if it were about to drop out from underneath us, which honestly scared us a bit.  

We moved outside to see the unmarked graves those executed were buried in. Some had unofficial “markers”: the initials of the deceased by other prisoners who knew about where they were buried. As we were walking past this somber sight a bird swooped down and hit Reagan in the head, and she was convinced it was me at first, but then was grateful I was there so someone witnessed it so she would be believed. That helped us lighten our moods a bit!

After a lunch at the jail, we hopped on the bus and headed to the Ulster Museum! The five floors had so much to offer, and there was definitely something for everyone! We saw paintings from the renaissance and romantic eras, clothing from 20s, women’s rights photographs and art work, fossils of all kinds, minerals, a real and partly unwrapped mummy,  animals from all over the world, all the way up to propaganda and signs from the 70s-90s during the troubles! We had a wonderful time looking at everything and taking in all the information. After exploring we each had our own favorite place :). This museum was closed the first day we tried to visit, so we were happy that we could see it at all!

 

We stopped at a coffee bar for a break before heading out to dinner! We visited the Thirsty Goat, a pub nearby, and had some delicious food and drinks. We definitely felt more comfortable walking around the city today, and were even able to find our way back to the hotel while hardly using Google maps!

Day three was fantastic, can’t wait for tomorrow!

-Em Armstrong