The Haller fellows spent the day on the road from Belfast to Derry, taking in the landscape of Ireland as an indication of its history and present business culture. We stopped at Giant’s Causeway, a uniquely geometric basalt stone complex with hexagonal rock shapes due to tectonic movement. It is a very popular tourist destination. We also toured the Derry Walls and the communities on either side of Derry’s river Foyle. The City Walls demonstrate not only the longstanding past of the town, but also serve as a destination for monuments erected to commemorate the Troubles. There, we saw the burial grounds of many Irish Republican Army soldiers and volunteers, ten of which died on a hunger strike in prison. Many took their own lives. The sentiment of Derry’s Walls was reminiscent of Belfast’s Peace Walls; it serves as a reminder of loss and a promise to move forward. Having experienced and appreciated these two different yet popular landmarks (Causeway and Derry Walls), I can only conclude that what makes a site special or worth visiting is its deviation from the norm. Most tourists who visit these sites do not have amazing natural landmarks in their backyards, nor do they experience the faction violence that many Irish do. I will say that the guides for both of these excursions (Erin and Rory) had very different styles for their storytelling of each site. Erin chose to take the folklore angle at Giant’s Causeway, spinning the tale of Bennandonner, the giant who built the Causeway to lure another giant into battle. She used this story from her childhood to elaborate on the significance of the site. Rory at the Derry City Walls took a different approach. He detailed the walls in relation to the Troubles and was very literal about the world events and geopolitical struggle of the time. In this way, he might have left out the people’s sentiments surrounding the Catholic-Protestant divides that the walls create. We do not know the current status of their relationship, which might have been more helpful for our learning. Now unlike the Causeway, the Derry City Walls were constructed around trauma and require tour guides to resist sharing their opinion on the matter. Rory kept everything very neutral, which is beneficial when learning the facts, but detrimental in our understanding of the people. There are more untold stories. However, in our case, we have been able to meet people involved in the Troubles, specifically IRA personnel, and hear their stories about the conflict. That has been incredibly valuable, almost acting as a supplement to the strict history lesson provided by tour guides. Both are necessary; I believe I have learned more about Ireland in these four days than I even know about the United States.
