Cultural riches of city's past
CULTURAL tourists to Belfast must be able to visit both sides of the peace wall as they try to understand our past.
There is a wealth of history on either side of the large and daunting wall that snakes its way around our capital city with the intention of keeping communities apart.
Those communities all have their stories to tell and probably more has been done on the nationalist and republican side for the benefit of tourists.
There is a steady stream of visitors on the nationalist side as people study murals, memorials and other narratives of our troubled past.
People in those areas have every right to their version of the history that has unfolded in Belfast but so, too, has the loyalist community.
The new centre designed to open up the history and culture of the Shankill, launched yesterday, is a welcome addition to the tourist offering in Belfast.
The centre has a simple task and that is to help visitors from far and near get a better knowledge of the Shankill area.
Apart from the dark days of the Troubles, there is much else of interest in an area which played a huge part in making Belfast a key industrial city.
Councillor William Humphrey, chairman of Shankill Tourism and deputy lord mayor, believes the new centre will be the first formal step in the goal of establishing Shankill-Original Belfast as a key cultural quarter in the city.
It is a worthy goal and, coupled with the work being done in other parts of Belfast, promises much for the future of our biggest city.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
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