Once an IRA stronghold and one of the most violent parts of the city. How has it changed today?

[@sandiandgregh]

My Dad left Belfast for a new life in Canada in the early 1950s. As a family (my sister and I being 5 and 7) we began regular holidays back in 1971. We stayed with family in the countryside but would always have a couple of Belfast days. Your video stirred some memories. Over those many trips in the 70s, 80s, 90s, I have some interesting memories of things seen or interesting security measures. And some good stories but too many to share here. My bigger memories are of the beauty of the country, the friendly people, and hope. I’m still a regular visitor and closing in on 30 visits to NI, it’s never enough. I still loves days in Belfast. And the country is still beautiful, with friendly people. :)

[@nakedireland]

Well they say Canada is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, so that’s praise coming from you. Many thanks and hope you’ll be back again soon.

[@sorleymcsorley5558]

Welcome home Cara 👍🇮🇪

[@Lifeasweknowit24]

@@nakedireland you'll get new "troubles" now, because of the influx of people who have no interest in respecting the locals, under a fake "refugee" status. It's unbelievable that after all those years of civil war, once that peace was more or less reached, the government brings violence and war again in the name of what you called "multiculturalism".

[@1916jamesconnolly]

Born and bred on the Falls, top of the Donegal Road in St James Parade, lived through most of the Troubles, left in 1988. Went to St Kevins Primary School on the Falls then St Mary's Christian Brothers on Glen Rd. Played Football in Falls Park and on playing Fields near Beechmount Leisure Centre. My Heart will always be in Belfast. Great and friendly People on the Falls but tough as Nails and in my memory the Women were always the toughest.

[@TheBostonR]

The area you knew will be 'gone' in 20/30 years. It is rapidly on its way to becoming another ethnic groups home, the Irish will not be welcome.

[@nakedireland]

Yes I think that’s a bought right - thanks so much for sharing that.

[@desmcharris]

My young brother went to Saint Mary's on the Glen Road. We used to walk up the driveway past the old Bass Brewery and up onto the Springfield Road, to climb up the Black Mountain. We always took the path past the wee farm cottages at the top of the path ,just below the White Cliffs.

[@nakedireland]

You remember all this so fondly I can tell. The positive bits that is.

[@desmcharris]

Were do I start...? Perhaps it's too much. We lived this.. this was our childhood. This is our Home.. nobody believed us. We were abandoned, we were those kids. I'll take a breath, and just mention that it was my aunt's shop were the chemist is now, 3:42, throughout the worst of the Falls Troubles. I need to say so much more but ....

[@nakedireland]

Totally understand Des! It’s funny how as we lived through it, it didn’t feel unusual, it was all normalised. I guess that’s the danger?

[@desmcharris]

It is the danger, as you said. I don't know how much I can say on the comments, before the become too controversial or frightening to viewers. By the age of 14 1/2, I'd been dancing on weeping dynamite, gassed, shot with a rubber twice, rioted multiple times before and after and during school, both primary and secondary. Been the deliberate target of a British Army sniper, on two different occasions, been interrogate at 2:00am in our own home by a high ranking officer with a red band on his officers hat and three crowns on his shoulder. Witness multiple fire fights, up close and from a distance, nearly killed by a out of control Pig on the Glen Road, after school, that was knocked out by a slab of concrete. Covered in falling debris from a car bomb in the City. How many more of these events ? Loads. I'm not boasting, I have PTSD, and it's just all pouring out of my head from seeing my young life on the screen. I played in that park, had my toe nails fixed in the hospital, and recovered from a traumatic head knock as a 5 yr old showing off to some girls, in that hospital. When people what to know why these conflicts happen , it's because of history and politics. Please read and study all you can. It's from Romans, Mongols, Vikings, Mayans and nutty next door neighbours, the World over. If you delete this Greg, I wholeheartedly understand 😳

[@nakedireland]

Des, you’re what’s commonly referred to as a war-child. The term isn’t used in relation to our ‘troubles’ but it should be. PTSD? Of course you have, and you’re not alone. But there was no psychotherapy laid on or indeed there’s been no acknowledgment of the mental harm caused during that period to ordinary citizens who were caught up by virtue of their post code. Thanks for sharing all that Des, and I felt you could easily have continued for many paragraphs!

[@desmcharris]

@@nakedireland Thank you Greg. It was a bit like having the plaster wipped off, I hadn't quite taken in the notification of the up coming show. So it all flooded out, and being in the middle of a severe thunderstorm outbreak didn't help. Yes there is a lot more, as you say. Too much. I've lived a life since wondering if the bullet hadn't missed, "ZIP CRACK" as it just missed my head. I was 13, and playing ball on the street in front of our house. I just recently worked out with the help of a historical monuments map the the shots came from the steeple of St Teresa's Chapel.And this is all now an illusion. That's how I felt for years. I've since walked through primordial Rainforests exploring their complexity, dived many times to coral reef garden's, and with my telescope, absorbed the light photons from millions of stars in dence balls called Globular Clusters. My daily work is to recreate and refashion the ancient artefacts of Irish , Pict, Saxon, Viking and Scythian culture, with story's to explain. I'm alive.

[@desmcharris]

Just one more for those who maybe thinking why did he throw stones? I was a good wee kid. This happened early into a Sunday evening. I was 10. Standing with my friend from next door, on the path in front of our houses. It's dark early and the street lights are lit. We are bored , tv has finished for us kids and my dad is now watching his favourite Sunday show , featuring Malcolm Muggeridge. As D. and I stood on the kerb, down the street came a "Pig", slowly it came . What was so noticeable was how clean it was. You could see it didn't have any markings, not a scratch, not a number, nothing. But it was darker than any of the other Pigs I had seen then or since. Real Dark Olive Drab. As it drew up to us , real slow, a side hatch flew open and a projectile shot out at high speed and silent. It passed between D's head and mine narrowly missing us both and it cracked loudly as it stuck out house wall behind us. It didn't speed off, but casually rolled on down the street. I felt the wind off the projectile as it passed my left ear. I was just a child. I ran in and told dad. He was so shocked, he refused to believe me. Think on that.

[@paulkenneally789]

Get yourselves over to Belfast and enjoy history and culture.. it’s still rough in parts but welcoming. Both communities will be friendly enough to you but not so friendly to each other… sadly.

[@nakedireland]

It’s true Paul, visitors say they love the place.

[@elizaphe58]

I was in Belfast last month the place was rocking! lots of Tourists about it really is a City worth visiting.My Contraband to bring back was soda farls potato bread Wheaton bread sausages! had to have a customary Wee Bun too from the Bakery in Town!

[@BrendanC6788]

I first visited Belfast in the autumn of 1981 and one day I walked out the Falls as far as the RUC station at the end of the video. At the time it didn't have the walls around it, but a high chain link fence that angled in at the top and with huge concrete blocks inside the fence. I took a few photos from the same viewpoint as in the video. You can see the entrance on the left which at the time was a corrugated metal gate. Someone had painted "RPG-7" on the outside. I was preparing to take a photo from across the street, when the gate slid open, a squaddie peered around the corner and shook his head. I pointed to my camera and he nodded and shook again. So no photo from there! Great channel, btw.

[@nakedireland]

As soon as you said you took your camera out I thought, oops that won’t end well. No one was encouraged to record military infrastructure in those days, as you discovered. That was quite an adventure for you in 1981, fair play to you, and many thanks for watching and commenting.

[@Denis.Collins]

I was in Belfast for the only time in 1982. It was a war zone. I walked past two troops on patrol. One turned to me and said “what the f**k are you looking at?”. Margaret Thatcher said it wasn’t a war. It was a civil disturbance. One hell of a civil disturbance. Wonderful to see normality return.

[@nakedireland]

⁠I know, try living in that atmosphere every day. Although we got used to it, which in itself is not good. Many thanks for watching.

[@WelshRob1964]

An important film Greg to educate us who were not there. It must have been hell on earth living through those times. I can’t imagine it. I saw it on TV of course, it just seemed to be normal to me as a kid having only known Northern Ireland in the troubles. I have a cousin who was there in the British Army, he never speaks of it and only once did he mention being there and mentioned he was on the Falls Road. Thank God there is peace now.

[@nakedireland]

Yes, totally changed times now thankfully.

[@WelshRob1964]

@nakedireland May the peace always last.

[@nakedireland]

I’m totally with you there! Many thanks as always for watching.

[@marshmallowblaster]

Great video! I'd love to see how the New Lodge, Shankill, and Ardoyne have changed as I always hear about them being similarly turbulent to the Falls back in the day.

[@nakedireland]

Yes, turbulent places, all of them. Perhaps I’ll get round to doing films on them. I don’t like to do too many Naked Ireland films on the troubles, but strangely people seem interested in this part of our history. Thanks for watching.

[@marshmallowblaster]

@ I find it fascinating to learn about. I'm American, and we are more politically divided now than at any point since our civil war ended in 1865. I was legitimately concerned that we might have a second civil war on our hands if our election went the other direction last week, but that didn't happen so we are still at peace for now. Either way, I find the stories of your island to be instructive for us on how to move forward, so I love learning them. I feel that we in America have gone too long without learning about the Troubles. I barely knew anything about them until adulthood, despite having a decent education and a fascination with history.

[@nakedireland]

⁠I think if there’s anything to be learned it’s that peaceful dialogue compromise and agreement is the only way to reconciliation. Even then, it takes at least another generation to embed.

[@marshmallowblaster]

@ absolutely, that's what I'm seeing. I certainly hope the rest of us here can realize that before it's too late. I can't imagine how bad it would be if we had a Troubles-like conflict here with the sheer size of our country, and weapons proliferation with our gun laws.

[@nakedireland]

⁠with the weaponry that is kicking about in the US. That would be nothing short of a nightmare. But I don’t think it will come to that?

[@jimmymac356]

Born and bred ln the falls,education,st Galls then St Thomas,s.Joined merchant navy travelled most of the world for 20 odd years.But have never met any more genuine,generous ,straight talking,brilliant ad libbing comedians as the falls rd people.

[@nakedireland]

Ha ha, many thanks for that Jimmy, you’re not wrong.

[@binflynn1]

I lived in lenadoon all my early live 66 to 91 before moving away I had a great childhood although my children never believe a word I tell them about the things we done all true of course

[@nakedireland]

I know exactly what you mean. Mad times.

[@ctid107]

My grandmother lived in Locan street off Beechmount. In the 70s we used various routes to visit her depending on which roads were blocked. The Broadway cinema wasn't far and we'd see the matinees there, films like Zulu. The big schools like St. Dominics and St. Louise's on the Falls just kept going whatever was going on on the road.

[@nakedireland]

So true about the schools. And if the buses were off, the pupils walked! Many thanks for sharing this.

[@jimclark1374]

Lovely, wonderful video full of positive vibes showing all the great changes since the peace agreement. But I would like to see a little more context of why these terrible things happened and why they changed

[@nakedireland]

Hi Jim, many thanks for that. Yes it would be interesting to talk about the whys and the hows, but of course that would be a very long video. A lot of the ‘reasoning’ behind the cause of the troubles is still to this day contested too. I could give my views, but it would likely clash with other viewers. I actually hate it when these videos become political shootouts. I think, in this case anyway, it’s best to celebrate the fact that things have changed for the better and leave it there. Everything else is in the history books I guess. Even by saying things have changed for the better, I open myself up to criticism from certain quarters believe it or not!

[@longshotkdb]

Ross's Mill. It's nice New apartments running down behind there now. I'm sure in it's day half the local women that could work, worked there ... Cheers

[@nakedireland]

There were quite a few mills around the Falls Road. Many thanks for watching.

[@ATLmodK]

Thank you for mentioning plastic bullet injuries. This strategic use of non-lethal weapons turned out to be called the child killer

[@nakedireland]

It’s scandalous that these bullets were fired into crowds. There’s not a single riot in the England, Scotland or Wales where this could have been done without it being a major political incident. I guess we’re special!

[@desmcharris]

I got shot with one down near Casement Park, during the Operation Motorman occupation. Just in front to the Mace supermarket. The Brit who fired it was in the burned out bank just across the Andersonstown road. He had just fired off a round which bounced through every ones legs and I snatched it up ! I ran to my older brother clutching it shouting "got one" when Bang! The bastard got me right in the funny bone ! F..K it hurt! My arm shot right out and the rubber bullet I was holding flew out too!! I was hopping around in a circle swearing, but some wee fella picked them both up and gave them to me!! I limped home. Next day I stupidly swapped them for a riot shield! It had to be got rid off!!! Quickly . I was 12 yrs old.

[@nakedireland]

⁠🤯

[@sorleymcsorley5558]

That stood out for me too ATL as someone from that area and Belfast, an awful lot of innocent people lost their lives or were maimed for lifetime.. Several children as well and no accountability for those people who shot the gun.. A good wee video. Cheers

[@sorleymcsorley5558]

​@@desmcharris hehehe ya rocket

[@FTFLCY]

Excellent vid. We took the car over in Sept and did 11 nights all over Ireland, including 3 in Belfast. What a contrast to the city I'd last visited in 92. It was relatively becalmed back then, but we still had to get through security to get into the centre. In 2024 it's buzzing. Enjoyed a superb tasting menu at a M* restaurant and stayed in a swanky hotel with terrific staff. The Falls and Shankhill are now tourist attractions, and we did the inevitable Black Cab tour (with a very partisan driver who assumed we shared his admiration for Thatcher). Can this be considered "peace" so long as it depends on humungous and hideous "peace walls" to provide physical barriers between the two communities? Most folk seem to want them to continue, which is understandable but very sad.

[@nakedireland]

Thanks for that, yes the walls are still paradoxically peace walks, yet in times of peace. I can’t even explain it myself. They’ll go someday though.

[@desmcharris]

6:63, thats my Mums street. I walked that every week visiting Grandda and Granma.

[@timothypruitt9028]

So sad to see this knowing where American is headed. Beautiful place for "Civil conflict" though.... Thanks for the video. Nice to "get away" from it all.

[@nakedireland]

Many thanks Timothy and I sincerely hope the US manages to avoid the likes of what we went through.

[@timothypruitt9028]

@nakedireland , not looking luvly.... but at least there isn't an embargo on Irish beer yet.

[@nakedireland]

Long may it stay that way! 😂 Thanks for watching Timothy.

[@paulcormican3733]

St Pauls chapel facing the Royal where I was baptised, first communion and confirmed. Left Belfast on my 12th birthday. My parents moved back to the countryside. They live in Glenavy and its full of Belfast people now. Weird how things turn out.

[@nakedireland]

I wonder do you still visit the place where you grew up?

[@paulcormican3733]

@nakedireland Played gaelic and hurling for St Agnes in Andytown in the 1990s for 4 years. Took my wife round the Falls and Clonard when she attended the Royal. My old school St Galls gone. Gort na Mona where I went for a year gone too.

[@nakedireland]

⁠​​⁠yeah, big changes Paul, that’s true. Kinda sad, but life moves on, and we hope for the better.

[@JohnMckenna-kf9vx]

"The headline to this video contained the phrase "one of the most violent parts of the city. " This should be changed to "one of the parts of the city that had most British state violence inflicted upon it".

[@Felix-rising]

Yawn

[@DaveKennedy-x6y]

I was there in the 90s went back in August this year on hols.... what a transformation 👍🤔😄

[@nakedireland]

All changed, changed utterly.

[@oldskoolbelfast]

They run out off red buses had to get Green ones from the south

[@nakedireland]

Hard to believe now!

[@RangoSmith-66]

DIVERSE ! Lol . British out everybody else in . Mmmmmm !

[@nakedireland]

People representing all sorts of cultures. A vast improvement on the bigoted monoculture that prevailed in many places in 70’s & 80’s. Im sure you’d agree?

[@elizaphe58]

Belfast has changed from when I was last there September 2019. I was there last month scattering some of my late Dad's ashes around Belfast in particular the Short Strand where he was born and brought up.I was on the bus down the Falls to see my Elderly Auntie.You can see the different nationalities living Belfast.My Cousins said to me it has been changing greatly these past 2 years.I live in an area where back in 50's 60's 70' lots of Southern Irish then they moved out and Muslims moved in.In time areas will change hopefully both sides. The James Connolly visitors centre is well worth a visit.. A bit of promotion for my Cousin Seanna who runs it.

[@nakedireland]

Thanks for that. And yes, change in itself isn’t bad. Whereas stagnation and lack of progression in society is the kiss of death.

[@elizaphe58]

​@@nakedirelandI did seem to get the impression that around Town it was more diverse but on the Bus as it went through Catholic Areas are these the only areas where other Nationalities settle? where I live it's a very mixed.

[@nakedireland]

⁠I think people from all over the world are settling in all parts of Belfast, loyalist areas, republican areas and in mixed middle class areas.

[@elizaphe58]

@@nakedireland where I live Old Trafford it's changing in that more professional moving in! and property prices are going crazy from 10 years ago they've doubled! also a different type of resident saving just about everything! it's an area where back in 2008 Trafford Council were implementing a Housing Strategy Plan...For more Cohesion within the Community basically breaking up what they had created after the "Irish" moved out who had lived in the area for decades They had a regeneration late 80's early 90's and refurbished the terraced housing with extensions,so once the Irish moved out the area changed to mainly Muslim with shops and places of worship appearing.The Catholic Church now relies upon Polish African communities to keep it going.There are other Churches that rely upon the Professionals who have moved in.The Mosque on a Friday remind me of when the Catholics went to Church standing room only! although lots arrive in a car it's a bad day to park in Old Trafford near a Mosque on a friday dinner for about 2 hours! My late parents used to put a police parking cone out lol. I call it the Notting Hill of the North lol.

[@nakedireland]

That certainly sounds like big change. But this is what’s always happened, you have waves of immigration, Irish, Jamaican, Polish, and now Middle Eastern. I guess it all mirrors exactly what’s happening economically and militarily in the rest of the world!

[@luisrios345]

During my visit we stayed 4 days in the Gaeltach district, I had much more the feeling of the heaviness of the divisions of the communities of the conflict in Ardoyne, on Ardoyne what had marked me was to find memorial gardens for the victims and to the Freedom fighters between small neighborhood houses, without forgetting the Holly Cross girls' college and the Pubs without windows to avoid Loyalist attacks, on Falls Road it's more understandable given that it is the heart of Republicanism, the firing of transport in the Basque Country had become a national sport especially during certain episodes like those of Lasa and Zabala, as a Basque I was very well received by the republican community, I loved the decor of the Falls Road Bars with the Basque flag and Basque football teams like Athletic Bilbao, I found a few Basques there, it's an obligatory visit for any Basque independentist, I took the bus 3 times, the first time we didn't pay because we were in a hurry and we were very lucky because we didn't have any control, the next 2 times a controller came to see us to check the purchase of the ticket... thank you for your video Greg

[@nakedireland]

Many thanks for sharing that with us. Sounds like you enjoyed your stay.

[@luisrios345]

@@nakedireland You said in one of your comments that visitors strangely like this place, everything depends on the visitors, there is a long relationship between the Irish and Basque Republicans, the last time I saw a video in which the British were celebrating August 14 from William 3 in Spain to Benidorm south of Valencia (but they said nothing about Gibraltar jaja), this would be impossible in the Basque Country because they would be targets of attacks, in the end people would have to be able to decide on their future than that either in Northern Ireland, the Basque Country or Scotland (but without threats to take Scotland out of the EU if the result of the referendum is positive, no sense after the result of maintaining Brexit in Scotland, the same for the North of Ireland) or in Gibraltar where the citizens decided twice by a large majority to remain British, European and refuse Spain, I could understand the visit of Israeli Nationalists to Sandy Row... but not of the Spanish Nationalists, of our side we boycotted the visit to Sandy Row, even if I regret the death of all the victims of the conflict whether in the Basque Country or in Ireland... respect, reparation, justice and consideration for all the victims, some have taken years in Prison and others have had promotions

[@nakedireland]

⁠​​⁠thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive comment. Best of luck.

[@luisrios345]

@@nakedireland I admit that before leaving for the North of Ireland I wanted to see all the Republican places, Bars and Murals, but I loved going out to places that came out of the conflict like Portaferry where there were no flags, where people seemed to live together in peace, without the divisions of the communities, I had the impression that in small villages there is not this like in Belfast, Derry, Larne.... in the Basque Country. is different, in the small villages there is more the feeling of being in nationalist bastions where everyone speaks Basque, another difference is the city centers, In Bilbao, San Sebastian, Panplona, ​​Vitoria, Baiona all have a street of Basque nationalist left, and we have no walls, the only walls are the Guardia Civil quarters where there are watchtowers to protect themselves from car bombs... Greg .... visit the Basque country, you enjoy ... sure

[@nakedireland]

⁠I think some of our small towns and villages are also still very nationalist or unionist, Larne (a town you mentioned) being a good example of a unionist area). Yes, I’ve always wanted to visit Bilbao and San Sebastian, I will certainly do that some day.

[@williamkelly9859]

I'll buy you a pint if you stay irish.

[@nakedireland]

I’m afraid I’ve no choice there!

[@nakedireland]

Ha ha, sounds like you got well stocked up!

[@whoflungdung1046]

What's with the Palestinian flags? I'd like to think us brits and the Irish can become proper pals again someday and I'm pleased the troubles are over.

[@nakedireland]

I think we are pals if we give it a chance. Palestinian flags in the Falls - I made a film about them, seek it out if you like.

[@williamkelly9859]

Diversity, change, why?what was wrong with your own people?what?tell me that.

[@nakedireland]

Nothing wrong with any people. Irish, Syrian, French, Japanese, they’re all the same to me.

[@williamkelly9859]

Will you change everything?no.wgy change when people are ģappy enough?

[@nakedireland]

Now this question doesn’t make sense? Perhaps you could re-read, correct, and resend?