The Black Taxi

Back in August we took a road trip up North. No, no. No arctic excursions. This was just a short trip up to the disjointed Northern chunk of Ireland. Two-plus hours in the car on the M1("M" is for motor-way, for those of you not hip to the jive) and we were in Belfast. Belfast, as a city, is just not really that interesting. Beyond a few notable bits of architecture, it feels largely like a big, grey, drab city that could likely be found most anywhere in the UK.

You might note that I said "UK" there and not Ireland. This is because Northern Ireland is actually part of the UK, a fact made painfully obvious by the taxis. Northern Ireland remained part of the UK as part of the agreement that established the Republic of Ireland in 1922. This was a highly disputed decision, with animosity on both sides, and ultimately lead to what the Irish refer to as "The Troubles" (the extended conflict between the IRA and the British government, along with an bonus religious conflict between the Catholics and Protestants.

Because of this, Belfast is riddled with big, black British-styled taxis, along with a load of fairly sensitive political history and turmoil. Generally speaking, people all over Ireland are not particularly comfortable talking about this dark period in history (hence the rather soft-cornered title they have adopted). Fortunately tourism trumps all social sensitivity and we were able to take what they call a "Black Taxi Tour" focused fully on The Troubles and their local impact on the people of Belfast.

In the case of a Black Taxi Tour, you essentially get to ride around in a taxi while the driver runs down all of the political history. Our taxi driver was brilliant! Although his presentation might be a little less refined than your average scripted tour, it was thorough and very informative. More conversational in its candor. We traveled to a handful of locations within the city where significant events occurred, including segregated Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods fenced off from each other where animosity and rivalry still exists, despite the IRA disarmament.

The most significant pieces of this puzzle were the murals found in the Protestant neighborhoods, painted on the sides of houses depicting anything from nationalist events in history to commemorations for someone who had lost their life in the conflict. The cab driver relayed to us, as we sat at the edge of a green looking out at all of the different murals, that the cabs had a sort of treaty with the neighborhoods allowing them to bring their tours through no matter their personal affiliations. For someone coming through these neighborhoods with the wrong ties, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, however, they could find themselves in a lot of trouble.

Suffice it to say, if you are ever in Belfast, we highly recommend a Black Taxi Tour.

See all of the pictures.