Yesterday we spoke with the Minister of Arts and with people from Restorative Justice. The man from Restorative Justice spoke about at one time being a political prisoner. It was very inspiring to see someone who spent time in prison give back to his community rather than be angry about what had happened to him. It was amazing how much history the Minister was able to speak about and it actually made me feel disappointed that I do not know my own country’s history better.
Today we visited Derry/Londonderry. We saw the Guildhall and walked along the edge of a fortress that overlooked the Bogside. It was surreal to see the cannons that were once used against the people in this town. I was able to see many of the murals that were painted on the sides of buildings from atop the wall. We walked further down into the Bogside and took many close up pictures of the murals. I also had my picture taken in front of the “You Are Now Entering Free Derry” wall. Hopefully I will be able to upload my pictures soon so that I can attach them to the blogs. I also got to see the memorial for the people killed in Bloody Sunday. It listed their names and ages. It was sad to see just how young many of the victims were.