On
a recent, visit to Belfast, a travelling companion
toured the Shankill by foot.
I
choose a trip to Ballycultra.
I
asked him his opinion, as I just took the bus
tour. His reply!
They
are a bunch of pigs. They live like pigs. There's
dog shit all over their yards, and garbage too.
Reading
Litter and Glass
brought this to my mind.
My
companion, a prison guard and part-time beer distributer,
lives in an upscale Irish American community in
Scranton, Pennsylvania. He and his neighbors take
pride in keeping their property neat and clean.
They sweep the sidewalks and streets in front
of their homes, as most Irish Americans do in
Scranton.
Walking
uphill and to the left of the Felons club in Belfast,
I noticed how neat and clean the neighborhood
appeared. I walked to a restaurant called, I believe,
Glen Alden. I was impressed by the area.
How
sad that tourists seek out the filth and foulness
of the Shankill and return home with a negative
impression.
Where
is the neighborhood activism and peer pressure
to have a clean and neat area?
Anthony
writes exceptionally well about conditions. What
does he do to improve them? Anthony is one many
respected leaders who have the power and ability
to organize a cleanup of the nationalist area.
What's
the excuse? We spend more time in church than
the unionists. Cross that one out and try another.
I
hope to, again, visit the beautiful north of Ireland.
I hope the Shankill cleans up its act.
