Another perspective on Belfast murals

Greetings from Paris, France!

I am still working on a blog update from my time in England and Scotland, but in the meantime...

I received an email from my cousin Sam (who welcomed me with open arms along with his lovely wife, Marie, in Northern Ireland), and I feel it is only fair to post his repsonse to my photos and commentary of the Belfast political murals--his opinion being, most likely, the overwhelming perspective of Protestants in Northern Ireland.

Here it is:

"I had a look at your blog yesterday in relation to your visit to the Belfast murals. Your IRA guide certainly did his job well in selling the Republican story. The truth of the matter is that these 'freedom fighters' were terrorists. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom not because Great Britain wants us but because the majority of the people in Northern Ireland wish to remain part of the United Kingdom. The UK and Irish Republic now accept that Northern Ireland will remain part of the United Kingdom until the majority of the people here decide otherwise. What the IRA was trying to do since the late 1960s was to bomb and shoot to such an extent that the UK would withdraw from Northern Ireland even though the majority of the people wish to remain part of the UK. During the IRA's wicked campaign over 3000 people lost their lives in Northern Ireland.

Your blog gives some credence to their campaign which is unfortunate and I regret that this information, without presenting the other side of the story, has gone to all your blog contacts. The IRA's hatred of the British, including blaming the landlords for the famine, can not be concealed.The Famine was due to gross over-population and failure of the potato crop - the landlords had very little to do with it. At the time of the Famine the population of County Fermanagh was almost three times what it is today.

Your Morrow family in Northern Ireland are and always have been staunchly pro British and anything which gives credibility in any shape or form to Republican terrorists is to be regretted.

I thought that I would put you straight on some of these issues as you may not fully understand the background to the IRA's activity and the status of Northern Ireland."

As with most issues, it`s good to discuss all sides; of course, we all have the ability to make up our own minds and decide how we feel. Thanks to Sam for providing some good perspective.