NORTHERN IRELAND: TOURISTS RETURNING TO BELFAST

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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English/Nat Three decades of sectarian violence in Belfast had traditionally served to keep the tourists away. But now it seems the legacy of those very troubles may in fact be Northern Ireland's main attraction. Tour guides are catering to tourist demands to see the sites that for so long dominated television news. And some residents are even turning their homes into bed & breakfasts to cash in on the new tourist boom. Shankhill Road - Belfast's Protestant area and domain of the Ulster Loyalist paramilitaries. For nearly three decades, sectarian killings and violence deterred even the most adventurous tourist. But since the ceasefire, the number of visitors venturing to Northern Ireland has increased. Many seem to be keen to witness the scenes where much of the trouble that kept them away for so long took place. Northern Ireland is renowned for its spectacular coastline, but some tourists are looking for something that only Belfast can offer. George Grimley is one bus driver who operates tours to bring tourists to some of the city's infamous hot spots. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Well, Belfast unfortunately, having the history that it has, you'll find a lot of the tourists want to go into the areas that they've seen on their televisions over the years. So our aim is to bring the tourists into that area and give an unbiased view of both sides." SUPER CAPTION: George Grimley, bus driver and tour operator The twice-weekly bus tours of the Catholic and Protestant areas have become a must-see and are even recommended in travel guide books. The tourists seem to enjoy the drive through some of Belfast's notorious areas. SOUNDBITE: (English) "To actually drive down there and see the way these people live, it's just crazy living behind barbed wire and bricks." SUPER CAPTION: David Edwards, Australian tourist VOXPOP: (English) "It's just chilling to think of all the people who have died here because of this conflict." SUPER CAPTION: Jean Stewart, tourist from Denver, Colorado, U-S Taxi drivers have also been cashing in, offering more individualised tours. SOUNDBITE: (English) "You can tell it's a Protestant area. You'll see all the pavements are painted red, white and blue." SUPER CAPTION: Michael Johnston, taxi driver and tour guide The murals around Belfast are becoming something of an art form. Even so, the tours are not for the faint hearted since the sites mark the scenes of atrocities still very real to local residents. On the site of this wallpaper shop in the Shankhill Road stood a fish shop which was bombed by the I-R-A in 1993. SOUNDBITE: (English) "That was one of the worst bomb attacks on the Shankhill Road, a lot of women and kids were killed. An I-R-A man left the bomb on the floor." SUPER CAPTION: Michael Johnston, taxi driver and tour guide The Catholic-Republican area is only a stone's throw from the Shankhill Road. SOUNDBITE: (English) "These are the famous peace gates between the Falls and the Shankhill and they separate both sides from rioting and fighting." SUPER CAPTION: Michael Johnston, taxi driver and tour guide Milltown Cemetery gained notoriety when it was the scene of a deadly shooting in 1988. Loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone attacked and killed three mourners attending the funerals of three I-R-A members shot by the British military in Gibraltar. Within the cemetery are plots dedicated to fallen Republicans, including those killed in Gibraltar. There is also a plaque commemorating the death of Bobby Sands and other inmates of the Maze Prison who died while on hunger strike protesting for political rights. SOUNDBITE: (English) SUPER CAPTION: Michael Johnston, taxi driver and tour guide SOUNDBITE: (English) You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/7d776b19d8c005905f2a402183b01aa3 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork