Day 22 – August 8 – Belfast

Well today is the big day, Ron’s Gold Medal squash match.  The finals are played on “the glass court” which has much better seating.  Ron played Andreas a police officer from Germany in the Final, the best of 5 games.  Ron took the first game with a few points to spare and we began to relax.  Then Andreas took the second game in a close game.  Ron came back to take the 3rd so we were just one game away from the Gold.  But Andreas wasn’t going to go down that easily and he took it to the 5th and final game.  So the Best of 5 became a single game, winner take all.  Ron was on a bit of a roll and appeared to have Andreas on the ropes when he lost his service just few points from the win.  Normally Ron’s fitness would help him as the match progressed.  But in this match Andreas’ multi-sport discipline was helping him stay even with Ron.  Ultimately Ron bagged the last 2 points to claim the match and the Gold Medal.

Andreas and Ron after the match

Prior to the games we had seen news coverage featuring the Chair of the 2013 World Police and Fire Games, PSNI Deputy Chief Constable, Judith Gillespie promoting the Games and the spirit of comradeship that 10 days of competition would create.  There was a definite emphasis placed on making people feel welcome and reassuring people that the Games would be safe and Belfast was welcoming the world.  We have experienced first hand the friendships that developed, even at the small venue that hosted the squash tournament.

Judith with the Gold and Silver medalists

Now Deputy Chief Constable Gillespie, or Judith as Ron liked to refer to her, arrived to present the Medals for Ron’s match.  She gave a few words thanking all the participants for traveling to Belfast to compete and then made the presentations. Gold for Ron, Silver for Andreas and Oscar from the USA picked up the Bronze.  After the medal presentation Ron was given a beautiful tie that carries the crest of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for “Mr. Congeniality” for lack of a better title.

Paul and Ron with his Gold medal and PSNI tie

We celebrated for a while with a few of the participants for a while and then headed back to our hotel.  Each day we saw the long driveway, called Prince of Wales Avenue, that leads up to Stormont, the Northern Ireland Parliament Building, named after this area of Belfast.

View of the Parliament building is framed by a line of trees that are 200 ft apart at the entrance and 250 ft apart as you rise up the hill to give the illusion that the building is closer than it really is.

The distance from the gates to the Parliament building is a mile with a sharp incline as you approach Lord Edward Carson’s statue located in the round-about just before you reach the impressive building.  We went through the security gate, well away from the building itself, then walked through the front doors, which had a commanding view out over Belfast and the surrounding countryside.

Looking down from the front steps past the Lord Carson statue along Prince of Wales Avenue

We were treated to a wonderful tour of the building by one of the resident librarians for Stormont.  The Government of Ireland Act of 1920 established the “home rule legislature of Northern Ireland” until is was abolished with the introduction of Direct Rule and given increased powers as the Parliament of Northern Ireland by the Northern Ireland Constitution Act in 1973.   The Building is relatively new with construction starting in 1922 and completed in 1932. After seeing so much history that occurred centuries ago it feels a little different to be viewing history that is even younger than our Provincial Legislatures at home. The Parliament of Northern Ireland was originally described as being “bicameral” in that there was both a House of Commons and a Senate.  The House of Commons chamber is on one side of the main rotundra or Great Hall and on the other side is the Senate (which was abolished in 1973) chamber which now used as a Committee room for the Northern Ireland Assembly.  The House of Commons chambers were completely destroyed by a fire started by an electrical fault in 1995.  When they completely rebuilt the Assembly they took the opportunity to create a layout that was less confrontational. Unfortunately, pictures are not allowed in the Assembly, even though the proceedings that take place there are streamed live on the internet.

Memorials to two members of the Parliament

Although this building represents Freedom and Democracy there are still reminders that the route to today’s peace has not been smooth sailing and some have paid the ultimate price.  Even though they have never worn a uniform or bared arms.

Main foyer of the Parliament with the statue of Lord Craigavon the first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

The Great Hall is dominated by a very large gold plated chandelier that was a gift from King George V.  Our guide told us the story of how the chandelier was originally a gift from the Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and hung in Windsor Castle. The eagles are a classic example of German influence.

Central chandelier in the main foyer

Gold plated eagles featured in the chandelier

During World War I it was removed from Windsor Castle and placed in storage and was never returned to the castle.  I guess this was an early example of the now popular term “re-gifting”.

Artwork for the Games from students at Jordanstown School is featured in the Parliament building

From Stormont we caught a cab downtown.  Ron and Marsha had arrived a day earlier than us and after registering for the Games they had done a little sightseeing.  We got dropped off at the Crown Liquor Saloon which dates back to 1826 when it was known as The Railway Tavern.

The Crown Liquor Saloon in downtown Belfast

The bar was a little unusual in that around each of the 10 tables along the outside walls was a 5 ft. high partition that created a small booth or “snug”, with its own little door.  In the center of the room and along the bar people could stand or lean on high tables.

Inside the Crown Liquor Saloon with the individual “snugs” (booths) in the foreground with the ornate tin roof above

The word is that originally the working class would stand to drink their pints after work while the booths were taken by the managers and supervisors.  Another story has it that the “snugs” provided some privacy for those people might not want to drink quietly and unseen.  Particularly for those people who may have held certain opinions regarding “public houses” but still like to have a drink, as long as no one saw them taking a drink.  As we sat in our secluded snug in the corner it was easy to imagine how these might have been the place were groups met to plan out revolutionary conspiracy, even long before the Troubles.

Deana, Marsha and Ron in their corner “snug” at the Crown Liquor Saloon

The original gas lanterns in each booth are still there.  Maybe the tin roof was installed in case one of the gas lanterns got a little out of control.  Each booth also comes with a button that rings a small bell to indicate that you’d like to order another pint.  Of course we only learned this after we rang it a few times and one of the waiters popped by to ask if we wanted more.

We watched a patron carefully balance his pint on the narrow ledge

The Gold medal hanging from Ron’s neck (and the WPFG t-shirts) made for an easy conversation starter and we met many other competitors as we made out way across the street to the Europa Hotel.  We met a few players from a Women’s soccer team from Toronto that got annihilated (their words) in their games against some Latin American countries, but were still having a great time enjoying this wonderful city.  The Europa Hotel has the dubious distinction of being “the most bombed hotel in Europe” and possibly “the most bombed hotel in the world”. During the Troubles it was bombed 28 times.  In 1993 it was so badly damaged by a bomb placed by the Provisional IRA that it was sold for just £4.4 million. When it reopened in 1994 belonging to the Hastings Hotels group there was no evidence of its troubled past, except perhaps the series of pictures that line the walls of a large spiral staircase that rises off the lobby floor to take you to the convention rooms above.  In December 1994 President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hilary stayed in one of the large suites which then became known as The Clinton Suite.

A borrowed picture of the Europa Hotel

We wandered a bit more, found a few souvenirs and then got caught in a torrential downpour.  We managed to find a cab and made our way back to the hotel for a nightcap.

We have thoroughly enjoyed the our time in Belfast and we’ll definitely put it on our “visit again” list.  We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Belfast for people making a visit to this part of the world.