I’m going to be visiting a couple of friends in Belfast over the summer, and when I told them the dates (July 11-14), one of them said that I “picked interesting days to come. The 12th will be an experience for you!” I had no idea what he meant, so I turned to Google, which had plenty of stories of protests turning into riots turning deadly. Wikipedia provided some background for me.
Now, I’m worried about any of this, since I’m pretty sure that the news stories make things sound worse than they are, but I am curious if any Belfasters (Belfastians?), or anyone else, have any input. As far as I know, my buddies don’t have strong Unionist or Nationalist beliefs or any intention of marching, so we won’t be out looking for trouble.