Northern Ireland: Belfast's Shankill Road...The Best Of British?

The Best of British? I was about to step into the 'Loyalist/Protestant' side of Belfast, along the Shankill I wanted to see something 'Red, White and Blue'. Keeping an open mind, I was being served an 'Ultra British' vibe! I had already been to this Unionist part of Belfast, although I stayed aware. I wanted to see the everyday vibe of the Shankill. God Save The Queen? U.K. Hun?

A cross-section of Belfast's allegiance has eyes only for the 'Royal Family', identifying Northern Ireland a firm member of the United Kingdom. Returning to the Shankill had been on my mind after I had watched every single 'Al Jazeera' documentary about that 'Union Jack' and 'King Billy' loving part of Belfast, being British I wanted to see how their passion for their 'culture' differed to mine because my passport does the job for me to prove my nationality. Serving a deeper shade of 'Orange', I had already seen those UVF murals during my 2013 'Taxi Trax Black Cab Tour, I didn't fancy getting starred down the barrel of a rifle once more! Neither did I want see the 'flamboyancy' of King Billy's elaborate housing estate artwork again. With the Queen's Platinum Jubilee approaching during that May 2022 moment, I wanted to see the Queen's mural on 'Crimea Street'. Without a guide, I did things independently, I had no issue with walking down the Shankill, like I said I stayed focussed! Flying the flag, it was a very 'British' morning!

Serving 'Red Hand of Ulster' Realness, I saw my first mural on the Shankill after turning away from Belfast's City Centre. I liked that mural because it promoted a sense of a 'welcoming nature', I was pleased to find that mural didn't have an agenda, nor depicted things from the Troubles. Walking further away from the City Centre had me soaking up the change in the environment, I saw that The Shankill had their own leisure centre, that had been a known landmark for me to see on my path. Getting those 'Royal' shop names clocked, there was a certain 'British Establishment' link along Shankill Road. 'The Royal Bar' overlooked a memorial of sorts, a large and new looking British Union Jack flag fluttered above an informational display. I did take a look at the photos and at a glance to learn something about the aptly named 'UVF'. I wasn't there to learn about politics, I made a move so I could see more of the road. It was crazy because even though lunch time loomed, the Shankill was quiet. Yes, I was hungry!  

I had heard all about the 'Ulster Fry', as each part of the United Kingdom has their own variation of a 'cooked breakfast'. Naturally leaning towards what a 'Full English Breakfast' looks like, I felt compelled to have my 'Ulster Fry' along Belfast's Shankill that May mid-morning day. Choosing the 'Old Tea Room' felt like a natural choice, I had originally had my sights set for an Ulster Fry from 'Beatties' but for some reason it was closed. My 'Sunday Service' evening out in the city the previous night had me feeling delicate to say the very least, needless to say the 'Old Tea Room' came to the rescue! Ordering the larger Ulster Fry, I basically doubled up on everything with no shame attached to that decision whatsoever. Ordering a pot of tea had to be done, I wanted to embrace that Northern Irish 'breakfast club' moment with that UK connection fully represented! Nearing dinnertime, I was pleasantly surprised that Shankill's Old Tea Room were serving breakfast! The best breakfast in the UK? I would have to say, yes! Oh, the best of British! Maybe?

The Shankill Road had me fronted with a certain Presbyterian flex as Shankill's own 'West Kirk' stood in front of me. I wanted to have a look inside but apparently Jesus had taken a day off? Yes, I was like alright then! I wanted to see from both sides, the religion followed by those in the Loyalist/Unionist areas and then following on with a visit to a Catholic church near the Falls Road. Maybe the quiet nature of the Shankill before lunchtime was because they had all been on the drink the night before at the 'Royal Bar? One guy in my hostel who had an Anglican upbringing in Belfast said to me that those who lived in areas like the Shankill didn't go to church all that often, they were more bothered about their 'Orange Order' band practices. I wasn't about to take sides, I wanted to keep an open mind because religious freedom in the UK is something that we should be thankful for. Even though I'm not a believer, I say live and let live. West Kirk, U.K Hun? Union Jack overload? I'll elaborate in due course, it's about to get cultural! 

Well, we don't particularly fly the flag in England but Belfast's Shankill was heavily UK representing within that area! I had originally wanted to switch things up, I wasn't able to see a mural of Queen Elizabeth II during my first trip to Belfast, Northern Ireland. Upon researching the murals along the Shankill, I had found one on Crimea Street featured an interesting mural that depicted Lizzie during her reign. I wanted to catch a snap of it! During my breakfast at the 'Old Tea Room' I asked one of the servers if they knew where it was? He went on to tell me that it had been removed to make way for a new Royal themed mural ahead of the upcoming Jubilee. Not feeling defeated I stumbled upon a similar 'Her Royal Highness' scene along the Shankill, did I just see 'Queen Elizabeth II' party face masks? Yes, I did! I gawped in that moment at the 'Halloween Megastore' because I saw an ocean of UK and other Monarchy related products! Oh, I had never witnessed such a shop in my whole living life, there's Britishness, then there's N.I! 

Sure, after living in a certain Asian country for a number of years I saw their national flag on a daily basis, that didn't faze me because certain places view their national colours as a serious priority. I remembered during that 2013 train journey from Dublin to Belfast, the soft border between South and North on the island of Ireland looked pretty different when those Union Jacks started to flutter all over the place, each to their very own but as a British person I don't feel the need to be waving a flag known as my own in the face of another. It was quite something else to see how confident and proud those along the Shankill raised their own colours, although it did feel quite nationalistic with such cultural items like those in the window of the mentioned 'Halloween' shop. I respect those who fly their flag as long as the intent is not to antagonise another community, the issues between the Unionist and Republican people in Northern Ireland are still stoked with their flags of many colours to mark their presence. Category is; Cohesion? 

Before I left that Protestant part of the city, I wanted to find myself a bottle of 'Maine' because that Northern Irish soft drinks brand needed be found! After putting the hashtag '#shankillroad' on Instagram, I was directed to a series of shops who were promoting their stock of Maine drinks. If truth be told, I loved the make up of those general stores along the Shankill Road because they served a sense of 'home, home, home, home' as Blu Hydrangea belted out during 'Break Up, Bye, Bye!' Finding 'MACE' along the Shankill had to be the one for me, getting my life I certainly did when I saw those British newspapers. Clocking the bottles of Maine drinks didn't take me long at all, I had studied the logo before taking that Northern Ireland trip. I chose 'Attaboy' because it looked like a Lucozade/Tizer drink, I chose that bottle of Maine to try. I loved my 'Attaboy' bottle of Maine pop, I highly recommend that bottle but I am sure others taste just as good! For 79p, well that's a bargain! Real talk, I need a Mace store that's in England!

I couldn't lie, the 'British vibes' had me feeling closer to home without a doubt, well with those UK flags! With my breakfast bossed, I wanted to know why we in England do not include little pancakes and potato farls? Well, I want them on my 'English Fry' because Ulster cooked it much better! The flags and murals had me looking at some kind of 'Super British Identity', with a certain 'Royal Family' at the heart of their focus. It was a shame that the 'Queens' mural wasn't there for me to see on Crimea Street but the Jubilee served a brand new mural, I have to say it looked much better when I saw it online after the Bank Holiday weekend in June 2022. 'Mommy's Protestant Princess?' Yes, I saw a 'red, white and blue' UK themed babygrow with those three words stitched on it, would I see 'Mommy's Catholic Princess' along the Falls Road? No, that was a bizarre 'Ultra Unionist' reference, but that's their culture and I won't argue with that. All in all, my exploration down the Shankill served up many UK references! So, U.K Hun?! 

More British Than The English? Yes!

Desperately Seeking Adventure