Lagan Again

We’ve had gorgeous weather all week so yesterday I got out on my bike and cycled to Lisburn on the Lagan towpath. That was about 25 miles roundtrip and I was done for when I got home. But I succeeded in my quest. I bought two Ulster Weaver tea towels at the Linen Heritage Museum in Lisburn. UW has great designs. Sadly, the towels are made in China.

Some photos from yesterday:

Remember me contrasting Ulster statues with those in Edinburgh? This statue in Lisburn commemorates a battle in Delhi.

Oh dear. I took the photos on this trip on my phone. I can’t seem to control how those photos display when I upload them. This is one of the eyesores you come across occasionally this time of year. In lower-income Protestant neighbourhoods, all the good unionists are preparing for the bonfires they will light in July to celebrate the 1690 victory of King Billy over Catholic King James, the beginning of the Protestant ascendancy in Ireland (yesterday’s post explains the parliamentary posturing designed to overcome hundreds of years of oppression arising from King Billy’s victory). I really hate these fires both because of the environmental stupidity of having massive bonfires all over the city and because of the tribal triumphalism inherent in this retrograde ritual. Children are heavily involved in building and manning the bonfires--what a great way to pass on a tradition designed to perpetuate grievances between communities.
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