Belfast The Cathedral Of Life

 Belfast The Cathedral Of Life

By Paul McCann 

Some say that the body is a temple for the spirit to dwell . Allow me to broaden that thought .

I grew up in Belfast and when the troubles came in 1968, I saw a religious war escalate and divide Belfast into a two-sided City , where the Catholics and the Protestants  fought each other . I found it hard to understand because the beautiful Belfast I knew was gone almost overnight and in a city that is full of church’s and cathedrals , it was becoming more like a battleground .

As I understand it God is neither a catholic nor a protestant because he created all the people of the earth so that means He is not only for one specific religion but for all .

I tried to imagine Belfast as one big cathedral with many people inside . One side of the cathedral was catholic and the other was protestant . Thinking that way made me accept protestant people more easily .

We heard the sound of distant drums and we danced to different tunes . We ate the same food and drank the same drinks , we were rich , we were poor , we were young and we were old . The people inside the Belfast cathedral stood together during the two world wars and we said our prayers and kept on believing and working together as tines changed . No one dared to shut the doors or windows to keep people out . 

Our cathedral was open day and night for one and all to come and feel welcome . We also were hurt and we bled and shed the same-coloured tears tear’s and over the years we saw the best and the worst of times .   

Before I even took my seat , it was established in 1888 and many people arrived with different dreams and had different gifts to offer . Many brought improvements and new ideas . As I waited outside the doors my Mammy and Daddy took their place and not long after I joined them with my four sisters .

My grandparents handed down stories and songs that were handed down from generations . There was a long history of people and their professions and trades . Merchant people and traders and even space invaders arrived which led to bigger plans for a growing population .

The sounds of preachers and priests came to either enlighten the darkness or scare the hell out of us but life went on and we all kept to our own side in the cathedral that nurtured us  .

As I grew up surrounded by people I knew and other I never got to know however the money we spent was the same and the games we played were as well . We donated and created . We waited until it was out turn to speak .

We hungered , we hope for better and expected the worst , we made the best out of a bad situation and we raises our voices and our flags on separate sides and no one gave in and no one gave out and no one especially ever gave up ‘ We had a reason to be who we were and even if we never got along we forgave and forgot and got on with it . We shook hands and made peace .

We heard the word and hung up our hats and coats on many places around the cathedral walls as the snow fell and the rain lashed down from the sky .

We saw the parades pass by and from a distance came the call from the other side and gave each other that nod from the heart of God that made us realise it was time to say Peace be with you .

Then and now we all made a mark on the same bingo cards , we had single lines and full houses and learned how to enjoy being Catholic and Protestant in a time when we were no longer afraid to answer a knock at the door .

We played the same sports on a Saturday and caught the same fish on a Friday . We said our prayers on Sunday , went back to work on Monday ,

Found new ways on Tuesdays and on Wednesdays we borrowed money to pay back when Friday came around . Thursdays were shopping days and we stoked up our bare cupboards and ate banquets bought with borrowed money and sometimes we were lucky to see the funny side of life between the orange and the green .

Belfast is and was a great cathedral of life with lots things being discussed,

and decisions being made . We never knew what lay in store because life was a serious business of making a living and sharing a smile and keeping in touch with everyone out there in the district .
We all grew our flowers in different gardens , we hung decorations on our Christmas trees and handpicked teams to work and play together from different sides of the cathedral .

We hung our linen and pressed our clothes , we wore our rags and robes up on washing lines and we dressed like Kings and Queens through changing times and accepted how it was even when we weren’t allowed to walk or talk because people were watching us , we got our day in , we did our best and we went visiting family and friends in their homes with love in our hearts .

Really when you look at it, we’re all the same ,

We have the same flesh and blood , we have the same bones and sure aren’t we all fragile as well , we bleed and break and we live and die and hopefully  end up in the same place in heaven where there is no religion, just one big happy family .When you look at it , the paths we took were the same even though at times were a little slippy we got there in the end .

The End