The poem won the Irish Times Irish Literature Prize for Poetry. The name of the poem derives from the nickname for the large shipbuilding rivets and other scrap metal that were used as missiles by Protestant shipyard workers during anti-Catholic riots in Belfast.
What does the title Belfast Confetti mean?
homemade bombs
The poem describes the confusion, shock, and horror immediately following the explosion of a bomb in the city of Belfast. (“Belfast confetti” was slang for homemade bombs.) Through the speaker’s experience, the poem illustrates the devastating and dehumanizing effect that violent conflict has on people and places.
How is the title of Belfast Confetti ironic?
Belfast confetti refers to the wage metal fragments from Belfast’s shipyards, already in sever decline by 1990. The ironic use of ‘confetti’ could suggest the uncomfortable marriage of the Protestant and Catholic residents. The phrase refers to the bomb’s shrapnel which Carson pictures as punctuation.
What poem can you compare Belfast Confetti to?
If you were to compare Belfast Confetti with The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost for example, you could use some of the following points: Both poems reflect the poets’ background and are anchored in place.
Who wrote Belfast Confetti?
Ciaran Carson is a poet and novelist from Belfast. Born in 1948, he grew up speaking Irish as his first language. He picked up English words playing out on the streets with friends.
What does Belfast mean in Irish?
mouth of the sand-bank ford
Belfast (/ˈbɛlfæst/ BEL-fast, /-fɑːst/ -fahst; from Irish: Béal Feirste [bʲeːlˠ ˈfʲɛɾˠ(ə)ʃtʲə], meaning ‘mouth of the sand-bank ford‘) is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast.
What is a Belfast accent called?
Ulster English (Ulster Scots: Ulstèr Inglish, Irish: Béarla Ultach, also called Northern Hiberno-English or Northern Irish English) is the variety of English spoken in most of the Irish province of Ulster and throughout Northern Ireland.
Why does Belfast Confetti use punctuation?
The poem ‘Belfast Confetti,’ one of the best-known poems of Ciaran Carson, pulls the reader into the aftermath of Belfast’s sectarian riot. He has used punctuation to symbolize missiles that Protestants used during this riot, which was against the Catholic crowd in Belfast.
What is the story behind Belfast?
The true story behind Belfast’s opening scene is the August 1969 riots. The riots began on August 12 in Derry, as protesters campaigning for greater rights for Irish-Catholics clashed with Protestant groups and the largely Protestant police force. The chaos soon spread to Belfast and other Northern Irish cities.
Was Belfast about the IRA?
The Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was formed in March 1921 during the Irish War of Independence, when the IRA was re-organised by its leadership in Dublin into Divisions and Joe McKelvey was appointed commander of the Third Northern Division, responsible for Belfast and the surrounding area.
What poem should I compare poppies to?
Remains, by Simon Armitage and Poppies, by Jane Weir are both poems written to show the impact of memory on different people. Remains focuses on the traumatic memories of a soldier while Poppies is linked to the memories of a bereaved mother. Both poems use first person.
What poem should I compare exposure to?
Try comparing Exposure to these other poems: Remains by Simon Armitage. Anthem For Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen.
What poetry is associated with Ireland?
Bardic poetry
Irish bards formed a professional hereditary caste of highly trained, learned poets. The bards were steeped in the history and traditions of clan and country, as well as in the technical requirements of a verse technique that was syllabic and used assonance, half rhyme and alliteration.
What is the tone of Belfast Confetti?
The tone of the poem is indicative of someone who is bewildered. Notice the very short sentences for effect, and the multitude of question marks “fusillade” in this case showing someone not being sure of what to do or where to go. This reveals the shock and panic of a person trying to find a way out.
What does the big ball in Belfast represent?
The globe-shaped, white and silver steel sculpture is a representation of a new sun rising to celebrate a new chapter in the history of Belfast.
Where did the Belfast accent come from?
Scots, Irish Gaelic, 17th century English and Hiberno-English (the English spoken in the Republic of Ireland) have all influenced the development of Northern Irish English, and this mixture explains the very distinctive hybrid that has emerged.
Is Belfast more British or Irish?
In 2021: 42.8% identified as British, alone or with other national identities. 33.3% identified as Irish, alone or with other national identities. 31.5% identified as Northern Irish, alone or with other national identities.
How do you say hello in Belfast?
Saying Hello in Ireland. To say “Hello” in Irish Gaelic, you say: Dia dhuit. That phrase is how you say hello to someone in Irish.
Are you Irish if born in Belfast?
If you were born in Ireland before 1 January 2005, you are an Irish citizen by birth. If you were born in Northern Ireland before 1 January 2005, you are entitled to claim Irish citizenship. This means that you can choose to be an Irish citizen and apply for an Irish passport if you want to.
How do you say good morning in Belfast?
The simplest: maidin mhaith
“Maidin mhaaaaith!” Maidin mhaith, which is the simplest way to say “good morning” in Irish, is a direct translation of the English phrase.
How do you say cheers in Belfast?
So how do you say “Cheers”? “Cheers” in Irish is sláinte which is pronounced a bit like “slawn-che”. Sláinte means “health”, and if you’re feeling brave, you can say sláinte is táinte (“slawn-che iss toin-che”), meaning “health and wealth”. “Cheers” is one of the words included in lesson 10 of our course.