Belfast Confetti centres around a fictionalised bombing which has occured during the period of conflict and violence in Northern Ireland, the Troubles.
What real life conflict inspired the events described in the poem Belfast Confetti ‘?
This poem is about the aftermath of the “Troubles” that were an ethnic-nationalist period of conflict in Northern Ireland. The situation lasted for 30 years from the late 1960s to the late 1990s. It is also known as the Northern Ireland conflict. The poet describes the aftermath of the sectarian riot in Belfast.
Where does the term Belfast Confetti come from?
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 is the significance of the street names in Belfast Confetti?
The streets are named after generals, battles and places from the Crimean War – a conflict between Britain and Russia in Victorian times. He therefore likens the riot to a battle in a bigger war.
What form is Belfast Confetti?
The poem’s form is immediately striking. Instead of neat, compact stanzas , the lines are long and the stanzas stretched. On closer inspection, you can see there are two stanzas.
What was the fighting about in Belfast in 1969?
Background. Northern Ireland was destabilised in 1968 by sporadic rioting arising out of the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA) campaign, and the police and loyalist reaction to it. The civil rights campaign demanded an end to discrimination against Catholics in voting rights, housing and employment.
What was the conflict in Belfast?
Tensions Leading to the Troubles
While Ireland was fully independent, Northern Ireland remained under British rule, and the Catholic communities in cities like Belfast and Derry (legally called Londonderry) complained of discrimination and unfair treatment by the Protestant-controlled government and police forces.
What does confetti symbolize?
Confetti is the Italian word for sweets, in medieval Italy wedding guests would throw sugared almond sweets over the bride and groom, as they symbolised fertility and prosperity. Over the years this possibly painful tradition evolved into paper and flower petal alternatives!
What does Belfast mean in Gaelic?
Name. The name Belfast derives from the Irish Béal Feirsde, later spelt Béal Feirste (Irish pronunciation: [bʲeːlˠ ˈfʲɛɾˠ(ə)ʃtʲə]) The word béal means “mouth” or “river-mouth” while feirsde/feirste is the genitive singular of fearsaid and refers to a sandbar or tidal ford across a river’s mouth.
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.
What is the main message in Belfast Confetti?
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.
Why is the seahorse the symbol of Belfast?
“In myth and legend the seahorse stands for protection, recovery and health – traits which are welcome in our city as much as any other.” Belfast’s coat of arms, dating back to 1890 with its depiction of two seahorses, a ship and a ship’s bell reflects the city’s strong relationship with its harbour.
Why is the Shankill Road famous?
The fish shop bombing, known as The Shankill Road Bombing, occurred in 1993 and is one of the most well-known single incidents of the Troubles. The Provisional IRA attempted to assassinate the UDA leadership, who were due to meet above Frizzell’s fish shop.
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 does a fount of broken type mean?
This means a group attack. Suddenlyas the riot squad moved in, it was. raining exclamation marks, Nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. A fount of brokentype.
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.
Did the Germans bomb Belfast in WWII?
About 1,000 people were killed and bombs hit half of the houses in the city, leaving 100,000 people homeless. Belfast was largely unprepared for an attack of such a scale as 200 German bombers shelled the city on 15 April 1941.
Does the IRA still exist?
This new entity was named the New IRA (NIRA) by the media but members continue to identify themselves as simply “the Irish Republican Army”. Small pockets of the Real IRA that did not merge with the New IRA continue to have a presence in the Republic of Ireland, particularly in Cork and to a lesser extent in Dublin.
What was the IRA fighting for?
The Irish Republican Army (IRA; Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reunification and bring about an independent, socialist
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.
Was Belfast a true story?
While Belfast is not exactly a true story, Branagh’s own childhood experience allows the film to touch on the issues faced by many families in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.