Titanic 100 Years Later

[Ciaran]

I have little direct interest in The Titanic, although it was built in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in my beloved home city of Belfast. At the time, Belfast was world's leading manufacturer of ships.

The completion of The Titanic was a thing of pride for Belfast and its sinking damaged the psyche of the city for many years. It was something that was rarely discussed. Following decades of sectarian conflict and the decline of our manufacturing base, the shipyards died. The offices where The Titanic was designed remained but were boarded up. Bus tours of Belfast took visitors to the site where The Titanic was built - it was nothing but desolate wasteland and ghosts.

Until recently, our commemoration of the Titanic had been more discrete through a beautiful memorial to the Titanic victims erected in the grounds of our City Hall in 1920.

Things are very different today - a multi-million dollar Titanic Visitor Centre (http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Home.aspx) opens this month and the city is at the heart of the Titanic celebrations. The Centre is in our Titanic quarter, the rebirth of the wasteland into waterfront apartments, offices and shops in what may become a thriving part of our city.

Not all rests easy with me. There's blatant over-commercialisation from the sale of Titanic-branded potato chips to a range of garish Titanic souvenirs. However, overall, this is incredibly positive and it's beautiful to see my city's contribution to The Titanic being finally recognised and the exorcising of certain ghosts in the process. As we've said in Belfast for many decades, The Titanic was fine when it left here.


As an aside, my grandfather was born only miles away from The Titanic on the same day that it set sale from Belfast. Sadly, I never knew him as he died more than a decade before I was born.

[gaea]

Originally Posted by Ciaran

I have little direct interest in The Titanic, although it was built in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in my beloved home city of Belfast. At the time, Belfast was world's leading manufacturer of ships.

The completion of The Titanic was a thing of pride for Belfast and its sinking damaged the psyche of the city for many years. It was something that was rarely discussed. Following decades of sectarian conflict and the decline of our manufacturing base, the shipyards died. The offices where The Titanic was designed remained but were boarded up. Bus tours of Belfast took visitors to the site where The Titanic was built - it was nothing but desolate wasteland and ghosts.

Until recently, our commemoration of the Titanic had been more discrete through a beautiful memorial to the Titanic victims erected in the grounds of our City Hall in 1920.

Things are very different today - a multi-million dollar Titanic Visitor Centre (http://www.titanicbelfast.com/Home.aspx) opens this month and the city is at the heart of the Titanic celebrations. The Centre is in our Titanic quarter, the rebirth of the wasteland into waterfront apartments, offices and shops in what may become a thriving part of our city.

Not all rests easy with me. There's blatant over-commercialisation from the sale of Titanic-branded potato chips to a range of garish Titanic souvenirs. However, overall, this is incredibly positive and it's beautiful to see my city's contribution to The Titanic being finally recognised and the exorcising of certain ghosts in the process. As we've said in Belfast for many decades, The Titanic was fine when it left here.


As an aside, my grandfather was born only miles away from The Titanic on the same day that it set sale from Belfast. Sadly, I never knew him as he died more than a decade before I was born.

reading this gave me chills more to the point your grandfather was born the day it set sail. amazing to me, this connection you have.

Im so glad you joined this conversation and gave us some insight into Belfast, ironic if you think about it, the way you described Belfast closing up after the ship sank and now is suddenly being reborn around the same ship.

I am not fond of the commercialization of the titanic either, my connection is different i do not own anything titanic not even a movie i keep meaning to buy it and i never do.

for me it is in the "story" the story of those that boarded and lived prior to the sinking, they had lives everyday lives who were they what were they about and what set them in motion to get on board a ship that would take them down? It is the personal stories that fascinate me the most.

Im curious and maybe you can help, why the stigma for so many years? Its not like Belfast had anything to do with the iceberg or the fatalities. They had engineers beyond their time that built this great ship, they had technology and a greater understanding of how things worked and put it all together, that to me is amazing in itself the design the actual building the hard working crew and construction members. etc.


I would go to this visitor centre just to be near, i would want to walk the land and see all around maybe someday i'll make it over to Belfast.

[gaea]

if your on fb here is a link, I have been following this page for awhile

https://www.facebook.com/TitanicStories

[Ciaran]

Originally Posted by gaea

Im so glad you joined this conversation and gave us some insight into Belfast, ironic if you think about it, the way you described Belfast closing up after the ship sank and now is suddenly being reborn around the same ship.

Im curious and maybe you can help, why the stigma for so many years? Its not like Belfast had anything to do with the iceberg or the fatalities. They had engineers beyond their time that built this great ship, they had technology and a greater understanding of how things worked and put it all together, that to me is amazing in itself the design the actual building the hard working crew and construction members. etc.

The stigma was all too real for many years. Although the design and build of The Titanic was likely nothing to do with its sinking, many accusations were made at the time and in subsequent years.

The sinking of The Titanic was of great sadness for the City but it also damaged the City's pride. It is said to have mentally scarred the lives of many of those workers who, rightly or wrongly, felt partly responsible for the disaster. It is said that many took this sense of guilt to their graves.

It's only very recently that, as a people, we've embraced our Titanic heritage and, in part, it's because sufficient time has passed which fades the pain. In fact, I think it's largely because those who worked on The Titanic are now all dead and most of their sons and daughters are dead too so, which we can now celebrate / commemorate that heritage, we don't have the pain of some of our forefathers.


When The Titanic left Belfast in 1912, it was a confident and outward looking industrial powerhouse (Belfast was where the United States established their second overseas consultate / embassy).

However, it was also a time of significant sectarian conflict in the City between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Five months after The Titanic's sinking, more than 440,000 Protestant adults signed the Ulster Covenant at Belfast City Hall, effectively renouncing any form of Irish rule in Belfast, an incredible number given the adult population of the province was considerably less than one million.

Originally Posted by gaea

I would go to this visitor centre just to be near, i would want to walk the land and see all around maybe someday i'll make it over to Belfast.

Yes, I'm rather biased as I love Belfast so much but it's an incredibly warm and hospitable city that is very definitely worthy of a visit. The Titantic Visitor Centre looks very impressive from the outside and has received excellent reviews. When I last returned to Belfast two weeks ago, it had yet to open but I'm looking forward to visiting it on my next trip home.

[gaea]

Originally Posted by Ciaran

The stigma was all too real for many years. Although the design and build of The Titanic was likely nothing to do with its sinking, many accusations were made at the time and in subsequent years.

The sinking of The Titanic was of great sadness for the City but it also damaged the City's pride. It is said to have mentally scarred the lives of many of those workers who, rightly or wrongly, felt partly responsible for the disaster. It is said that many took this sense of guilt to their graves.

It's only very recently that, as a people, we've embraced our Titanic heritage and, in part, it's because sufficient time has passed which fades the pain. In fact, I think it's largely because those who worked on The Titanic are now all dead and most of their sons and daughters are dead too so, which we can now celebrate / commemorate that heritage, we don't have the pain of some of our forefathers.


When The Titanic left Belfast in 1912, it was a confident and outward looking industrial powerhouse (Belfast was where the United States established their second overseas consultate / embassy).

However, it was also a time of significant sectarian conflict in the City between Protestants and Roman Catholics. Five months after The Titanic's sinking, more than 440,000 Protestant adults signed the Ulster Covenant at Belfast City Hall, effectively renouncing any form of Irish rule in Belfast, an incredible number given the adult population of the province was considerably less than one million.





Yes, I'm rather biased as I love Belfast so much but it's an incredibly warm and hospitable city that is very definitely worthy of a visit. The Titantic Visitor Centre looks very impressive from the outside and has received excellent reviews. When I last returned to Belfast two weeks ago, it had yet to open but I'm looking forward to visiting it on my next trip home.

this is so interesting to me.