FOLLOWING the success of his first impromptu tour with Italian tourists this summer, a West Belfast man – whose story became famous in Italy – has now hosted his first organised tour of his native city.
Michael Phillips, who now lives in Bologna but is originally from Belfast, became a sensation in Italy when a podcast telling the history of the Troubles – interwoven with his personal story – rose to number two in the Italian podcast charts.
In August Michael was home visiting family when he met up with some Italian tourists and gave them a quick tour of the city. Afterwards he decided that there was a serious market in Italy for trips to Belfast. Michael was back home recently and has now completed his first organised tour.
Speaking about the trip, Michael said: “After I met up with the Italian tourists last time and gave them an impromptu tour, I realised there was a huge interest and market for this in Italy.
“A lot of Italians know the history but they also know it through the official lense of what the authorities were saying about the conflict so when they came and saw for themselves what happened it was a real eye-opener.
“This time I brought five Italians over with me to see how it would go. There were a couple of Italians on the trip who were very knowledgeable but they really appreciated when I took them to Twinbrook, Lenadoon, Ardoyne etc. I took them right in and we met many of the people living there.
CRAIC: The tour group bumped into boxer Eamonn Magee in Ardoyne
Michael continued: “I was showing them the architectural limits that were put on people in those area, especially in Twinbrook and Ardoyne. There’s very few entrances in and out and that was deliberately to control people who were living in what essentially was a ghetto. I was saying this was what restrictive movement was, this was how they tried to control people and it really helped them gain a perspective.”
INTO THE WEST: The Italian tourists visited spots all over Belfast
By visiting the heart of the communities at the centre of much of the conflict Michael's guests were also able to bump into people from the area who were able to explain their own experiences.
“We visited the murals too but I think it’s important to go into the communities themselves as well. We visited the Shamrock Club in Ardoyne to show them around and the next thing they asked to stay for a drink and we ended up bumping into the boxer Eamonn Magee and also a former ex-prisoner so it really made the trip for them being able to talk to them.
“Being there, meeting people from there and talking with them just adds a completely different perspective. They got to see a bit of old Belfast in action again too. I was bringing them up to the Rock Bar for Rebel Sundays and on the way up we saw cop cars and then we saw some young people with their faces covered throwing stones. I was thinking ‘I’m in a hired car here from Dublin, I don’t think the insurance will cover this!’”
Michael's own personal story involved his arrest in 1996 in London in connection with an IRA bomb plot. Michael was subsequently cleared of all charges but was imprisoned in Belmarsh prison after his arrest and during his trial.
🔴 Nei giorni in cui in #Irlanda torna a salire la tensione, ho parlato con Michael Phillips, un cattolico di #Belfast che ha scritto un libro sulla sua intensa storia. Sul Quotidiano del Sud @LAltravoce 🔴👇 pic.twitter.com/xnjAh5cFoE
— Federico Cenci (@FedeCenci) April 26, 2021
Michael said the next step is to develop some more tours and that he has also been asked by a school in Italy to take pupils on a tour in April.
“I already have people asking me about the next one and the plan will be to organise that in the coming months. There is a school in Milan who want me to organise a tour for them next April and they requested that specifically. It will be about 30-40 kids and we’ll take them around the different areas and I want to organise a contact with the Shankill who can take them round there too so they can get to see that part as well.
“The podcast was a massive help, with it being number two in Italy. It was good because it mixed in the history of the conflict with parts of my story so that also added some human context and some personal perspectives to it as well.”
TOUR: The Italians tourists in Belfast
One of those who went on the tour, Monica Ferrari, said: “Seeing with your own eyes and hearing from the voice of those who lived through terrible events was an unparalleled experience that makes you reflect on how difficult the journey towards Irish unity is.
“Michael was able with simplicity to tell what he experienced first-hand and I will never be grateful enough to him for having accompanied me on this adventure, reliving some terrible moments of his life.”
