»a lot is told about the view of ireland in this country that there has not been a pictorial about belfast. now christof leistl has filled this gap with excellent black-and-white photos. anyone who expects a coffee-table book, though, will be disappointed. christof leistl took his place with both the nationalistic and unionist sides and shows belfast unvarnished, in all its grief and poverty, a place full of contradictions … war is omnipresent …« (irland journal)

catholicism, protestantism, militarism, poverty, helplessness, will to survive. moments taken from the life of the city, bursting with sorrow, aggression, rage and grief. meetings, soldiers, bomb attacks, a town in conflict. the photos are accompanied by a detailed documentary text on the roots of the tragic beginnings of ireland‘s restless history.

published 1996