Sonia Hartl asked Sarah Carlson:

Hi Sarah, what inspired ALL THE WALLS OF BELFAST? And did you do any specific research to bring the setting alive?

Sarah Carlson I was inspired by a trip to Belfast in July of 2011 during a particularly contentious time of year in Northern Ireland. On the 12th of July, Protestant Loyalists celebrate the victory of Protestant King William of Orange over Catholic King James II in 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne. To be VERY brief, this secured Protestant power in Ireland for generations, and the annual celebration of this victory is not well-received by Catholics and a lot of Protestants in Northern Ireland. Anyway, while I was there, I had the opportunity to attend and Eleventh night bonfire and the Twelfth parade, which features many flute bands dressed in military-looking uniforms carrying banners commemorating battle victories. There were also riots while I was there over parade routes, which go through Catholic areas and, at times, the Protestant bands intentionally play offensive music. I also found there were (and are) still huge "peace walls" between working class Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods. In talking to people there, the pain and loss suffered by so many felt so present even more than a decade after the Troubles officially ended. Over 3000 people were killed during the Troubles by Republican and Protestant paramilitaries and the British Army, and tens of thousands were injured. Plus, looking at the murals on both sides of the wall, one side's martyr was the other side's stone cold terrorist--all less than twenty feet apart. And some of those people went on to hold powerful positions in government.

Prior to this trip, I had some vague memories from middle school about the Troubles, but that was about it. But this experience left me curious to learn more, both about the history of the Troubles and the lingering impact on certain populations in Belfast. I found a story to tell about intergenerational trauma.

It took me about five years to finish ALL THE WALLS OF BELFAST. In terms of research, I answered another question about this in great detail, so I'll be brief here :-). Three trips to Belfast in which I visited every single setting in the book, combined with a lot of Google Maps Streetviewing. Studying the history of the Troubles, and the complicated history leading up to the Troubles. Daily tracking of current events, particularly paramilitary activity, for years. Research on the education system, the peace walls, challenges facing working class youth (in particular around paramilitaries), flute bands, and working class youth perspectives. Extensive dialect and culture research. Using five readers from Belfast, including two professional editors, to ensure authenticity. That's some of the research I did anyway, definitely not an exhaustive list.

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