Michael Deane
Award winning chef and restaurateur
I remember being in Belfast that first marching season after the Good Friday agreement and the place just being so silent and deserted. Times were hard in those bad old scary days. Anybody with 20 pence in the bank got out of the city for the marching season back then which is such a contrast to last year when we actually had tourists coming in and the Titanic Centre open and a real buzz around the place.
Belfast is a bit more like any normal city now. We forget in this country that things have moved on so much. It's true that the flag protests were a reality check and showed that while there has been progress we still have a way to go. I've been involved with the “Backin Belfast” campaign to help businesses affected by the protests and it’s made a positive difference to trade. I made a bit of noise about the council’s decision to restrict the number of days the union flag could fly over the city hall, not from any green or orange perspective, but from a business perspective. These decisions impact on people’s livelihoods and they need to be made carefully.
The Good Friday agreement has done a lot of good. I see people getting on better with each other, there’s less pressure and a feeling of security that comes from not having to worry about panes of glass flying everywhere. Yes, we still have t’s to cross and i’s to dot but we are still here doing the best we can for our businesses and for our families in a place we love.