Further along that exploratory walk we found ourselves in the Crumlin Road (adjacent to the Shankill, the fierce and most notorious Loyalist neighborhood). One of the most memorable sights was an abandoned church that nature was in full process of reclaiming. Gazing at the church sparked a meaningful exchange with two young men,  tattooed to clearly mark them as Republicans, who were mystified both by our interest in the church and by our having actually come from the US for the sole purpose of spending time in the city of Belfast.