Belcoo is in
Northern Ireland.
Blacklion is in
Southern
Ireland. They are seperated by less than 100
meters by a bridge that spans the
river that runs between
the upper and lower Macnean Loughs.
As you drive over the bridge you can tell as soon as you pass from the north to the south or visa versa
as the road network in the United Kingdom is
far superior to that in the south. Half way across the
bridge the road surface changes.
It is clear too that the people who are responsible for road signs on either side of the border like
to pretend that the other side of the border does not exist. Remember now that the bridge is less than 100m
long. Leaving either town about 1/3 of the way along the bridge is a sign indicating an end to the speed limit.
Entering either town about a 1/3 of the way along the bridge there is a sign indicating that the town speed limit is 30 mph. Between the two sets of speed signs you have about 20m in which to get up to 70mph and back down again !
Both towns are about the same size. The town in the south has a Garda station that is little more than a small house. The Police station in the north is surrounded by a 15 foot reinforced wall with a furthur 7 feet of razor wize
on top, with lookout posts on all corners. This gives some indication of the nature of the conflict in the north.