Life as a kid in Northern Ireland differs in many ways from a kid's life in the United States. For one thing, in Northern Ireland, hearing an occasional bomb blast isn't unusual.

From 1969 to 1993, 3,824 people have died in the conflict in Northern Ireland. However, a cease-fire was called last fall as peace talks between the Irish and British factions got under way.

Children's Express contacted four Belfast teens - two Catholic and two Protestant - through UNICEF. Orlaith Strong, 13; Monya Glenn, 17; Catherine Fawcett, 14; and Andrew Hanna, 15, were recently interviewed by phone.

We found out that we shared similarities despite our differences. In Belfast, there are a few schools exclusively for Catholics or Protestants, but a lot of schools are integrated.

The popular music is Nirvana, the Cranberries, Rage Against the Machine and Oasis. Cycling, hockey, volleyball, swimming and using a computer are spare-time activities.

Weekends are spent differently. In Northern Ireland, pubs and discos are the places young people go to have fun.

The voices of Orlaith, Monya and Andrew follow. Catherine's story is contained in a separate article.

The situation

ORLAITH, Catholic: The situation is basically Catholics and Protestants just fighting. And shootings and bombs and killing Catholics and Catholics killing Protestants and Protestants killing Catholics for just stupid reasons.

MONYA, Catholic: It's very hard to describe because it's so complicated. . . . I don't really understand it all, and I live here.

The Sinn Fein and the IRA want a united Ireland. They want the north of Ireland to belong to the Republic of Ireland and not belong to Great Britain. But the unionists want it to remain part of Britain. This is what all the fighting is about. It's just about a little bit of land.

ANDREW, Protestant: There has been ongoing sort of violence . . . for the last 25 years. . . . The situation hasn't changed much from their time to now. (The) different sides arguing and everything hasn't really changed. But with new peace talks and agreements and that, there's definitely hope, a new hope that's come.

The violence

ANDREW: Now there's no more violence. There's talks going on now to try to work out what to do.

ORLAITH: My uncle was beat up before Christmas, and he just got out last week. He was in the hospital for a few months because he was Catholic.

MONYA: Even at the time when we did have a lot of terrorist violence here, it didn't seem to affect me very much. You know because all of my life, I have grown up with it. It is a terrible thing to say, but I am just used to the violence.

I don't think it's such a scary place that everybody thinks it is.

ORLAITH: Most of the shootings and killings are in Belfast and North Belfast. Sometimes there are shootings like down the street from me and stuff. We live in a troubled area.

ANDREW: No one I've known well has been involved in any of this, bombs or anything like that. So it does affect me emotionally but not to great extents.

Relationships

ANDREW: I'm Protestant, but I have nothing against Catholics. They're just a different religion, (but) they're still normal people. I think it's stupid the way people are segregated like that into different parts of the community.

MONYA: I have a lot of friends here of different religions. . . . To a lot of people here it does matter what religion people are, but to me it doesn't.

ORLAITH: (I have) lots of friends that are Protestants.

Solutions

MONYA: I don't know (how to solve it) and if it would be possible to keep peace. It's definitely what everybody wants. I don't think a united Ireland is the solution because the unionists aren't going to agree, but there is going to have to be some sort of compromise.

ANDREW: It's hard to think of something that both the nationalists and unionists will agree on.

ORLAITH: I don't know if there will be peace. They're working on it, but I don't think so. They're always reaching agreements, and nothing comes out of them.

MONYA: There are people who have this mission in their mind and won't stop until they get it. And this is what all the fighting is about. It's about a little bit of land.

ORLAITH: They should just stop all the fighting because it is stupid. I think it's because of religion - just believing in one God (or) believing in another.

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Lisa Schubert, 15; Megan White, 15; and Ben Young, 14.

REPORTERS: Katie Beyer, 13; Sean Strother, 14.