The United States today is a deeply divided country awash in weapons, leading many to worry about escalating political violence and even a broader sectarian conflict.

For her series, America at a crossroads, Judy Woodruff recently traveled to a place steeped in both political violence and the hope for peace, Northern Ireland, to find out what lessons

Americans might learn from its experience.

In the lush green hills of Down Patrick in the southeast of Northern Ireland, a group of

American tourists recently walked among the ancient ruins of Inch Abbey, where English monks once lived.

A couple of miles away, they offered a prayer at the grave of St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland,

himself of Britain. While in the capital, Belfast, they were confronted by the far more recent history of division in the period known as the Troubles,

the 30-year sectarian conflict between Catholics and Protestants that cleaves society into.

In those days, there was gone bottles every day of the week.

This group of American tourists were from First United Methodist Church of Winter Park in Florida.

I was seething with anger about the injustice of what had happened.

And they had come to learn about this conflict from the people who lived through it.

Still in my school uniform, I sworn allegiance to one of the most vicious armed groups at the time.

The harm it did.

And the police know who killed my son and have done absolutely nothing about it.

And efforts to build and maintain its hard won peace.

I'm concerned, greatly concerned about the polarization.

It seems like we can't have even dialogue in a lot of ways anymore.

First United Methodist pastor David Miller said he sees parallels back home.

Our identity is becoming primary and divided.

We're certainly more polarized than we've been even five years ago.

You see a connection.

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