Belfast’s murals: behind and beyond
If the streets and the walls of the cities could talk, they would tell us many stories… This is what happens in Belfast, where murals have become symbols of Northern Ireland, depicting the region’s past and present political and religious divisions. The murals tend to represent one side’s political point of view, or they commemorate an event or person involved in the history of Northern Ireland, particularly during “the Troubles”.
“The Troubles” refers to the three decades of violence between elements of Northern Ireland’s Irish nationalist community (mainly self-identified as Nationalist, Republican or Catholic) and its unionist community (mainly self-identified as Unionist, Loyalist or Protestant) during which over 4,000 people lost their lives. Now there is peace but there are clearly unresolved issues in the minds of many.
In August 2015 I made a short trip in Ireland and the Belfast’s murals were the first stop. I spent most of time in the in one of the deadliest interface areas between the loyalist Shankill Road and the republican Falls Road comprising one of the biggest “Peace Line” – the wall of Cupar Street. The “Peace Lines” are structures build in the early 70s to separate Catholic and Protestant areas from violence. They are still being seen by residents as fulfilling an important function in keeping apart the “warring factions” They are provided with gates which can be closed by remote control by the security forces.
This is about optimism. It’s about the reflection of life in a rapidly changing city in Northern Ireland where people live with newly found peace and learning its possibilities.
Belfast’s murals: behind and beyond
If the streets and the walls of the cities could talk, they would tell us many stories… This is what happens in Belfast, where murals have become symbols of Northern Ireland, depicting the region’s past and present political and religious divisions. The murals tend to represent one side’s political point of view, or they commemorate an event or person involved in the history of Northern Ireland, particularly during “the Troubles”.
“The Troubles” refers to the three decades of violence between elements of Northern Ireland’s Irish nationalist community (mainly self-identified as Nationalist, Republican or Catholic) and its unionist community (mainly self-identified as Unionist, Loyalist or Protestant) during which over 4,000 people lost their lives. Now there is peace but there are clearly unresolved issues in the minds of many.
In August 2015 I made a short trip in Ireland and the Belfast’s murals were the first stop. I spent most of time in the in one of the deadliest interface areas between the loyalist Shankill Road and the republican Falls Road comprising one of the biggest “Peace Line” – the wall of Cupar Street. The “Peace Lines” are structures build in the early 70s to separate Catholic and Protestant areas from violence. They are still being seen by residents as fulfilling an important function in keeping apart the “warring factions” They are provided with gates which can be closed by remote control by the security forces.
This is about optimism. It’s about the reflection of life in a rapidly changing city in Northern Ireland where people live with newly found peace and learning its possibilities.
