Belfast West Belfast And The Murals

West Belfast has historically been at the heart of political tensions in the North. The Troubles reached their peak in the 1970s; the particularly violent year of 1972 saw 1000 bomb explosions and over 400 murders. While there have not been any large-scale outbreaks of violence in recent years, tensions remain high. The Catholic area (centered on Falls Road) and the Protestant neighborhood (centered on the Shankill) are separated by the peace line, a grim, gray wall with a number of gates that close at nightfall. Along the wall, abandoned buildings and barricaded homes testify to a tumultuous history and an uneasy future. One bit of the peace line, near Lanark Way, connecting the Falls and Springfield roads, contains peace paintings and signatures—left mostly by tourists—promoting hope for a brighter future. The Falls and Shankill exude both the raw sentiment that drives the Northern Irish conflict and the casual calm with which those closest to the Troubles approach daily life. West Belfast is not a tourist site in the traditional sense, though the walls and houses along the area’s streets display political murals which speak to Belfast’s religious and political divide. These murals are the city’s most striking and popular attraction.

Those traveling to these sectarian neighborhoods often take black taxis, community shuttles that whisk residents to the city center, transporting passengers along their set routes. Some black taxis and black cabs can also be booked for tours of the Falls or Shankill. Let’s Go offers two neighborhood maps (see Catholic and Protestant Murals) of the Catholic and Protestant artistic representations of the past, allowing individuals to explore the murals for themselves.

It is best to visit the Falls and Shankill during the day, when the neighborhoods are full of locals and, more importantly, the murals visible. Do not visit the area during Marching Season (the weeks around July 12) when the parades are underscored by mutual antagonism that can lead to violence (see History and Politics). Because the area around the peace line remains politically charged, travelers are advised not to wander from one neighborhood over to the other, but to return to the city center between visits to Shankill and the Falls.

New murals in the Falls and Shankill are constantly produced, so the descriptions below and the neighborhood maps describe only a fraction of what is there. For a guide to the murals’ iconography, consult our glossary of common mural symbols (see The Mural Symbols of West Belfast). Before taking a camera, ask hostel or B&B owners about the current political climate. Taking pictures is generally poorly advised during Marching Season. However, photography is acceptable on black cab tours, as drivers have agreements with the communities. But do not take photographs of military installations, as film may be confiscated.

The Falls. This Catholic and Republican neighborhood is larger than Shankill, following Castle St. west from the city center. As Castle St. continues across A12/Westlink, it becomes Divis Street. A high-rise apartment building marks Divis Tower, an ill-fated housing development built by optimistic social planners in the 1960s. The project soon became an IRA stronghold and saw some of the worst of Belfast’s Troubles in the 1970s. The British Army still occupies the top floors.

Continuing west, Divis St. turns into Falls Road. The Sinn Féin office is easily spotted: one side of it is covered with an enormous portrait of Bobby Sands (see The Troubles) and an advertisement for the Sinn Féin newspaper, An Phoblacht. Continuing down Falls Rd. reveals a number of murals, most of which are on side streets. In the past both the Falls and the Shankill contained many representations of paramilitaries (the IRA in the Falls, UVF and UDA in the Shankill) with armed men in balaclavas; this and commemorative murals were the main subjects in the past, but both communities have focused on historical and cultural representations for the newest murals, even replacing many older works. The newest Falls murals recall the ancient Celtic heritage of myths and legends, and depict The Great Hunger, the phrase Northern Catholics use to refer to the Famine. Earlier militant murals certainly still exist including a few that depict the Republican armed struggle.

Falls Rd. soon splits into Andersonstown Road and Glen Road, one of the few urban areas with a predominately Irish-speaking population. On the left are the Celtic crosses of Milltown Cemetery, the resting place of many fallen Republicans. Inside the entrance, a memorial to Republican casualties is bordered by a low, green fence on the right; the grave of Bobby Sands lies here. Nearby, Bombay Street was the first street to be burned down during the Troubles. Another mile along Andersontown Rd. lies a housing project that was formerly a wealthy Catholic neighborhood—and more murals. The Springfield Rd. Police Service of Northern Ireland station, previously named the RUC station, was the most attacked police station in Ireland and the UK. It was recently demolished, perhaps as a sacrifice to the peace process. Its defenses were formidable, and the Andersonstown Barracks, at the corner of Glen and Andersonstown Rd., are still heavily fortified.

Shankill. The Shankill Rd. begins at the Westlink and turns into Woodvale Rd. as it crosses Cambrai St. The Woodvale Rd. intersects the Crumlin Road at the Ardoyne roundabout and can be taken back into the city center. The Shankill Memorial Garden honors 10 people who died in a bomb attack on Fizzel’s Fish Shop in October 1993; the garden is on the Shankill Rd., facing Berlin St. On the Shankill Rd., farther toward the city center, is a mural of James Buchanan, the 15th President of the United States (1857-1861), who was a descendant of Ulster Scots (known in the US as the “Scots-Irish”). Other cultural murals depict the 50th Jubilee of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1952 and the death of the Queen Mother in 2002. These are at the beginning of the Shankill near the Rex Bar. Historical murals include a memorial to the UVF who fought at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 during WWI (see A Divided Island), also near the Rex Bar. In the Shankill Estate, some murals represent Cromwell suppressing the 1741 Rebellion against the Protestant plantation owners. The densely decorated Orange Hall sits on the left at Brookmount St. McClean’s Wallpaper; on the right was where Fizzel’s Fish Shop stood before being demolished. Through the estate, Crumlin Rd. heads back to the city center, passing an army base, the courthouse, and the jail.

Sandy Row And Newtownards Road. This area’s Protestant population is growing steadily, partly due to the redevelopment of the Sandy Row area, and also because many working-class residents are leaving the Shankill. This stretch is a turn off Donegall Rd. at Shaftesbury Sq. An orange arch topped with King William once marked its start. Nearby murals show the Red Hand of Ulster, a bulldog, and William crossing the Boyne. East Belfast is a secure and growing Protestant enclave, but as in other areas use caution when traveling in this area around Marching Season. A number of murals line Newtownards Rd. One mural depicts the economic importance of the shipyard to the city’s industrial history. On the Ballymacart road, which runs parallel to Newtownards Rd., is a mural of local son C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.