“The Troubles” is the common name for the violent conflict in Northern Ireland from 1968 until the the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Portions of the urban landscapes in Derry and Belfast serve as artistic landmarks and powerful reminders of this dark period. Free Derry is a historical area that was a self-declared autonomous nationalist area from 1969 and 1972. Its surrounding streets were the scene of the Battle of the Bogside in 1969 and Bloody Sunday in 1972. Today, gigantic, visually stunning murals throughout this area memorialize political prisoners and victims claimed by the fighting. Another reflection of this still-mending societal divide are the Peace Walls, a series of barriers that often separate Republican-Nationalist-Catholic neighborhoods from Loyalist-Unionist-Protestant neighborhoods in Belfast, Derry, and other cities in Northern Ireland. First erected in 1969, the walls remain today in the place many call home.
In 1969, the "Free Derry" wall was painted white with "You are now entering Free Derry" in black lettering. The area in front of the wall became known as Free Derry Corner by the inhabitants.
The above mural depicts the 'Battle of the Bogside'. It shows a young boy in a gas mask holding a petrol bomb fashioned from a milk bottle. The mural was painted in 1994 for the 25th anniversary of the incident.
Mural of a republican nationalist youth facing an armored British Army vehicle.
Mural of the Bloody Sunday Massacre, where the British Army opened fire on a Civil Rights demonstration and killed 14 people. A group of men, led by a local priest, carry the body of the first fatality of the day
‘Free Derry’ ended when the British army moved in to the area and removed the barricades. To the left, a mural depicts a British Soldier breaking down a door with a sledgehammer. On the right, people are running from tear gas that has been fired.
A mural honoring relatives of a hunger striker. The little girl is pointing towards the Peace Mural on another building., which represents a symbol of hope for a peaceful future.
The Peace Wall in Belfast between the Shankills Road and Falls Road neighborhoods.
At the height of the troubles, the gates in the Peace Walls were used as security checkpoints.
Some of these gates are still locked at night to control the movement of people who otherwise might cause trouble after dark.
Once serving as peace-keeping measures, the walls are now mostly a tourist attraction. The sentiment expressed by our tour guide was that it will take another generation or two to heal the wounds of this turbulent past, and so for now, the barriers remain.
The wall is covered with murals, graffiti, and messages from visitors all over the world expressing hope for a peaceful future for Northern Ireland.