A Picture is Worth a 1000 Words and in Northern Irelands Case Maybe 2000.

I know the title may be a little, okay maybe a lot, cliche, but it is certainly an accurate saying when it comes to Northern Ireland.

Murals are an integral part of both Northern Irelands history, and its present. The murals in the slideshow above mostly represent the opinions of the two dominant identity groups in Northern Ireland: Protestants and Catholics. The two communities that the murals above belong to are the Shankill Road community and the Falls Road community. Both communities use murals to show their pride, to display their dislike for the other group, and to commemorate the innocent lives lost in the years of sectarian conflict.

The Shankill Road community is mostly Protestant and thus unionists. This means that they would like Northern Ireland to remain united with the United Kingdom and not become apart of the Republic of Ireland. People who live in this community tend to be descendants of the English and not Irish. If a mural is in this community, it will usually depict some sort of English symbolism such as the crown, poppy flowers or simply royals. Such symbols would not be depicted in a Catholic neighborhood because they are generally not in favor of remaining a part of the United Kingdom.

The Falls Road community is predominantly Catholic and thus nationalist. This means that they would like to see Northern Ireland unite with the Republic of Ireland. It also means that they are mostly of Irish descent. Their murals depict their heroes such as Bobby Sands and those who died in the Hunger Strikes in 1981. They also commemorate those who lost their lives to violence, during the years of conflict in Northern Ireland. The symbolism of the Phoenix is another thing that appears often in this community. It is the Irish Republic Army’s (IRA) symbol, and it symbolizes the Irish- Catholics rising from the ashes like the mythical phoenix does. The end it signifies them triumphing over the Protestants.

Although both communities partake in the tradition of murals, it was actually started by Protestants. Catholics simply adopted it later to show their struggles and dreams. The Shankill Road community, which was previously mentioned, is a predominately Protestant community that interfaces the predominantly Catholic community, known as Falls Road. The two communities have been at odds with each other for years, and I do not simply mean that they merely dislike each other. The communities basically hate each other and stay away from people who live in the other community. The two communities are even separated by what is known as a peace wall. However, they share common issues such as poverty and lack of employment opportunities. But, such similarities are obscured by the labels of Protestant and Catholic.

In the end, murals have been a means for each community to express their hopes, fears, strengths and political leanings.