West Belfast

Culturally enriched

Geographically the city of Belfast is divided by the River Lagan into East Belfast and West Belfast. With the main city centre on the west bank of the river the large area known as West Belfast stretches from the Westlink motorway which slices through the city from north to south, beyond to the rolling hills which encircle the city.

In the main part West Belfast is a residential area however it is also one of the most culturally enriched city districts in Belfast as it encompasses the predominantly Catholic Gaeltacht Quarter and the Protestant Shankill plus the unspoilt mountains that form a magnificent ever present backdrop.

Belfast murals

As much a marker of an area's allegiances as fluttering flags and bunting, the politically inspired murals of Belfast are among the most startling sights in the city.

Loyalist murals

For most of the twentieth century, mural painting in Northern Ireland was a predominantly Loyalist activity. The first mural appeared in East Belfast in 1908 and, like many of its successors, celebrated King William's victory at the Battle of the Boyne. Loyalist murals have tended to use imagery symbolic of power, such as the clenched scarlet fist, known as the Red Hand of Ulster (an ancient Celtic symbol reaching back into the myths and legends), or flags, shields and other heraldic icons. However, the Loyalist response to the Troubles translated into what is now the most common form of painting, the militaristic mural.

The greatest concentration of Loyalist murals is to be found on and around the Shankill Road, especially the Shankill Estate, to the north, and Dover Place, off Dover Street, to the south. Other areas are Sandy Row and Donegall Pass in South Belfast, and Newtownards Road, Martin Street and Severn Street in East Belfast.

Republican murals

Republican murals were at first limited to simple sloganeering or demarcation of territory, the best-known example being the long-standing "You are now entering Free Derry" in that city's Bogside district. Murals soon became a fundamental part of the information machine and an expression of the community's current cultural and political concerns, though militaristic images have never really dominated Republican murals as much as they have Loyalist murals.

More recently, however, Republican muralists have turned increasingly to Irish legends and history as their sources of inspiration and the only militaristic murals tend to be found in areas such as the Ardoyne. Equally, artists have paid tribute to other international liberation movements, as in a striking series of murals on Divis Street just before the beginning of the Falls Road. Further Republican murals can be found nearby on Beechmount Avenue, on Lenadoon Avenue in Andersonstown, and on New Lodge Road in North Belfast.

The Falls

From the city centre, Divis Street, a westward continuation of Castle Street, leads to the Falls Road, which heads on for a further two miles west past Milltown Cemetery and into Andersonstown. The first part of the Falls Road is known as the Lower Falls. Down Conway Street stands the old Conway Mill, revitalized by a determined community effort. Inside you can browse the numerous small retailers and local artists who operate from here; there is also an art gallery and a small exhibition depicting the mill's history.

Further west the Royal Victoria Hospital is located at the junction with Grosvenor Road. While just beyond it in a restored Presbyterian church is the Cultúrlann MacAdam Ó Fiaich, an Irish cultural centre, home to an extensive bookshop (also selling traditional music CDs), an excellent café and a thriving theatre, often the host to musical events. Although you are unlikely to hear it being spoken on the streets or in most pubs, the Irish language is flourishing in many areas of West Belfast and throughout the North. The first Irish-speaking primary school is over twenty years old, and the first secondary school was opened in 1991.

Milltown Cemetery and City Cemetery

Follow the Falls Road west for another mile and you'll come to Milltown Cemetery. Enter through the stone arch and you're immediately surrounded by a stunning array of Celtic and Roman crosses. The M1 motorway runs along the bottom of the burial park. Drivers leaving Belfast heading south on the M1 are often dismayed by intermittent flashes of light like signals coming from the cemetery in the dusk; the simple explanation is the car lights reflect off the headstones in the cemetery close to the motorway. Close by Milltown Cemetery is the smaller City Cemetery dating back to 1869 whose history is well documented by Tom Hartley, a Lord Mayor of Belfast.

Shankill

The area of land between the Shankill Road and the Crumlin Road to the north is colloquially referred to as ‘The Shankill’. The name Shankill as we know it is derived from the Irish 'Sean Cill' meaning white or church; Cill was a common name throughout ancient Celtic Ireland. Today this is a vibrant district that is emerging with an independent voice to assert its cultural diversity.