Belfast Political and Mural Tour

Divis Tower: It was built in 1966 as part of the now-demolished Divis Flats complex, which comprised twelve 8-story blocks of terraces and flats, named after the nearby Divis Mountain. The tower, a vertical complex of 96 flats housing approx 110 residents, was designed by architect Frank Robertson for the Northern Ireland Housing Trust. 

The site on which the Tower stands was previously the site of the Sir Charles Lanyon-designed Falls Road Methodist Church, which opened in 1854 and closed in 1966. British Army observation post In response to Provisional IRA and INLA activity in the area, the British Army constructed an observation post on the roof in the 1970s and occupied the top two floors of the building. At the height of the Troubles, the Army was only able to access the post by helicopter.

International Wall Falls Road Murals: Northern Ireland has become famous for the murals painted in almost every area of the country. They often depict the history and political views of both traditions and are a way of marking territory.

Clonard Monastery: Clonard Monastery is a Catholic church and monastery, located off the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The complex was developed by the Catholic Redemptorists’ religious order. Members of this religious order came to Belfast originally in 1896.

Bombay Street memorial garden: In 1969, a sectarian mob burned 1,500 residents from their homes on Bombay Street, Belfast Around 1,500 Catholic families were left homeless. 

Peace Wall: The peace lines or peace walls are a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate predominantly Republican and Nationalist Catholic neighbourhoods from predominantly Loyalist and Unionist Protestant neighbourhoods. The first peace lines were built in 1969, following the outbreak of the 1969 Northern Ireland riots and the Troubles They were built as temporary structures meant to last only six months, but due to their effective nature, they have become wider, longer, and more permanent.

Shankill Road and Murals: The Shankill Road (from Irish, Seanchill, meaning “old church” is one of the main roads leading through west Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist area known as the Shankill.

Crumlin Road Jail/Gaol: Crumlin Road features two imposing structures of Belfast’s criminal justice system, the Crumlin Road Gaol (Jail) and Courthouse. Please note there is no time for the official Crumlin Road Jail tour.