The Troubles and Peace Process Landmarks (Self Guided), Belfast

Decades past the official end of The Troubles in Belfast, the price of peace in Northern Ireland remains high. One of the means with which to secure it, back in 1969, was erecting a wall to physically separate the capital's warring Protestant and Catholic communities. Known since as the Peace Wall, the structure has become a popular tourist attraction for the multiple murals painted thereon ever since – some talking of harmony, whilst others carrying messages of revenge or oppression.

Walking down the Catholic Falls Road and Protestant Shankill Road in Belfast, you can find many other signs of division, too. Being reminders of the past, they also serve as symbols of the present, quite somber yet still worth learning about, including:

Bobby Sands Mural – a world-famous painting of the Irish Republican Army leader and elected member of the UK parliament, who died in prison from a hunger strike.

Irish Republican History Museum – holding a collection of artifacts and relics related to the period in the Northern Irish history, known as The Troubles.

Garden of Remembrance – a memorial garden dedicated to the IRA members killed during The Troubles, as well as civilians and deceased ex-prisoners.

Shankill Road Memorial Gardens – a memorial to the victims of bomb explosion on Shankill Road, carried out by the IRA in October 1993 in an attempt to assassinate the Ulster Defence Association leadership.

To explore these and other sights of Belfast that tell the story of The Troubles and peace process via artwork and other media, take this self-guided walk and expand your horizons.