Murals of the Falls Road

Republican bow calling for Prisoner of War status of the prisoners who remain in custody.

Over the past few weeks I've spent some free time walking through the various neighborhoods and quarters of Belfast. This tour wouldn't be complete without walking the roads most notoriously connected with the sectarian division and violence which Belfast is probably best known for.

View across the endless terraced housing along Falls Road

The Falls road is a main access that runs west toward the hills from the city center. The area is a primarily a Republican/Catholic neighborhood that was the site of major recruiting efforts by the IRA and consequently one of the most violent areas of the city. The almost exclusively Catholic population remains, but the neighborhood has changed substantially since the end of the Troubles and today it is an area where "black taxi tours" and even major tour buses drive to describe the city's history.

An ongoing campaign against the required strip searches of anyone entering or exiting the Maghaberry Prison (here referred to as a concentration camp).

The Blanketman image is referring to the group of prisoners who were demanding special status as political prisoners rather than ordinary convicts. Instead of wearing the standard political outfit they wore the blanket that was provided in the cell.

Portrait of James Connolly, who is widely considered the father of the IRA, who fought for the sovereignty of Ireland in the early 20th century.

Memorial of Bobby Sands.
Bobby Sands is one of the most iconic figures associated with the Troubles. He was a Republican elected official of the United Kingdom Parliament that was jailed for his affiliation with the IRA. In 1981 while in prison he led a hunger strike to fight for special political prisoner status. He died at the age of 27 in prison 66 days into the hunger strike. 

 The areas of West and North Belfast remain underprivileged and many retain the "peace walls" that divide them from neighboring communities. Unemployment and political aggression run high in this area, which lies across the main highway from the city center.