ARTS & CULTURE
12 Obiter Dicta
Leaving a Troubled Past Behind:
The Murals of Northern Ireland and Movement Towards Peace
-
k athleen killin
In a recent issue I explored the value of public art
within the context of restorative mural arts projects in Philadelphia and the benefits such programs
have within the community. In contrast, this edition will be focused on the murals of Northern
Ireland that represent sectarian violence that
spanned over thirty years. Rather than community
improvement, these murals were done with the purpose of influencing political movements; there are
…these murals were
done with the purpose
of influencing political
movements
over two thousand murals identifying either with
the Nationalist and Republican supporters of the
Irish Republican Army (IRA,mainly Catholic Irish
nationalists) or the Unionist and Loyalist supporters of the Ulster-Defense Forces (UDF,who are primarily Protestant supporters of the throne). Both
groups have a long history of violence and hatred
stemming back to the seventeenth century, with
the most recent historical violence in Northern Irish
history known as the “Troubles”.
The use of murals for expression of political
ideals began in 1690, after Protestant King William
III defeated Catholic King James I. Although the
original paintings did not survive, today in Derry,
a mural from the 1920s is repainted every year by
the UDF commemorating William’s victory. Murals
that emerged during the 1960s picturing the Bloody
Sunday shootings of Catholic rioters by Britis h soldiers can be found throughout the county, with
“Free Derry” being a regional slogan. They were created under the watch of armed guards in order to
intimidate opponents waiting to deface the work
once completed. Even in present day, the murals are
used by members of the neighbourhoods as a form
of identification, similar to that in Philadelphia.
However, the drastic difference between those in
Northern Ireland and those in Philadelphia is the
purpose of creation and content. In Philadelphia,
murals are used as a tool for restorative justice and
depict major historical movements, colourful landscapes, and meditative designs. However, those
lining the sides of rows houses along the streets of
Belfast display intimidation, memorials of murdered individuals, and often gruesome reminders
of the troubled past of religious conflict in Northern
Ireland.
In recent years, a large debate within
Northern Ireland was sparked as to whether action
should be taken to preserve, replace, or remove the
murals. Communities were deeply divided on the
issue, with major concerns that loss of place and
identity would result from new projects. In 2008,
thu m bs UP
Billion-dollar
Powerball jackpot.
ê Mural in East Belfast. Courtesy of
www.satellitemagazine.com
ê Mural in West Belfast. Courtesy of www.cain.ulst.ac.uk
ê William Connor sculpture located on the Shankill Road
ê Mural in East Belfast. Courtesy of www.satellitemaga-
the formerly Loyalist paramilitary stronghold in the
lower Shankill Road elected to replace ten sectarian
murals with images of local sports figures. Assisting
with this revitalization project was the Arts Council
of Northern Ireland who allotted six million USD to
create the Re-Imaging Communities and Building
Peace Through the Arts programmes targeted at
working with local areas to tackle the signs of sectarianism and racism. Their vision is to “place the
arts at the heart of our social, economic and creative life.” Since their launch in February 2013, the
programmes have enabled over forty-seven groups
to consult with and engage the community as to
how changes can be made within their communities. The feedback from the public has been very
positive overall, with members engaging with local
artists to create new pieces of artwork in areas that
were previously stricken with violence. Sculptures
and paintings of famous painters, writers, and musicians can now be found in community gardens, on
street corners, and across the brick walls of town
houses. Although murals still riddle the landscape
of Northern Ireland, happiness is slowly spreading
to communities looking to heal from a very violent past.
Travel Tip: If visiting Belfast or surrounding villages, tours are available year round to see the
murals. They are usually by black cab, so ensure to
book early especially if you have a big group! If you
can’t make it to Belfast, check out a virtual Belfast
mural tour at www.virtualbelfastmuraltour.com
and www.belfast-murals.co.uk.
through the project Re-Imaging Communities.
Courtesy of www.newsletter.co.uk
zine.com