Belfast Peace Wall - 360 Degree Experience - Belfast Attractions - Things to Do in Northern Ireland

Belfast Peace Wall - 360 Degree Experience - Belfast Attractions - Things to Do in Northern Ireland

Belfast peace wall carries a history behind it and this history calls out for the travelers to come closer and dig deep to know more about the reason behind building it and dig deeper to know more stories related to this era. Peace walls - or peace lines, as it is also referred to - are a series of separation barriers that separate predominantly Republican and Nationalist Catholic neighborhoods from predominantly Loyalist and Unionist Protestant neighborhoods. The reason behind the creation of these walls go back to minimizing the inter-communal violence between Catholics (most of those are nationalists who self identify as Irish) and Protestants (most of whom are unionists who self identify as British). (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks6Xdhq8aag) Belfast Peace Walls are long, they range between few hundred yards to over three miles, and they are made of iron, brick and steel. This will differ according to the location you are standing at because these long walls are not only found in one place; the majority might be found in Belfast, but there are also those in Derry, Portadown and Lurgan. Some of these walls have gates in them that only allow the passage during daylight in order to avoid any problems that could occur - sometimes these gates are even stuffed with police. These walls were actually temporary when they were first built back in 1969, following the outbreak of the 1969 Northern Ireland riots and The Troubles, but they only kept increasing in length and they were never removed until this very day, they are even now used by artists as walls on which they perform their drawings to make them all look more cheerful. In the early 1990's, these walls which were supposed to stay for 6 months only, were only 18 but they kept increasing in number and in size, they kept getting wider, longer and more permanent, until they almost reached 59 walls in 2017. For the good history that these peace walls carry, they have even become touristic attractions for tourists coming to visit Belfast - since most of them are located in Belfast - in order for them to hear about their historical story and at the same time get the chance to see those art drawings which are now filling most of these walls. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqnP3bqeXLs) A lot of people still think that these walls or lines are going to be removed in the near future, but actually the discussion began in 2008 and in 2011 the study that was released pointed out that 69% of the residents still believe that these walls are actually important, and since then there were no plans for these walls to be removed and they are still placed until today. We have had our tours to the Belfast peace walls before - we even got there to sign our names on one of them (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVdTKWnIbCo) - and we should say that it is actually interesting to visit such a place and know more about the history it carries while at the same time checking the art drawings that are found there on the wall and which might be one of the main reasons why lots of tourists decide to visit it before they decide to leave Belfast, Northern Ireland. These walls that reach six metres tall and which separate two sides from one another have those drawings on the walls which are harmonic but which are delivering messages of oppression or revenge at the same time. Since Belfast is known to be the most famous when it comes to the peace walls, we should also shed the lights on the most famous streets where these walls are located. The most famous of these walls are the ones that divide between Falls and Shankill Roads in the western part of Belfast. On the Shankill Road side, Union Jack flags hang from houses and poles on the street and this is the side where the British flags are found everywhere. The main reason behind what is known as "The Troubles" goes back to the fact that people didn't know back then whether to consider this part as a small part of the Republic of Ireland or else is part of the United Kingdom, and that is exactly the reason why at one side you will find the British flags and on the other you might find some Irish ones. Nobody knows the future of peace walls and whether Irish people are against their existence or else with, but they will have to accept them and thus will only need to change them to something with a message, and that's exactly what art helps with. We have been to Belfast peace walls several times and since we consider it now one of the touristic places that help people know more about the history of Belfast, we now deliver these videos as something that people will need in order to experience and to know what they are going to see if they eventually decided to go there once they are in Belfast, Northern Ireland. If you have been there before, let us know about your experience! The best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.

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