Murals in Northern Ireland have become symbols ofNorthern Ireland, depicting the region's past and present political and religious divisions.
Belfast andDerry are home to many of the most famous politicalmurals inEurope. In 2014, the bookThe Belfast Mural Guide estimated that, in Belfast, there were approximately 300 quality murals on display, with many more in varying degrees of age and decay. Murals commemorate, communicate and display aspects of culture and history. The themes of murals are often reflections of what a particular community believes is important. Political murals exists to express ideas or messages[1] and often reflect values of a certain group or community.
InIrish republican areas the themes of murals include the1981 Irish hunger strike, with particular emphasis on strike leaderBobby Sands, murals of international solidarity with revolutionary groups, and murals highlighting a particular issue, for example theBallymurphy Massacre or theMcGurk's Bar bombing. In working classunionist communities, murals are used to promoteUlster loyalist paramilitary groups such as theUlster Defence Association andUlster Volunteer Force and commemorate their deceased members. However, traditional themes such asWilliam of Orange and theBattle of the Boyne, theBattle of the Somme and the36th Ulster Division are equally common.[2]
Murals can be described as a mirror of political change, as they have been painted throughout the last century and display all important historic as well as political developments in the scope of unique wall paintings. In 1908Ulster loyalists started to portrayWilliam of Orange on a white horse in order to strengthen theOrange identity ofUlster Protestants.Irish republican wall-paintings started in the late 1970s and can be seen in particular as a visual display of a social movement, which was radicalized after the IRA began to fight for a greater political voice and aUnited Ireland.[3] Unionist murals quickly forewent general commemoration and became explicit signage ofloyalist paramilitaries, a fixture that remained following thepeace process although alongside an increase in commemorative murals.[4] Republican murals, while often drawing upon the likes of Bobby Sands and the IRA, are less squarely militaristic featuring a broader repertoire that extends to Celtic mythology and international revolutionaries; their scope includes style, ranging from "anti-fascist propaganda to commercial film posters".[4][5]
Murals are for the most part located in working class areas of Northern Ireland, primarily inBelfast andDerry. Arguably the most well-known and easily identified mural is that ofBobby Sands, on the side wall ofSinn Féin'sFalls Road office. A close second is the collection of Irish republican and international-themed murals which are located at what is known as 'The International Wall', also in Belfast. In Derry,Free Derry Corner, where the slogan "You Are Now Entering Free Derry" was painted in 1969 shortly after theBattle of the Bogside, is prominent. Free Derry Corner has been used as a model for other murals in Northern Ireland, including the "You Are Now Entering Loyalist Sandy Row" mural in Belfast, which was a response to the republican message of Free Derry Corner, and the "You Are Now EnteringDerry Journal Country" mural, which is an advertisement for a Derry publication.
Not all murals in Northern Ireland are directly political or sectarian in nature, with some commemorating events such as theGreat Irish Famine, and other moments inIrish history. Many portray events fromIrish mythology, and images from Irish myths are often incorporated into political murals. A few murals avoid the subject of Ireland altogether, instead focusing on such neutral subjects as litter prevention and theC. S. Lewis novelThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In Derry's city centre, a mural depicting the five principal characters from the TV showDerry Girls was painted on the side of a pub,[6][7] with the mural being updated during theCOVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and prior to the airing of the show's final series in 2022.[8][9] Murals representing peace and tolerance are becoming increasingly popular with school groups who have children either design or actually paint murals in areas around their schools. With many paramilitaries now involved in community work, there has been a move to decommission many of the hard-edged murals across Northern Ireland (although this trend is reversed in times of tension).[10] This change was further highlighted in 2007, when theBogside Artists were invited to Washington, D.C. for theSmithsonian Folk Life Festival. The three artists were invited to recreate murals in theWashington Mall.[11]
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