Belfast Murals

Two months ago (February 27 – March 1), I went on a weekend trip to Belfast organized by my study abroad program. On Sunday, our last day, Bill Rolston offered us a lecture on the political murals that are spread throughout Belfast. Rolston is an expert on the murals and has the largest collection of pictures of murals.

Rolston outlined the political situation, and some of the terms he defined are vital to understanding the political situation in Northern Ireland. As he explained it, Nationalists are those who want Northern Ireland united with the Republic of Ireland; Unionists want Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom. Republicans are militant Nationalists; Loyalists are militant Unionists. I had previously dismissed such terms as politically correct euphemisms, just synonyms for Catholics and Protestants. As I learned more about the conflict, however, it became more and more clear to me that the conflict really was not about religion at all, and the terms were much more suitable for defining the conflict than religious labels (although it is true that the overwhelming majority of Nationalists/Republicans are Catholic and Unionists/Loyalists are Protestant).

Most of the murals do not appeal to religion. Both sides demand “freedom”. Unionists appear to have a definition of freedom that necessarily involves being part of the United Kingdom. Republicans have a definition that necessarily involves being part of the Republic of Ireland. I do not know enough about the conflict to say much more about these differences, but this seems to be the root of the conflict. I also can’t say I agree with either of these definitions, but again, I may just not know enough.

The political murals are at the same time frightening and fascinating. They are a stark reminder, among many in Belfast, of the terrible social strife that took place so recently. Images of masked men with assault rifles point to the viewer, seeming to say, “We’ve killed before and will do it again.” Hopefully the violence in March is not an indicator of anything to come, but seeing these murals, one senses how fragile peace can be and particularly leads me to cherish the tranquility at home in the United States.

Republicans relate a history of oppression into a more global philosophical movement. As such, Republican murals now make statements about causes around the world, linking all those they understand to be oppressed together. Thus, murals might bring up the Basque movement, the plight of Palestinians, U.S.-Cuba relations, the Iraq war, and even Frederick Douglass.

Unionist murals appear to make a case for the importance of British identity. They are now much more likely than others to feature guns. Other prominent themes are major British victories in Ireland.

If the peace holds, the lessons will hopefully be able to guide us as we search for an end to conflicts around the world. At the same time, each situation is unique, and we cannot force a template on all problems. While human rights challenges are all different, the human rights we all hold are universal. This is what we must always remember.

All of my pictures of the Belfast murals are available here (N.B. the opinions represented in the pictures do not necessarily reflect my personal opinion nor any endorsement by the center).