By William Poss, DIS Cross Cultural Communications student, Spring 2015
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I travelled to Belfast. I had heard about the prior conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants, but did not know how it would manifest itself in a modern society allegedly at peace.
It turns out that people have resumed pretty normal lives since the peace process truly began in 1998. However, the many murals and monuments present in some of the most violent-stricken sections of Belfast remind you that while the violence may be over for now, Northern Ireland is still very divided between the two groups, particularly with the older generations.
One of the many interesting aspects of the memorials in the Protestant and Catholic areas is how the images portray the conflict, as well as the others. I found that the murals and monuments in the primarily Catholic side seemed to be aimed more at promoting peace, and for remembering the dead in a less violent fashion.
On the contrary, many of the images in the Protestant zones seemed to celebrate their participants in “The Troubles” for their violent acts. This dichotomy left me to wonder if the Protestants were ready for peace, and how long it may take for the wounds of the conflict to heal?
This mural is a tribute to Bobby Sands, who was one of the leaders of the IRA. As you can see in the image, there is no portrayal of violence. This is one of the more upbeat and peaceful murals in Belfast, and includes a common quote in the peace process: “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.” With both sides feeling that they were wronged in the past, to me it seems as if this mural wants all parties to put aside their differences, so that the future generations can enjoy long and peaceful lives.
This memorial is in honor of Maire Drumm, who was assassinated by Protestants in 1976. She was a vice president of Sinn Fein, the Irish, Catholic political party. While there is reference to the past conflicts in the plaque, the overwhelming message is to remember Maire for her good deeds. While it would be easy for the Catholics to display their anger at her wrongful death, the quote is significant, as it reinforces the message of moving forward in order to honor the deaths of friends and family.
In one of the more literal reminders of the past conflicts, and the continued strained relationships between the Republicans and Unionists, this image shows an electronic gate on the main road connecting the two divided communities. The gate is one of the only gaps in the Peace Wall, which were walls erected to separate the Protestants and Catholics in hopes of eliminating much of the violence. This gate is controlled by the local police, and can be closed by the push of a button if the police feel there may be any trouble. While the Peace Walls where supposed to be temporary, their continued existence and the support of the locals shows that the conflict is still very real in Northern Ireland.
Moving to the Protestant side of the city, this mural is in memory of the deaths of five members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, which is a loyalist paramilitary group. One of the most disturbing aspects of this mural to me is how positive the mural is in depicting the violent nature of the five dead UVF fighters. Rather than simply honoring their deaths, the image seemingly celebrates their deadly actions, and portrays the men as heroes for their involvement. Murals like these seem to show the Protestants as still very much engaged with the past, and an unwillingness to condemn their role in the violence.
As further evidence of some of the Unionists’ seemingly unwillingness to put aside the past, this mural is a direct reference to the past violence and shows a continued outrage about the the IRA never being brought to justice for many of their acts. Instead of being a monument to the loved ones who died, the mural uses their deaths for political purposes. The text of the mural showing these feelings and judgments, using phrases like “Indiscriminate slaughter”, “No legitimate targets”, and “Where is our justice?” Combined with images of several of the bombed locations, this mural is a powerful indication that the divide between Catholics and Protestants lives on among the citizens both putting up these murals and allowing them to stay there.
Cross Cultural Communications in Belfast 