belfast mural walking tour

Belfast Mural Tours

Local knowledge from local guides.

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Famous Belfast Murals

Explore Belfast’s rich history and vibrant culture on a guided tour of the city’s famous murals, led by passionate and knowledgeable local guides.

• up to 6 people
• Clock 1.5 Hours

• up to 8 people

Belfast Walking Tour

Explore the complex political history of Belfast with a no-holds-barred tour led by former political prisoners from both sides, offering firsthand accounts and a unique, one-on-one educational experience

• Clock 7 hours

Giants Causeway Tour

This tour of Northern Ireland will take you to the Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned for its polygonal columns of layered basalt. You will also visit Dunluce Castle, Whitepark Bay, Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge, and the Dark Hedges.

• Clock 8 Hours

Belfast Game of Thrones Tour

Step into the world of Westeros on this full-day tour of key Game of Thrones filming locations and the Giant’s Causeway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

About Belfast Mural Tours

A unique and riveting journey into the most recent conflict in Irish history,  Belfast Mural Tours  is a transport-based tour with ample opportunities to stop, exit the vehicle, and take amazing photographs of the world’s largest outdoor art gallery.  Accompanied by a local, knowledgeable, and certified guide, our tour delves into the stories behind each mural, the people, the neighbourhood, and history of the locality. We at  Belfast Mural Tours  are on-hand to answer all and any questions asked with our own personal experiences and stories. Standard tours are one and a half hours in duration but can be extended on request and pick-up and return to your city centre hotel is included. We also offer other unique Belfast tours to help you discover and explore our home!

Customer Feedback

The group thoroughly enjoyed this tour and were blown away by the first hand experiences of the troubles and really seeing this in real life! If you are looking for something to do as a tourist or group this is well recommend. Great communication and very helpful when organising.

Joe is incredible. His firsthand account of his life in Belfast, coupled with his vast knowledge of everything during the troubles made this a second to none experience. If I had done nothing else, I would have wanted to make sure we did this tour. An incredible guide and an even better man.

Absolutely brilliant. Went with my wife and 13 year old son and we found it fascinating. Both my wife and I know a fair bit about the Troubles but Joe, our guide, brought it all to life with insight and anecdotes. He pulled no punches in telling us the raw reality of it all but always with humor and optimism. His knowledge and insight was incredible and we came away absolutely enthralled. Cannot recommend highly enough.

Highly recommended! Our guide Padraig was very friendly and knowledgeable. It’s a must do if you are visiting Belfast. 10/10

Joe was an amazing guide. He provides a fantastic mix of history, personal experiences, and levity to give a full picture of Belfast’s past and future.

23 Belfast Murals That Offer A Colourful Insight Into The City’s Past

By Author James March

Posted on Last updated: December 29, 2023

If you’ve laid eyes on the Belfast murals (or the more modern Belfast street art ) you’ll known that no city bears its character as colourfully as this one.

And while the political messages on the murals in Belfast are deeply entrenched, they’re also often (not always!) stunning works of art that are unique to the Northern Irish capital.

In the guide below, you’ll get a closer look at some of the most prominent murals from both the Republican and Loyalist areas of Belfast.

You’ll also discover the story behind them and how you can experience them on one of the Belfast murals tours . Dive on in!

Republican and Nationalist murals in Belfast

Photo via Google Maps

Though Belfast is a vibrant and largely peaceful city today, it was and still is divided along religious and cultural lines – the same ones that were the cause of so much violence during The Troubles.

From the late 1970’s however (and particularly after the death of Bobby Sands in 1981), the people of Belfast began expressing themselves in a more creative way.

Displaying important aspects each community’s culture and history, the murals are a visual way of showing pride and communicating messages that perhaps reflect each community’s values.

If the above has you scratching your head, see our guide to the differences between Northern Ireland vs Ireland .

1. The Bobby Sands Tribute

Arguably Belfast’s most famous mural (certainly the most well-known of the Republican side), this smiling portrait is a tribute to IRA volunteer Bobby Sands who died in prison on hunger strike in 1981.

2. James Connolly

A prominent leader in the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin, the mural on Rockmount St sees James Connolly seated on a bench flanked by books and newspapers alongside one of his well-known quotes.

3. Frederick Douglass

An iconic black American campaigner and statesman, Frederick Douglass’s mural depicts his portrait (with his customary shock of grey hair) while flanked by words of solidarity for the Irish cause.

4. Building an Ireland of Equals

With the Napoleon’s Nose section of Cave Hill in the centre, Building an Ireland of Equals on Oceanic Avenue prominently displays the faces of Bobby Sands, Wolfe Tone and suffragist Winifred Carney.

5. The Falls Road

The Falls Road , also known as the Solidarity Wall, this features a collection of murals and artwork expressing support for global causes such as Palestinian liberation and Basque freedom.

6. Nelson Mandela

A tribute to arguably the most famous freedom fighter of them all, this mural shows Nelson Mandela smiling with his fist raised and the words ‘friend of Ireland’ written below.

7. Gaelic Sports

Brightly coloured and located on Brighton Street, Gaelic Sports celebrates traditional Irish culture with hurling and Gaelic football images featuring prominently.

8. Republican Women

This mural on Ballymurphy Road depicts a woman proudly carrying a gun while surrounded by portraits of several other women who have died for the Republican cause.

9. Easter Rising Memorial

With a gun-wielding soldier standing in front of the Dublin General Post Office, a large memorial to the famous 1916 Easter Rising can be seen on Beechmount Avenue.

10. The Dublin Rising

Continuing this theme over on Berwick Road, The Dublin Rising shows a dramatic black and white scene from inside the General Post Office with the Irish flag draped behind.

11. Clowney Phoenix

Dating back to 1989, Clowney Phoenix is one of the older Republican murals and depicts a rising phoenix surrounded by the emblems of the four ancient provinces of Ireland – Ulster, Connacht, Munster and Leinster.

12. Kieran Nugent

One of the smaller murals but no less powerful, this one on Rockville Street shows IRA volunteer Kieran Nugent who was only a teenager when he was jailed in the 1970’s. He became famous for being the IRA’s first ‘blanketman’.

13. Usual Suspects

One of Belfast’s more bluntly political murals, Usual Suspects depicts a typical police line-up with each suspect holding a placard and accused of state collusion and murder in block capital letters.

Loyalist Murals in Belfast

The second section of our guide tackles the various Loyalist Murals in Belfast. Just keep in mind that this is just a selection of the different murals in place today.

If at this point you’re wondering why Northern Ireland is park of the Uk, it’s worth taking some time to read our guide on the separation of Ireland .

1. Ulster Freedom Corner

Residing at the end of a long line of murals on Newtownards Road in East Belfast, Ulster Freedom Corner shows the red hand of Ulster backed by various flags announcing ‘tomorrow belongs to us’.

2. Summer of 69

Often described as the year The Troubles began, Summer of 69 (with its ironic Bryan Adams reference in the title) depicts two children no longer able to play outside due to the violence surrounding them.

3. Untold Story

Located on Canada Street, Untold Story recounts an incident from August 1971 where Protestants fled their homes as the IRA launched an attack on Protestant communities throughout Belfast.

4. Lest We Forget

Using classic imagery from the Western Front, Lest We Forget pays tribute to the 36th Ulster Division who fought in World War One.

5. UDA Boundary

Located on Boundary Walk just off The Shankhill Road , UDA Boundary is a simple tribute to the Ulster Defence Association.

6. Tigers Bay

Photos via Google Maps

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of Loyalist culture in Northern Ireland will know how important their marching bands are. Tigers Bay pays tribute to the Tigers Bay First Flute band.

7. Ulster History

There’s some detail in this one! Ulster History is an impressive recounting of Ulster’s history from the Loyalist point of view that stretches a good 40ft or so in length.

8. Andrew Jackson

A tribute to Andrew Jackson, the 7th President of the United States. Jackson was the son of Presbyterian Scots-Irish colonists who had emigrated from Ulster two years before his birth.

9. King William

Also known as William of Orange or ‘King Billy’ in Northern Ireland, King William was a protestant ruler who waged war against Catholic rulers in the late 17th century so it’s no surprise he has his own dedicated mural.

10. Protestant Victims

Located on Derwent St, this mural depicts a row of 7 newspaper clippings discussing protestant victims of The Troubles.

Belfast murals tours

If you fancy taking a guided tour of the murals in Belfast rather than going it alone,  this tour (affiliate link) has 370+ great reviews.

The tour is given by a guide that’s lived in Belfast during The Troubles, making the experience both and informative and and enlightening one.

You guide will off deep insights into the meanings of the various Belfast murals and the trip takes in everything from the Belfast Peace Wall to the lively streets of Belfast City.

A map of the different murals in Belfast

Above, you’ll find a handy Google Map with the location of the murals in Belfast mentioned in the guide above. Now, a quick disclaimer.

We’ve tried our best to pinpoint the location of each of the murals, but the location may be off by 10 – 20 feet for some.

Again, as mentioned above, we’d recommend taking one of the Belfast mural tours rather than heading off solo to look for them (mainly as there are some areas of Belfast to avoid , especially late at night!).

FAQs about Belfast murals

We’ve had a lot of questions over the years asking about everything from where to see the different Belfast murals to why they’re present in the city.

In the section below, we’ve popped in the most FAQs that we’ve received. If you have a question that we haven’t tackled, ask away in the comments section below.

Where are the murals in Belfast?

You’ll find the Belfast murals scattered right the way across the city. If you scroll back up to the Google Map above you’ll find the locations of the ones in this guide.

Why are the Belfast murals there?

The murals in Belfast display important aspects each community’s culture and history. In a nutshell, the Belfast murals are a visual way of showing pride and communicating messages that often reflect each community’s values.

What Belfast murals tour is worth doing?

The Belfast murals tour mentioned above is worth checking out. The reviews are excellent and the guide lived in the city during The Troubles.

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5 Best Belfast Mural Tours (Political Walking and Taxi Tours)

Boring stuff: I have visited each of the places I recommend and give you my honest opinion, warts and all. All photos are my own unless otherwise stated and may not be reproduced without permission. Affiliate links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Top Belfast Mural Tours 1. Black Taxi Political Tour 2. Political Walking Tour 3. Belfast Taxi Mural Tour 4. Murals & Crumlin Road Gaol 5. Political Murals & Peacewall

One of the best things to do in Belfast is to take a walking tour to see the city’s famous Republican and Loyalist murals. There are a few different Belfast mural tours to choose from. In this article, we will look at the different options, as well as review one of these tours.

I spent an incredible three hours on a Belfast political and mural tour exploring the history of this troubled city. The tour was conducted by ex-prisoners from either side of the divide, which gave a unique insight into “the Troubles”.

Aside from the many walking tours, Belfast black cab tours are another popular way to see the city’s murals and learn about the history from a local cabbie.

• Conflicting Stories Mural Walking Tour – Book here with Get Your Guide
• Conflicting Stories Mural Taxi Tour – Book here with Get Your Guide
• Political Wall Murals and Peace Lines Tour – Book here with Get Your Guide

Table of Contents

The Three Types of Belfast Mural Tours

• a walking tour
• a black taxi tour
• venturing off on your own

Although Belfast is a reasonably safe city, wandering around the divided estates of East and West Belfast on your own, camera in tow, might raise a few eyebrows. It is certainly not recommended to visit these areas alone after dark as trouble can and does flare up sporadically.

The best way to witness the murals is with a guided tour, and personally, I found the three-hour “ Conflicting Stories ” tour to be fantastic. The tour is split into two, with the first guide being an ex-prisoner on the Republican side, and the second half with a former Loyalist prisoner.

The other option is a Belfast black taxi tour. These tours take you around both Republican and Loyalist areas to see the murals and peace walls. This is an especially good option if it rains, which unfortunately Northern Ireland has more than its fair share of!

For anyone interested in so-called “ dark tourism “, a Belfast mural tour is a must!

Top 5 Belfast Mural Tours

Below you’ll find a selection of the best Belfast mural tours including both walking and taxi tours. These experiences include visits to some of the most famous murals in Belfast as well as other related sights from the peace lines to Crumlin Road Gaol.

1. Black Taxi Political Tour

This one-hour guided tour with a Belfast taxi driver will take you to many of the famous murals on both sides of the divide.

You’ll learn about the history of the conflict from a local and see the peace lines as well as the Falls and Shankhill roads. Click here to book now .

2. Political Walking Tour

This three-hour political walking tour is a must for first-time visitors to Dublin to learn about the history of the Troubles . I did this tour myself and it was absolutely fascinating.

You’ll get to spend time with former prisoners from both sides of the conflict and see all the most famous murals including the Bobby Sands Mural on the Falls Road and UVF murals on the Shankhill. Click here to book now .

3. Belfast Taxi Mural Tour

This fantastic 90-minute tour will take you on a journey through both the Catholic and Protestant sides of Belfast while learning about the city’s troubled history from a local cab driver.

See the most famous murals on the Falls and Shankhill as well as the peace lines separating the two communities to this very day. Click here to book now .

4. Black Taxi and Crumlin Road Gaol Tour

This private taxi tour includes both the Catholica and Protestant murals and the peace lines.

You’ll learn a little about the conflict from a local cab driver before being dropped off at Crumlin Road Gaol for a self-guided tour of the prison where many on both sides of the conflict spent time. Click here to book now .

5. Political Murals and Peace Wall

This 90-minute tour by black taxi includes the murals of the Falls and Shankhill, the peace lines and lots of opportunities to stop for photos. You’ll learn about the Troubles from a local guide. Click here to book now .

How to Book your Belfast Mural Tour

Our partners at Get Your Guide offer a great selection of Belfast Mural Tours, from walking to taxi tours.

You can book direct on their website and you will be issued a receipt. Simply show this to your guide (they will cross-reference against your name on a list). Click here to book your tour today .

Cost of Belfast Mural Tours

The cheapest Belfast mural tour is just £23 (Conflicting Stories) up to around £60 for the Belfast Black Taxi Tour. The tours range from one hour to three hours in length.

Belfast Mural Tours are suitable for adults and those aged over 15 years old. Due to the subject matter of the tours, they are not suitable for children.

Geography of Belfast and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is made up of six counties in the north of the island of Ireland. These provinces are (currently) part of the United Kingdom and not part of the Republic of Ireland.

When the Republic of Ireland broke away from the United Kingdom after the 1922 War of Succession, these six counties remained part of the crown and thus partitioning Ireland.

About the Belfast Murals

The murals in Belfast, on each side of the divide, are some of the most prominent reminders of Northern Ireland’s troubled past. These murals can be seen in areas like the catholic Falls Road and protestant Shankhill Road .

Since the 1970s some 2,000 brightly-coloured paintings have appeared across Northern Ireland, with the most famous of these being located in Belfast and Derry.

These murals depict the culture, struggles and lives of each community in Northern Ireland. Some of the murals depict historical figures, sporting heroes and martyrs to each cause.

Republican Murals

The republican murals depict the Irish struggle for independence and associated figures. There are also many murals painted in solidarity with other political causes around the world from Palestine to Cuba.

There are also murals championing Irish culture, Gaelic sports and so forth.

Loyalist Murals

The loyalist murals, by contrast, show of the solidarity to the UK and celebrate “Queen and Country” as well as figures related to the struggle against the IRA and republicanism.

About the Peace Lines

The so-called Peace Lines are a series of walls and high fences separating the two communities. These walls and fences can be found across areas of the city where both communities live in close proximity.

The primary aim of the Peace Lines is to de-escalate violence and stop attacks on either community. You can see that there are distinct sections that have increased in height over time to stop the throwing of missiles and petrol bombs.

In addition to the peace lines, there are many gates that allow traffic to pass through during the day, but are closed for a curfew every night at 7pm.

Review and Personal Experience of the Conflicting Stories Political Tour

The tour starts off on Divis Street which is about 600 metres northwest of the city centre. It then continues along Divis Street onto the Falls Road to take in different murals there. From there a right turn onto Clonard Avenue to visit Father Alec Reid’s former church and an IRA memorial garden.

It’s then a short walk onto Springfield Road and onto Lanark Way and through the gates and across the Peace Lines. From Lanark, the tour turns onto Cupar Way and follows the wall until turning off onto Lawnbrook Avenue and then the Shankill Road where the tour ends.

The meeting point for the tour was outside a large tower block on Divis Street, less than a kilometre from the city centre. The first half of the tour was to be with an ex-prisoner from the Republican side, presumably a member or former member of the IRA.

Even though we were only a few hundred metres from the centre of Belfast, it was possible to see the large fence of the Peace Lines behind some houses. Republican murals depicting scenes of Gaelic sports adorned some of the walls nearby and an Irish tricolour hung from one of the windows in the tower block.

There were around 20 people on the tour and we were greeted by our first guide; a stocky, bald-headed Republican in his mid to late fifties from West Belfast.

He had served 10 years in Long Kesh Prison (also known as the Maze) for offenses relating to the struggle for Irish independence. Presumably, this meant he was a member of the IRA or a similarly affiliated group. Now he works for a Republican prisoners’ association.

The Falls Road

Our guide started off with a 20-minute talk giving a background to the troubles and outlining each side and what they were fighting for/against. There was a strong wind blowing down from the hills and across the city, making it difficult to hear the guide at times, but thankfully the rain had held off.

We set off west along Divis Street, which then turns into the famous Falls Road; scene of so many street battles with protestants and the British army during the 30 years of the troubles. Now it looks like a normal road in any industrial city, save for the murals, memorials and large fences/walls separating the two communities.

The first large set of murals we came to were painted on the side of what looked to be an old factory. There were paintings celebrating figures from those the republicans sympathised such as Palestine, Cuba and so on. Other paintings depicted Irish prisoners, freedom fighters and martyrs throughout the years.

Bobby Sands Mural

A little further on we came to the famous mural of Bobby Sands; the famous IRA hunger striker and member of Parliament who died from his protest on 5th May 1981. The building was home to Sinn Fein; the republican political party active in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Our guide also pointed out the large gates that were currently open letting traffic pass through the two communities, and informed us that these gates close every day at 7 pm and open again at 7 am the following morning, separating both communities at night.

Clonard Cathedral and Father Alec Reid

Next up we visited the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer (also known as Clonard Monastery) on Clonard Street which was part of Father Alec Reid’s diocese.

Father Reid was instrumental in bringing about the peace process thanks to secret negotiations with both sides. He later went on to help broker peace in Spain’s Basque Country and other conflicts across the world.

Clonard Martyrs Memorial

After the church, we moved on to the Clonard Martyrs Memorial , a small red-bricked, gated enclosure and garden dedicated to the fallen volunteers of “C” Company, 2nd Battalion, Belfast Brigade of the IRA.

Our guide explained that these types of memorials are erected in public land and built without permission, knowing that the authorities will not do anything about it in an effort to maintain the peace.

Crossing Communities

We made our ay from Springfield Road onto Lanark Way which separates it from the loyalist Shankhill Road. Here we crossed through heavy mechanised iron and concrete gates that close each night as with the others. We learned that there had been some rioting and petrol bombs thrown at police at this exact spot the previous night (you can read the news report here ).

Once through the gates, we met up with our second tour guide, a loyalist ex-prisoner from the Shankhill Road. Our republican guide exchanged pleasantries with our new guide and I managed to get a photograph of them standing together (with permission of course). I was going to jokingly suggest they give each other a kiss, but thought better of it!

From what I could gather, our new guide seemed to be a former member of the UVF, the Ulster Volunteer Force, a loyalist paramilitary group. He was decked out in blue and white sportswear with a mop of grey hair and a thick Ulster accent.

Belfast Mural Tours – The Peace Lines

We left the dividing gates on Lanark Way and made our way onto Cupar way, which runs adjacent to the peace lines. You can see three distinct sections; the concrete bottom, and then two metal mesh layers that were later added to stop petrol bombs and missiles from being hurled over.

The bottom section of the wall was covered in graffiti, a lot of which has been added by tourists.

The Shankhill Road

The guide led us through a housing estate and out onto the Shankhill Road. We passed houses decked out in Union Jack flags and poppies (it was close to remembrance Sunday) before coming to the Rangers Supporters Club, an outfit for fans of Glasgow Rangers Football Club.

Our guide told us that the previous day, a car with Irish number plates had been torched right outside the club and showed us pictures of the burned-out car from his phone. You can read the news story here .

The first loyalist mural we saw was a large painting on the gable end of a row of houses depicting five men carrying large, automatic weapons. The five men were all members of UVF – C COY from West Belfast.

Next, we visited the site of a former fish and chip shop that had been bombed by the IRA on 23rd October 1993. The blast killed ten people, including the bomber, a member of the UDA and eight protestant civilians, including two children.

IRA Victims Memorial

Our guide then explained that we would be visiting a memorial to the victims of the IRA and that behind the memorial was an enclosure with a lot of graphic photographs. The pictures displayed victims of various bomb blasts and so forth. He warned that the pictures were not for the faint of heart and that we were free to view or pass it by as we wished.

I didn’t notice anyone stay outside and everyone entered the area behind the memorial. As we had been warned, there were many graphic pictures detailing the devastating effects of IRA bombs.

There were also many news headlines and what can only be described as propaganda. One piece that sticks in my mind is a headline screaming “ISIS and IRA are No Different!” or something along those lines.

It was a stark contrast to the memorials across the fence and I can’t help but feeling it was not particularly respectful of the victims.

Walking back into central Belfast

The tour ends on the Shankhill Road and it’s a ten-minute walk back into the centre of Belfast.

I can highly recommend this as one of the best Belfast mural tours thanks to the unique perspectives given by each tour guide.

Book Your Tour Here

If you’re looking for places to stay in Belfast check out this guide to the best places to stay in Belfast .

Want to see more? You can also see these Derry murals on a trip around the Bogside in Northern Ireland’s second city.

Check out my guides on getting to an from Belfast without flying:

Ferry from Liverpool to Belfast

Ferry from Belfast to Liverpool

Belfast Mural Tour FAQs

You can see murals in Belfast around the Falls Road and Shankhill Road areas. There are also some non-political murals in the city centre. You can either wlk around on your own or take one of the many tours on offer.

Belfast Mural tours range from one-hour taxi tours to three-hour walking tours. The main political and mural tour lasts for three hours (half on the Republican side and half on the Loyalist side).

There are over 2,000 murals across Northern Ireland with most in Belfast and Derry. In Belfast there are around 300 well-preserved murals and many more in differing stages of decay.

Belfast black cab tours cost from £32.50 upwards.

It’s possible to walk the murals in Belfast and both the Republican and Loyalist murals are within walking distance of the city centre. Head to the Falls Road and Shankhill Road to see the most famous murals in the city.

The mural of Bobby Sands is arguably the most famous mural in Belfast. You can see this mural on the Falls Road on the walls of the Sinn Fein HQ.

Whichever of the Belfast mural tours you choose, you will be sure to learn a lot about one of Europe’s bloodiest conflicts. However, as with places like Bosnia , Belfast and Northern Ireland, in general, are great destinations in and of themselves regardless of their troubled past. Book your tour today.

About the author: Steve Rohan is a writer from Essex, England. He has traveled to over 60 countries, lived in Armenia, China and Hong Kong, and is now living the digital nomad life on the road.

Steve prefers “slow travel” and has covered much of the world by train, bus and boat. He has been interviewed multiple times by the BBC and recently featured in the documentary Scariest Places in the World . See the About page for more info.

Where I am now: Yerevan, Armenia 🇦🇲

3 thoughts on “ 5 Best Belfast Mural Tours (Political Walking and Taxi Tours) ”

So is it not safe to walk around the various estates of Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, and other places in Northern Ireland taking pictures of the various paramilitary murals with my parents during the day?

I really want to see the paramilitary murals and peace lines before they’re gone. I don’t want to get hurt though. Obviously the tour guide can’t show my parents and I all the murals that I want to see.

Do you think my parents and I would be safe walking around the various estates taking pictures of the murals during the day?

Also, when do you think is the best time to go to Northern Ireland? Everything I read says something different. I want to go as soon as possible, but I don’t want to be freezing or drenched in rain. Some things say June and August is the best time to go. Other things say May to October.

I also don’t want to go during Marching Season. I don’t want to miss any murals that are on closed off areas due to parades and clashes.

Thank you for your help.

I understand your concerns, and that is exactly why I did this tour, so that I wouldn’t be walking around the estates on my own snapping pictures. It’s fine to walk around the Shankhill and Falls roads during the day, where the Peace Lines and a lot of the murals are. I personally wouldn’t wander round the estates on my own, but I think during the day you’re unlikely to encounter any trouble.

I went in October last year and the weather was so/so. Rained for some of the time, but it wasn’t cold. I’d try and go as soon as possible if I were you. Spetmeber should be quite pleasant.

Best wishes,

Fantastic Read, thanks for sharing

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Belfast Millie Tours

Local tours with local people

Belfast Murals tour

Belfast is fast becoming recognised as the worlds biggest open-air art gallery. Hundreds of murals painted on the sides of houses in the working class ghettos of the Catholic Falls & the Protestant Shankill. You will travel up the Falls Road to the infamous International Wall and also to the most photographed mural in the world, Hunger striker Bobby Sands. We will pass through the Peace Wall (where you can write a message like Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama & Rihanna) into the Shankill where we will see the infamous moving gunmen and King Billy. The murals are very emotive an give a real insight into the history of Ireland, particularly the last 40 years of conflict.

Los Murales de Belfast

Belfast es como una galleria de arte de aire libre. Hay cientos murales pintados encima de las paredes de las casas dentro de los barrios catolicos y protestantes. Dejame llevaros hasta el famoso Falls Road para ver el muro internacionale y tambien el mural de Bobby Sands. Luego pasaremos el muro de la paz, donde se puede escribir un mensaje, como han hecho Bill Clinton, La Dalai Lama y Rihanna. Terminamos con los famosos murales del Shankill, los pistoleros que se mueven y el rey William III. Los murales son muy emotivos y dan un buen perspectiva de la historia de Irlanda y especialmiente los ultimos 40 anos del conflicto armado.

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5 must-see street murals in Belfast

Take an artist - led walking tour to get to grips with Belfast’s thriving street art scene including these five key works.

1. Deep Love

“It’s almost like a beacon,” says tour guide and artist Ray Bonner (also known as FGB), who shows visitors Belfast’s contemporary street art for local business Seedhead Arts. The striking piece by artist ADW portrays a diver in an old-fashioned diving suit carrying a mermaid against the backdrop of a setting sun. It’s visible from the M3 and A2 that run through the city, beckoning traffic towards a changing Belfast.  

2. Festival of Fools

Belfast is known for its political murals, but its contemporary street art highlights the city’s transformation from Troubles to tourist hub. Political murals “became territorial markings, giant keep-out signs basically”, Ray says, but this piece on the Belfast Community Circus School by KVLR marks a zany contrast. “We’re changing that narrative — it’s ‘come in and have a look at what we’ve got’.”

3. True to our Words

This piece by Christina Angelina (Starfighter) on Little Donegall Street portrays a woman opening a kind of Pandora’s box. Words emerge, affecting her in unknown ways. The piece is on the side of the Irish News building, with blue colouring also evoking the paper’s old masthead, Ray says. A projector was used at night to create the outlines for the mural, with the artist returning to add detail by day.  

‘It won’t always be like this. It’s going to get better.’ The quote from journalist Lyra McKee accompanying her portrait by artist ESTR on Union Street is both hopeful and tragic. McKee was killed observing a riot in Derry in 2019. The piece speaks to Northern Ireland’s tradition of memorialising people through murals, and is surrounded by bright works by artists like Aches, Inkie and Ray himself.  

5. Dance by Candlelight, The Duel of Belfast

Conor Harrington’s sombre yet operatic mural adorns The Black Box arts centre in the Cathedral Quarter. It shows two men fighting over a dead animal, evoking a ‘troubled past and irritating present’, in the words of Seedhead Arts.

Belfast’s   Seedhead Arts runs regular walking tours and organises a street art festival every spring.  

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Art in the heart of the City

PRIVATE TOUR

Art in the heart of belfast

• Photo Friendly
• 1-20 People
• All weather

ART IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

The mural collection in Belfast is unlike anywhere in the world, with around 2000 documented murals in the city. Street art has always been part of culture in Northern Ireland.  In the past it often symbolised war, civil conflict and the eventual journey towards peace. For decades the walls in Belfast have been covered with political murals depicting our religious divisions and often used to mark territory. 

A new wave of contemporary mainstream art has emerged which is modern and varies from street art to murals and graffiti. It has added colour and spectacle to the city and transformed the streetscapes in such a powerful and positive way. Some murals are by well known international artists and others by very talented local artists, which link into the history and heritage of Belfast or social issues of the day.

So put y our walking shoes on, keep your camera at hand and get ready to explore the amazing Belfast Street Art scene on our “Art in the Heart” tour.  We’ll check out some of our well known pieces and some of our hidden gems in the heart of Belfast and uncover the subtle messages.  They tell stories of the city’s past and reflect the warm and vibrant place it is today.

Discover Belfast – one of the street art capitals of the world

With over 7,000 murals freely on display to all throughout the city, Belfast has been dubbed the ‘street art capital of the world.’ 

This tour route covers more than just street art and will take us through some of  the oldest and most historic parts of Belfast, passing many of its landmarks and a great way to explore the city.

Understand Belfast’s past

We will be there to interpret the social, historical, environmental and many other messages that the art and artists are trying to express, whilst we pass through some of the coolest parts of the city. 

This tour can also be combined with The Historic Pub tour.

Interpret historical events through art

Our eclectic art adorns many passageways and street corners. The street art celebrates the people and events that have shaped the city.

Explore a rich ever-evolving canvas

Local and international artists alike have left their mark on every nook and cranny of Belfast’s city streets. Their work showcases how Belfast’s transformation from a divided and troubled place to a thriving and inclusive cultural capital.

Select a date to book

Have a Question?

Feel free to reach out and we're happy to answer any questions you may have.

Choose a tour

Historians, art lovers, architecture buffs, pub frequenters – 

Whatever you’re into, there’s a Belfast Walking tour for you.

Troubles History

Highlights of Belfast Tour

The Best of Belfast Highlights Tour (11am-1pm from Merchant Hotel) includes architecture, street art, public art, historic pubs and stories of the city's development and significant events of the past . This is a daily public tour but can also be booked as a private tour to suit individual requirements.

Have your cameras at the ready as you discover the rich canvas of world class street art that is Belfast city. This street art tour will give you a whole different perspective on Belfast with its amazing selection of contemporary art which link into the history and heritage of the city

Pack up your Troubles

Step into the darkest era of Belfast’s bloody history in this impartial and unbiased political walking tour.

• GAME OF THRONES TOUR

THINGS TO DO IN BELFAST

Belfast bus tours, belfast mural tour.

CENTRAL BELFAST MEET

SIGN PEACE WALL

BOBBY SANDS

IRA REMEMBRANCE GARDEN

LOYALIST MURALS

HUMOUR + HISTORY

Tour highlights.

Travel between multiple peacelines and walls on an eye opening tour of discovery through the once no go areas and learn of Belfast's troubled past and rich shared history. Visit both Catholic and Protestant areas to get a balanced understanding of the past. You will be fully guided by a real black taxi driver who worked Belfast's streets during an era known as the troubles.

• Travel Through Peacelines
• See The Famous Murals
• Access All Areas
• Sign Famous Peacewall
• Impartial - Experience
• History - Belfast & Troubles
• Live Expert Commentary
• Local Tips & Advice
• City Centre Departure Point
• Tour Duration 60 Mins

Full Description

You will be picked up from outside Jurys Hotel on your chosen tour date and time, 2 minutes from Belfast city hall. The maximum number in a party is 7, but groups can be as small as 1-3. Famous people who have undertaken this same Black Taxi Tour with us in the past include Vince Vaughn, and Ross Kemp. Feel free to ask questions, your guide will be a real taxi driver, who enjoys engagement with passion for the changing city. The tour is the perfect introduction to Belfast, it delivers an insightful personal experience and draws a timeline up to the peace process - To Book Online choose number of passengers, your travel date & pickup time - Instant Confirmation - Mobile E-Tickets.

MEETING POINT - ITINERARY

• Pickup Point Jurys hotel
• Murals - Points of Interest
• International Wall
• Peacewalls & Lines
• No Go Areas Of The Past
• Live Passionate Guide

THINGS TO BRING

At certain points of interest we may leave the taxi - It is advised to dress appropriately, as the weather in Belfast can be unpredictable at any time of the year.

• Comfortable shoes
• Warm clothing

INCLUSIONS - HIGHLIGHTS

• Meeting Point Central Belfast
• Unbiased Experience
• Lunch - Snacks - Drinks

CANCELLATION POLICY

• 24 Hours+ 10% Admin Fee
• Less Than 24 hours Prior NO SHOW - 100% Forfeited.
• Reshedule Free 24+ Hours Message Us --- Call Us

DEPARTURE & RETURN POINT

• Jurys hotel - Belfast
• Mobile Voucher Accepted

UEST REVIEWS

Black taxi discount.

USE DISCOUNT CODE MURALTOUR GET 10% OFF

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Exclusive Crumlin Road Gaol Tour & Belfast Murals Combo Tour

120 Minutes

About this tour

Experience historic and culturally rich Belfast and Crumlin Road Gaol, with our legendary Belfast Mural and Crumlin Road Gaol Combo Tour – a five-star rated tour and one of the most popular black taxi tour in Belfast Northern Ireland.

Previously featured on British, European and US Television, this is a Belfast political mural tour where passengers get to explore and experience the famous West Belfast murals from the comfort of a Belfast black taxi or executive vehicle, with a local tour guide providing political and historical background information and local knowledge about the murals of Belfast and ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland. 

Exclusive   Crumlin Road Gaol

The tour finishes with a tour of Crumlin Road jail. Belfast “colloquially known as the Crum”, a former Prison situated in North Belfast found on the Crumlin Road and the only remaining Victorian-era prison in Northern Ireland, and now a visitor attraction. Some of the prisoners included were De Valera and Ian Paisley, and these men spent time in this prison. 

There were 17 men who went to the execution chamber and were hanged and buried in the prison. You now have the opportunity to go on a guided tour of this prison, and it is now one of the main tourist attractions in Belfast. 

As you make your way along the Loyalist Shankill Road, Republican Falls Road, and the ‘Peace Walls’ that separate them, the Belfast Mural Tour guide explains the history of each West Belfast mural and the stories behind the murals you see. 

This amazing transport-based tour of Belfast’s murals provides ample opportunities to stop, exit the vehicle, take photos and ask any burning questions about the tour. There is even the opportunity to sign your name on the world-famous Peace Wall, that has divided catholic and protestant communities in Belfast for years.

Book your Belfast Mural Tour and Crumlin Road prison tour and experience first-hand the raw side of historic Belfast City, and its colourful history, with local guides who have lived through the troubles and have many stories to tell. We are the only Black Taxi Cab Tour company in the city of Belfast that’s jointly owned by both a Protestant and a Catholic. 

This puts us in a highly unique position for giving all customers a fair and unbiased Belfast Political and mural tour, allowing passengers to hear both sides of the stories and events that we call ‘The Troubles’.

Please Note: Cab Tours Belfast have a unique relationship with Crumlin Road prison, We are the only black taxi tour company that the gaol work with . 

At times they have a crumlin road gaol guided tour that are available.

For larger group bookings & special rates for children please do not hesitate to call us on 028 9558 2072 or email us at  [email protected] .

We are more than happy to accommodate your requests to continue providing the best Belfast black taxi cab tours.

Crumlin Road Gaol Tour: What to Expect

Our award-winning black taxi Belfast Mural Tour has been now been made extra special with the addition of a visit to the truly unique Crumlin Road jail.

From the comfort of a black taxi cab or executive vehicle, passengers can enjoy a 120 minute journey back in time, with local guides who have knowledge, stories, and experiences to share about ‘The Troubles’ and the famous wall murals nestled deep in West Belfast’s Shankill and Falls Neighbourhoods.

Passengers get to experience the real Belfast, with cabbies who grew up in West Belfast, living through the troubles. All our cabbies know the city well, offering honest viewpoints and intimate details on the Troubles, political murals, and local culture. To top it off, they will also enjoy a tour of the famous Belfast jail to learn its rich history.

Cab Tours Belfast is Northern Ireland’s top black taxi cab tour company, recipient of the  TripAdvisor Certificate Of Excellence Award , and ranked number 17 in the world on TripAdvisor.

And top 4 in the uk .

During this tour passengers will stop at the following murals and attractions:

Departure & Return Location

3 Donegall Square East at the lefthand side 0f Belfast City Hall

EXTRA CHARGE At Other Locations 

Departure & Return Time

Last Tour 12.30PM Tours Run: 9am | 10.45am | 12.30pm

60 Minute Tour 60 Minutes Crumlin Road Gaol

Complementaries

Included/excluded.

• London Style Taxi Cab or Executive Vehicle
• Experienced Driver Guide
• Pickup & Drop-Off - 3 Donegall Square East Extra Charge Applies At other locations
• Food & Refreshments
• Any Private Expenses

Stop 1 Shankill Road Murals

Your Belfast Murals Tour begins in the Shankill Road area of Belfast which is (Protestant/British), where your Black Taxi Cab driver will explain a detailed history of the area. We begin in 1690, when William of orange arrived in Ireland to defeat King James the 2nd at the famous Battle Of The Boyne. There will then be an explanation about the recent troubles, which started in 1969 and ended when the peace agreement was signed in 1998. You will go for a short walk around the area, where your black taxi cab driver will explain the loyalist murals Belfast has in the area and what they represent. You will have the opportunity to take your own photographs of the Belfast murals.

Stop 2 Peace Walls

The peace walls were designed to separate the Catholic (Nationalist) and Protestant (Unionist) populations in Belfast. The first ‘peace lines’ were erected, following the outbreak of violence in 1969 in Northern Ireland. They were built as temporary structures, meant to last only six months. Due to their effective nature they were built higher, longer, and made permanent and are still here today. The peace walls are adorned with art and messages of hope from tourists.

Stop 3 The International Wall

The final stop will be the International Wall, where you will see a variety of different murals in Belfast. The murals have a general theme of ‘highlighting oppression’ – from the race riots in America in 1969 to current events in Palestine.

Frequently asked questions

How much does this tour cost.

Prices start from £90 for 1 – 2 people.

How do I pay?

You can pay your driver on departure.

How long does the Belfast Mural Tour last?

The Belfast Political Mural Tour typically lasts for 90 minutes.

Are the cabs wheelchair friendly?

Yes, wheelchair friendly cabs are available. If you have any additional needs, please make us aware at the time of booking. Cabs can take up to 8 passengers.

Where are the pickup and drop off points?

Are free pickup point 3 Donegall Square East at the lefthand side of Belfast City Hall , Additional fee for pickup at other locations Please inform us of your preference at the time of booking.

Does the driver wait for us at the gaol?

No, your driver will drop you off at the gaol with your entry tickets provided and you make your own way to your next destination.

Tour's Location

Bulk discount adult.

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Exploring Belfast’s Political Murals

A journey through history, the origins of belfast’s political murals.

Stepping inside one of our iconic black cabs in Belfast is not just a means of transportation; it’s an opportunity to delve into the fascinating history and culture of this vibrant city. As you embark on this unique tour, you’ll find yourself transported back in time, exploring the origins of Belfast’s political murals.

These murals offer poignant reminders of Belfast’s troubled past and the conflicts that once divided communities. Created during the height of the Troubles, they serve as visual representations of political and cultural identities, reflecting the hopes, fears, and aspirations of the people.

A Journey Through Belfast’s Streets

Our tour begins by winding through the narrow streets of Belfast, with each turn unveiling a new mural that tells a different story. The famous Falls Road and Shankill Road are two of the areas where murals are most concentrated, and your knowledgeable guide will provide insight into the significance of each piece of art.

As we pass by the murals, you’ll have the opportunity to observe the vibrant colors, intricate details, and powerful messages they convey. From murals depicting historical events to those commemorating individuals who lost their lives in the conflict, each artwork has its own tale to tell.

The Impact of Political Murals Today

While Belfast’s political murals serve as a reminder of the city’s troubled past, they also play a vital role in promoting understanding, dialogue, and reconciliation. Today, these once-divisive artworks have become symbols of unity and hope.

As you take in the murals, you’ll witness firsthand how they have evolved over time. Many artists have moved away from depicting violent scenes and have chosen to focus on themes of peace, community, and cultural diversity. These modern murals not only inspire conversation but also contribute to the vibrant transformation of Belfast as a city.

[email protected]

+44 (0) 7910035320

Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

A Tour of The Street Art of Belfast

Last updated: June 12, 2022 . Written by Laurence Norah - 2 Comments

One of our favourite things we did when we were in Belfast was to take a tour of Belfast’s street art. The city is well known for its political murals, but in recent years there has been a growth in street art of a less political nature, meaning there is a wide variety of different types of art to take in.

In today’s post, I’m going to share some photos of Belfast’s street art, and then provide you with the information you need to take your own tour of the street art of Belfast – including all the different types of art you can see, and your options for finding them.

Street Art in Belfast

Note there is a lot of street art in Belfast, far more than I could fit into one post, or even find. These are just some of my favourite pieces, starting with the contemporary street art murals, the majority of which came about as part of various initiatives to promote art on the streets.

I really liked this piece, which reminded me of a similar piece of street art in Glasgow . This, it turns out, is because it’s by the same artist, the Australian street artist Sam Bates, also known as Smug .

There are a lot of different subjects covered on Belfasts walls. This one, we were told, must have been technically challenging due to all the fine lines – not easy with a spray can. I can believe that! It’s by artist Louis Masai .

Street art can definitely be thought provoking. This one is titled “The son of Protagaros”, and is by the street artist MTO .

Protagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher who it is thought did not believe in God. The dove in this image represents the dove of peace, killed by arrows marked with the crosses of the Knights of Malta and the Latin Cross. So you can make of that what you will.

This was one of my favourite pieces because I love dragons and space! It’s a space dragon, with every part of the dragon made up from a spaceship that featured in Star Wars. From the head, you can see Jabba the Hutt’s pleasure craft, and then as you work back you will identify more.

This one is by Bristol based street artist Andy Council  – Bristol of course being famous for it’s street art, as well as being the home of street artists Banksy. Check our our guide to the street art of Bristol for more.

This whimsical art piece is found on the shutters of a former fishing tackle shop which is now an art shop. As the shutters are rolled away when the shop is open, you’ll want to visit outside of opening hours to see this piece by street artist Elph .

This is another work of incredible detail that definitely warrants a close up look.

This was a new one on me – 3D street art! As you can see from the writing above the piece, “3D Glasses in Sunflower”.

Sunflower is the pub over the road, but in our case, our tour guide had 3D glasses we could use. I’ve never seen three dimensional street art, so this was pretty cool! This one is by the artist EMIC .

Another really awesome piece, this one by Christina Angelina , also known as Starfighter, which represents Pandora’s box. The three characters represent the same person, in various stages of opening and not opening the box. Very Schrödinger’s Cat .

Here’s a picture of some street art with a street artist! This is Tim, aka Verz , who was leading our tour of the street art in Belfast. He is also the artist behind this piece, and he specialises in art featuring dogs.

Originally Verz largely did images of dog breeds that were often negatively perceived by the public, with the idea of sharing the idea that perception is not always truth. This image, on the other hand, if of his own dog. Which is obviously, very cute!

This collection of street art is directly opposite the Duke of York pub, down an alleyway by the Dark Horse pub, and features a great many scenes of figures from Belfast history. Occasionally private events happen at these pubs, which means you might not be able to come all the way in to the courtyard.

So now it’s time to share a few of the political murals. You can also find these throughout the city. We saw most of them while on our Black Cab tour as many of the more political ones are outside the main tourist areas.

We’d definitely recommend seeing these as part of a tour, as the guide will be able to explain the history and significance of the murals as well as Belfast’s fractious history.

For those of you not aware, Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, and has been since 1921, when Ireland was partitioned up. Northern Ireland at the time was largely made up of unionists, who were predominantly of the Protestant faith, whilst southern Ireland, or the Republic of Ireland, was generally made up of nationalists, largely of the Catholic faith.

Of course, this split wasn’t perfectly even, with both sides living in each country. This division down lines of belief and national identity within Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland led to three decades of violence, generally known as the Troubles , which had a significant impact on life in Belfast. This conflict is deemed to have ended in 1998, with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Obviously, two paragraphs is insufficient to summarise thirty years of trouble, and the full history of a country, but that will give you something to look up at least!

The summer of 69, other than being a classic song, was also the last summer that brought us the sixties “summer of love”, and other, free-spirited, peace loving vibes.

Belfast didn’t quite experience this type of revolution unfortunately, and this mural seeks to show what the summer of 69 might have been like in the city during the Troubles.

This is a mural in tribute to Bobby Sands. Bobby was a member of the paramilitary group the Irish Republican Army, also known as the IRA. He died in prison in 1981 whilst on a hunger strike.

Many of the political murals take up long stretches of street, depicting a wide range of scenes from Belfast’s history.

King William III, also know as William of Orange, or King Billy, was the King of England, Ireland and Scotland. He was a Protestant who fought the Catholic King of France, and the Orange Order movement is named for him.

To this day, every year the orange order marches in celebration of his victory at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, when he defeated the deposed English King James II, and ensured the Protestant faith in Ireland continued to rise in strength.

How to See Street Art in Belfast

Of course, it’s not hard to walk around Belfast yourself and see street art, as there’s a lot of it on the sides of buildings here.

There are also regular street art festivals and events taking place in Belfast, meaning that there will always be new pieces to see, and that many of the pieces in this post will likely be replaced in time.

This website contains a fairly up to date map of the street art in Belfast, divided by type, which is a helpful resource.

If you want to get a better understanding of the art as well as the stories behind each piece, we can very much recommend that you take a street art tour.

The two tours that we can recommend are the street art walking tour with Seedhead arts , and the Black Cab Mural tour with Touring Around Belfast .

Both these tours are run by Belfast locals, but they have somewhat different foci.

The street art walking tour with Seedhead arts focuses on the recent, more contemporary street art, and shares information on some of the art works, as well as the artists behind the pieces. The tour is given by actual street artists, and is a great insight into the current street art scene.

The Black Cab Mural tour, led by blue badge guide Billy Scott, is both a tour of the city itself, and also an insight into Belfast’s troubled recent history, known as the The Troubles, part of which is shared through the political murals painted in parts of Belfast. These murals, which represent various political viewpoints, religious beliefs, events, and figures, show a different side of the city.

We’d argue that both tours are worth going on, although of course it’s up to you. The walking tour is currently a weekly event, held at midday on a Saturday, although other times can be arranged subject to availability.

The Black Cab mural tours are run on demand, just get in touch with Billy via his website to set that up. If Billy isn’t available (he’s a very popular tour guide), you might check out this tour instead.

Further Reading

Hopefully this post has helped inspire you to seek out the street art of Belfast on a future trip to the city! We’ve got a lot more content to come on Belfast which we’ll be linking to below, so do check back and don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new content, which you can do here .

In the meantime, here’s some content to help you along with planning your Belfast trip.

• Our guide to how to spend 2 days in Belfast , which has a detailed itinerary as well as planning advice and guidance on where to stay and how to get around
• We also have a comprehensive guide to things to do in Belfast , to help you plan your trip even more
• Our guide to visiting the Dark Hedges , an excellent day trip from Belfast
• We also have a complete guide to the best day trips from Belfast .
• Our guides to spending 2 days in Dublin and 3 days in Dublin
• An overview of how much it costs to travel in the UK to help you with budget planning
• Our guide to spending 2 weeks in the UK , which includes time in Belfast
• A guide to driving in the UK , in case you choose to hire a car and do a road trip
• The official Visit Belfast website , which has lots of information to help you plan your visit
• If you are looking for a guidebook, we recommend the Lonely Planet guide to Ireland, the Rick Steves Northern Ireland guide  or the DK Eyewitness Ireland Travel Guide

And that’s it! Hopefully you found this post useful. As always, if you have any feedback or questions, do let us know in the comments below.

Enjoyed this post? Why not share it!

There are 2 comments on this post

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Teniesha Collins says

16th October 2018 at 10:03 pm

Can’t wait to visit Europe!! Love these images so much, thanks for sharing!

Laurence Norah says

17th October 2018 at 7:25 pm

Thanks Teniesha!

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Belfast Murals: Walking Tours and Black Taxi Tours

It’s hard to visit Northern Ireland without feeling your heart flutter at the memory of the conflict. The Emerald Isle is divided into two countries, where the pain can still be felt.

However, it wasn’t until I visited Northern Ireland that I realised just how much of a trail it had left behind.

In this post I’ll tell you a bit about that history and the tour I took of Belfast’s murals in one of its famous black taxis.

📰 History of Belfast’s murals

🚕 the best way to visit belfast’s murals, 📍 belfast’s mural map locations, 🗺 visiting belfast’s murals.

The Irish conflict has become a tourist showcase for travellers seeking to learn about the convulsive history that brewed between the UK and Ireland during the second half of the 20th century.

When I planned my trip to Belfast, it was clear to me that I wanted to spend a full morning getting to know the city wall by wall. Although it is true that seeing the more than 100 murals that remain in the city of Belfast is almost mission impossible.

In this article, I wanted to include few pictures of the Belfast murals because I don’t want to give away all the mystery before your visit.

Writing about Belfast or Derry and their troubled situation is always hard for me. Both cities shook me to my core and I don’t like to talk about conflicts that have claimed the lives of many people, as in this case.

From 1968 to 1998, Northern Ireland was in a period known as “The Troubles” . This period was marked by armed conflict between the (mainly Catholic) Republicans, who sought Irish independence, and the (mainly Protestant) Unionists, who fought to preserve ties with the United Kingdom.

Belfast became a perfect canvas on which to capture the history of a broken country. Through urban art, through its denunciations and demands, we can discover the history of a country whose wound has not yet fully healed.

I have to admit that Derry or Londonderry touched my heart much more than Belfast. In Derry you will also find a lot of murals, but what had the biggest impact on me was visiting the Museum of Free Derry. I found it quite hard to contain myself.

Belfast’s Murals can be visited in a black taxi, on foot by taking a tour or on your own initiative.

My recommendation is a tour in one of the black taxi s; you’ll save time on your visit and learn about the history of the murals from a local.

You don’t need to hire a tour to see the murals. You can do it on foot with a map showing you where each one is located.

However, I find it very interesting to learn about the history behind each one from a local. A person who lives in the place will tell you the story in a different way, with a more emotional touch.

My taxi tour Belfast was with NI Black Taxi Tour and cost about 30 pounds for 3 people.

The murals are located in the Shankill and Falls . On the Belfast Mural website you can find the exact location of each of the murals in the city and on Virtual Belfast Mural Tour you can find each mural by name.

One of the things that struck me the most was to see that there were houses that still had the protective measures that were used during this conflict. The tour is not a pleasant one; you have to be prepared to assume that it is going to be a bit of a nerve-racking experience. I am still getting goose bumps as I write this.

Escribo guías de viaje útiles para ayudar a viajeros a planificar mejor sus viajes y descubrir rincones únicos.

Vivo y trabajo en Londres desde hace más de 4 años. Me gusta explorar la ciudad, desde sus lugares más emblemáticos hasta esos rincones atípicos que sólo quienes residen en la ciudad conocen.

Troubles Tour Belfast

Learn about the troubles tour belfast.

Come with us on a walking tour where you’ll explore Belfast’s history of political, economic, and social unrest by visiting key sites associated with the conflict; peace walls, political murals, and the sites of attacks and bombs. 

This tour is a deep dive into the history and impact of the Troubles in Belfast, exploring the physical and emotional barriers that divided communities and the reconciliation efforts that followed. Led by experienced guides with first-hand knowledge of the conflict, this tour provides a powerful and thought-provoking experience.

You’ll learn about the causes of conflict within a historical context and you’ll see how Belfast’s past and future relates to all our stories. You’ll get to know and understand, the history, politics and conflict of Belfast but also the music, art and culture of the complex, wonderful city we call home. This is so much more than a standard tour, it’s an experience that will leave Belfast with you.

Discover history of Belfast's Troubles

Discover the history of Belfast’s Troubles on a walking tour through the city’s streets. Learn about the conflict, its causes, and its impact on the people of Northern Ireland. Explore the Peace Walls, Political Murals, memorials, and landmarks that tell the story of this turbulent time in Belfast’s past. Join us for a fascinating journey through history and gain a deeper understanding of the conflict.

What You Will Do

Starting at Belfast City Hall, you’ll meet your guide, an expert local historian and master storyteller, who has brought Belfast history to life for thousands of visitors from around the world in an original and engaging way, but the ins and outs of this treasure of  a city. From the meeting spot, you’ll proceed to walk in a small group towards the world-renowned Peace Walls. Along the way, you’ll learn about the historical and political aspects of the ‘Troubles,’ as well as the day-to-day realities of life, told in human terms based on lived experience. 

The tour wouldn’t be complete without a stop at the International Wall to view the political art and thought-provoking murals before returning to Belfast City Centre. Along our return, you’ll learn about another side to Belfast, too. You’ll come to appreciate modern Belfast, vibrant and full of creativity and hope. 

The tour is objective, factually accurate and detailed with plenty of time for questions. You will be engaged, informed and undoubtedly entertained. Most importantly, you will leave with a lasting memory of the place we call home, a place we love so much we wrote a book about it, ‘The Little Book of Belfast’.

We can’t wait to welcome you here in Belfast! 

Learn History Of The Troubles

At every step, you will learn about the history of ‘The Troubles’ and civil rights, the prejudiced and hate-filled atmosphere, the emergence of peace walls and political murals, and sites that are central to the story. You’ll receive a unique understanding of  the Troubles and the peace process, and its effect on the city’s economics and industry.

Belfast Walking Tour Reviews

Belfast troubles walking tour, view upcoming tours.

Discover West Belfast

Peacewalls, murals and more. The West Belfast tour is highly visual in nature and is particularly popular with schools, universities and study tour groups.

West Belfast walking tour

Our West Belfast walking tour visits the Catholic Falls Road and Protestant Shankill Road. It explains the Troubles and peace process with stops at the famous murals, memorial gardens and peacewalls between the two communities. 

Over 2 miles and 2.5 hours you will hear how the conflict we know as ‘the Troubles’ began, how it unfolded over the next 30 years and affected the two communities, what it was like to live here and how it’s legacy continues to affect the city and its people. The tour also explains the path to peace, and the challenges that still lie ahead of us.

Meeting point

Highlights include:.

Visit the most famous murals and learn their significance

Explore the history of the infamous Cupar Way peacewall

Discover remembrance gardens and memorials in both communities

Hear the stories of the ordinary citizens who lived at the epicentre of the conflict

Learn why West Belfast witnessed the most violence in the Troubles

See how the legacies of the past continue to affect the future

See the sights of West Belfast

The murals and peacewalls of West Belfast are a popular attraction but there is so much to discover about them. Our expert, award winning guides will explain the history of the murals and peacewalls, their importance to their communities and why they are still here, 25 years after our peace agreement.

Get in touch

The West Belfast tour is more visual in nature compared to our ‘A History of Terror’ walking tour and is particularly popular with schools, universities and study tour groups. It is only available as a private tour. Want to find out more? Just get in touch with the number of guests in your group and we will provide a tailored quote.

Use our app to plan your trip!

Simply download our free app from the App Store or Google Play and then choose a tour. You can use the app to plan your trip from anywhere in the world or as a self guided tour when you visit Belfast.

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Belfast Political & Mural Tour

Belfast was at the heart of a bloody, sectarian conflict for over thirty years.

Known as ‘The Troubles’, the violence claimed the lives of over 3,500 people and injured nearly 50,000 people.

On one side was the Catholic population, who were Nationalist and Republican in their political outlook and wanted Northern Ireland to be united with the Republic of Ireland.

And on the other side was the Protestant community, Loyalist and Unionist, in their political outlook and who wanted Northern Ireland to remain under British rule.

The grievances of both communities are captured on infamous murals dotted throughout Belfast.

Featuring free pick-ups from the city centre, your guide will take you through the narrow streets of Belfast and explain the stories behind every mural.

Hear first-hand what it was like to live through Northern Ireland’s most brutal period from local guides.

You’ll visit murals featuring pleas for civil rights and peace and some paying homage to the British Monarchy.

And you’ll visit violent murals featuring paramilitaries holding guns and carrying sinister warnings to other community.

Your guide will take you to murals that highlight atrocities carried out in the name of Republicanism and Loyalism.

Visit 25-foot Peace Walls that keep the Catholic and Protestant communities apart to this day, 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement.

You’ll explore a side of Belfast that is as spine-tingling as it is emotional, and you’ll have the opportunity to take photographs at each location.

• Our tour was AMAZING, learned so much about the struggles and conflicts of the people. I had no knowledge of how things were until this tour and now I want to learn more. Thank you for a great experience 😊 Michelle P (Trip Advisor)
• My guide was knowledgeable, patient, and very friendly. He provided an honest and balanced perspective about the Troubles and shared his personal story as a victim of the ongoing violence. I recommend the tour Travelite34 (Trip Advisor)
• We had a great tour with Joe, who guided us brilliantly on our tour. Having used bus tours, we found this experience to be more personal as it allowed us to engage with our driver throughout out the tour. Not to be missed. Conall (Trip Advisor)

More Tours & Experiences

Large group tours.

Perhaps you have a large group who would like to do a tour, we can provide you with larger transport for this.

Luxury Game of Thrones Tour

Winter is coming. We’ll supply the swords and costumes to help you survive The Game of Thrones.

3 Hour Ultimate Belfast Experience

Belfast: The small city with a big personality, Give us three hours of your day, and we’ll give you a lifetime of memories.

Yellow Umbrella  Tours

Discover the hidden city

Belfast Political Tours

Understanding Belfast's troubled past, experience living history, and explore the city through the eyes of those who lived, worked, and fought through these turbulent times

Unknown to most, modern-day Belfast remains a divided city. Forty kilometers of a physical wall, up to ten meters high in some locations separate two religious communities living side by side. For more than thirty years, the controversial time known as "The Troubles" has had a powerful impact on the city and its residents. Very few people, if any, were unaffected by the violence that plagued the area and everyone has a story to tell.

This is a unique opportunity to discover the real story you won't get from history books. We invite you to hear first-hand accounts from both sides of this conflicted region, shared by people who were intimately involved in this turbulent period of modern history. Explore up close, the world-famous murals that depict the social, political, and cultural history of the city that earns its reputation as the largest, outdoor art gallery in the world and understand the stories behind them. We offer a selection of tours

Falls Road Walking Tour Women in Conflict

Belfast  Murals Taxi Tour

Conflicting Stories Taxi Tour 

Conflicting Stories Walking Tour 

A 2+hour private tour in Belfast taxis with guides from both communities, the content of the tour is the same as our walking tour but on a much more personal level.  Upon arrival, you will be met by a Republican ex-political prisoner who will take you on a guided tour along the Falls Road you will disembark from the taxi at all major locations and you have an opportunity to photograph the local murals and you hear the stories behind them.  At the Peace Wall and We pass through the electronically-controlled gates leading to the predominately protestant area of The Shankill Road. You will change taxis and meet with the loyalist who will accompany you through the streets of the Shankill while sharing their personal story. You will have the opportunity to sign the Peace Wall, leaving your thoughts alongside those of Bill Clinton and The Dalai Lama. more info

A three-hour walk with guides from both communities Upon arrival, you will be met by a Republican ex-political prisoner who will take you on a guided walk along the Falls Road and share their personal story on this 3-hour tour. You have an opportunity to photograph the local murals and witness visible signs of this community's desire to be part of the Irish Republic. We pass through the electronically-controlled gates leading to the predominately protestant area of The Shankill Road. We meet with a Loyalist ex-political prisoner who will accompany you through the streets of the Shankill while sharing their personal story. You will witness the determination of the locals who wish to remain part of the United Kingdom. You will have the opportunity to sign the Peace Wall, leaving your thoughts alongside those of Bill Clinton and The Dalai Lama. more info

The Belfast Mural Experience tour will take you on a journey in a Belfast style taxi. on this journey of discovery we will stop at the famous murals on the Falls Road (Republican) and the Shankill Road (Loyalist) Through the Murals you will learn about the social, political, and cultural history of Belfast and Northern Ireland- particularly about the period known as 'The Troubles' or 'The Conflict'.

All our drivers are World Host Trained Belfast Ambassadors, local residents with intimate knowledge and someone who has lived through the troubles and has worked the Belfast roads, the Falls, and Shankill. This is an intimate look into a local's life during this period and they will explain how the conflict effected themselves, their families, and the local communities.

All guests will have an opportunity to sign the Peace Wall and leave their thoughts and hopes for lasting peace alongside the Dalai Lama and other famous people who have visited the city. more info

In most conflicts, the involvement of women is largely ignored or not well known, the recent Northern Irish conflict is no different. As violence raged across the city, the backbone of the community was the women of Belfast. This is the true and uncensored story of the women of Ireland in the recent Conflict. A living history.

As many struggled to raise their families in an increasingly violent environment, massive unemployment, social deprivation, and high rates of poverty controlling their daily lives, others consciously chose to directly involve themselves in the conflict. This is an opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of those troubled times from a woman’s perspective. Meet with a local female to explore the streets of  West Belfast, stop at world-famous murals and learn the stories behind them and, immerse yourself in the recent history of the conflict and the aftermath from a female perspective.

What Guests are saying about us

Check out npr interview with our guides on tour  .

The best tour that I have done and brilliant to get a different perspective from local people on each side of the conflict. 

reviewed by Elliott – United Kingdom

A must visit for anyone wanting to know about the history of the troubles

Reviewed by Helena United Kingdom 

A thought-provoking journey    Reviewed by Naomi E

One of the best and most challenging tours I’ve been on. Do not miss the opportunity to do this.  Reviewed by Noeleen S. Australia 

Insightful, powerful and thought-provoking  Reviewed by  Eleonore3 Austria 

A Highlight of our trip!!! Robert and Mark were incredible guides!!! 

Reviewed by KM United States  

I cannot recommend highly enough!

Reviewed by  phobic1d Canada 

Read More Tripadvisor Reviews Here

Anthony Boyle: ‘My dad had to go to Gaelic training, and the same British soldier would throw his kit in a puddle every day’

The belfast actor is on a roll, with parts in masters of the air and manhunt about to be followed by starring roles in shardlake and say nothing.

Anthony Boyle: ‘A lot of the stuff I’ve done is political, and part of that is probably growing up in such a politically charged place.’ Photograph: Max Miechowski/New York Times

In his teens, the Belfast actor Anthony Boyle starred in some local ghost tours. “I was paid £50 a week to hide behind a Tesco in the town and come out and say, ‘I’m the ghost of Henry Joy McCracken.’ One time this girl walking past said, ‘Nah you’re not. You’re Anto Boyle.’”

With all the attention paid to young Irish actors recently, I feel like not enough has been paid to Boyle. This may be because, although he has been in a run of high-profile US and UK TV series, he has been remarkably adaptable and chameleonlike, usually hidden behind an accent and a period costume. He won an Olivier award and was nominated for a Tony for his role in the stage version of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He was a young Jewish-American soldier in the HBO drama The Plot Against America. He’s a US airman in Masters of the Air , on Apple TV+. And he is John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, on the same streamer’s series Manhunt . He has also been in the movie Tetris (as Robert Maxwell’s son Kevin), is about to star in Shardlake, on Disney+, and will soon appear as an IRA leader in the upcoming television adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s nonfiction book Say Nothing , about the abduction and murder of Jean McConville in 1972.

[  Patrick Radden Keefe: ‘Gerry Adams is sort of similar to the Sacklers, in that he seems to sleep quite well at night’  ]

Boyle has his own theories about where his acting skills came from. As a child he suffered with a bone condition that left him using a wheelchair for several years. As his friends and siblings played out on the street, he would make up dialogue for them as he watched from the window. “The Jesuit priests say, ‘Show me the boy for the first eight years and I’ll show you the man.’ Having to be on the outside of everything for a lot of time meant that, when the time came that I could participate, I was, like, ‘F*** it, I’m going to grab everything with both hands.’”

Does he really think that’s where it all started? “It comes from a whole host of things,” he says. “I remember reading Seamus Heaney’s Midterm Break when I was about 13, and I was so moved by the work and wanted to be in the poem.” He recites the closing lines: “‘No gaudy scars, the bumper knocked him clear. A four-foot box, a foot for every year.’ I read that as a kid and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was really profoundly affected by art, paintings, films or poems ... It really stuck with me and moved me, and I wanted to be in the middle of it.”

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Boyle’s parents had “normal-people jobs”, his mother a receptionist and his father in security. His grandad painted, but for the most part the family’s lives orbited the GAA club, not galleries and theatres. He was not a diligent student. When he was 16 he was expelled from one school and moved to another. That was a turning point. He started looking for acting jobs. He got wise advice from a local acting hero, Jonjo O’Neill – “Every time I see him I buy him a pint” – and took part in the aforementioned ghost tours and in all sorts of amateur drama. “I did Romeo and Juliet, this thing set on a chessboard, with Lola Petticrew, a great actor from Belfast, as Juliet ... Four people came to see it. Three of them left.’”

Even then Boyle loved acting. “Without getting too philosophical or wanky about it, there’s something about your body being an instrument,” he says. “If you’re doing it right, you’re not Anto in the moment, you’re whoever you’re playing. The captain on the bridge” – he points to his head – “gets quieter and quieter. And the quieter he gets, the more exciting it is. [Another actor] comes in and goes a different way and all the atoms in the room are fizzing.”

Did he get that feeling from the very start? He nods. “You felt like you were a bell being rung.”

Eventually, an acting teacher, Patricia Logue, saw him in a play and encouraged him to go to the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama . While there he was cast in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which went from the West End to Broadway. There he was seen by the casting director Alexa Fogel, who “wanted me, for some reason, to play an American Jewish 1940s soldier”. That was for The Plot against America, created by David Simon, based on the Philip Roth novel. He loved that part. “The producers of Masters of the Air, the producers of Manhunt, they all saw that.” He laughs. “Only about 300 people saw it, but it was the right 300 people.”

Anthony Boyle in Manhunt. Photograph: Apple TV+

Why does Boyle keep getting cast in period dramas? “I think I’ve just got a very generic face, and if you squint you can see me look like anyone.” He adds, more seriously, “A lot of the stuff I’ve done is political, and I think part of that is probably growing up in Belfast, growing up in such a politically charged place where your postcode is a political act, where your name is a political act. Whether your name is William or Anthony defines whether you’re Catholic or Protestant ... I’m interested in this political work because it feels familiar.”

He asks if I’ve read Close to Home , Michael Magee’s novel about a young troubled working-class man from west Belfast. He loves that book. “Michael went to the same school as my brother ... I know every street name he talks about. He worked in Box nightclub. I worked in Box nightclub.” He laughs. “For a week. That book really, really spoke to me, an amazing novel. And his brother in it is called Anto, and I’m called Anto. It’s the first time I read a book with an Anto in it ... It succinctly talks about how we were sold this promise [of a better future] but we haven’t reaped any of those rewards ... The political system of green and orange politics, and the divisiveness, is getting us nowhere.”

The Plot against America focuses on a Jewish family who are marked out as second-class citizens as fascism rises in the United States. Did he draw on his own experience of coming from a place where identity is fraught? Not consciously, he says, but he adds: “David Simon said to me, ‘I think the reason why you connected with the text of this character is because you do come from a place like that, and you understand the fraughtness and the balance and the danger.’ It’s in the body language as opposed to cerebral pontification. In acting, so much of it is how you hold yourself.”

Fighting fascism is a recurring theme in Boyle’s TV roles. In Masters of the Air he plays the real-life airman Lieut Harry Crosby. “They had earmarked me for a different role, but when they sent me the script I just fell in love with Crosby ... He feels like he should be in a comedy movie from the 1990s. He’s anxious and throwing up on people. Then I got sent a clip of him speaking, and” – he slips into the accent – “he has this strange kind of rhythm in the way he spoke ... There are a few beautiful bits in the interview where he doesn’t know the camera’s recording, and he talks to the cameraman: ‘Is that good?’”

Boyle met Crosby’s family at the premiere. It was a strange and moving experience, he says. In Crosby’s final scene in Masters of Air he’s going back to the US to meet his newborn son for the first time; now Boyle was meeting that child in person, a 79-year-old man “handing me a whiskey”.

Manhunt is another show with a lot of contemporary resonances: John Wilkes Booth was a radicalised white supremacist. “I read a letter [Booth] wrote to a friend in 1863 which is basically a racist manifesto. He’s saying, ‘The black man is enslaving the white man in America.’ Crazy racist rhetoric. Then there was a mass shooting in America while we were filming, where a white guy went into a black neighbourhood and shot up a grocery store, and he had published a manifesto ... It was almost word for word the kind of racist, cancerous f***ing s**te that Booth was saying.”

They filmed in Savannah, Georgia. “There were statues of Confederates, of slavers, and people were protesting this. The restaurant beside us was called the Cotton House. Where I would go to horseride, just 10 minutes outside of the city, there were Confederate flags waving on doorsteps and in the back of cars.”

[  Manhunt review: All beard and no fun - this beautifully shot series is ultimately a missed opportunity  ]

Boyle is always learning. He likes to observe actors on set just before the director calls action. “Some people are sat there punching themselves in the head [to get in character]. Other people are going, ‘Oh, I think I’ll have a bacon sandwich for lunch. No, actually, I’ll have a curry,’ and then the director says ‘Action’ and they’re crying about their dead wife.”

Where is he on that spectrum? He laughs. “A bit in the middle. Hitting myself in the head but also thinking about what I’ll have for dinner.”

How does it feel going from intensively pretending to be someone else to ... Boyle finishes the thought: “To intensively pretending to be Anto?” He talks about the muscles involved with speaking in an American accent and then proceeds to slip into one. “When you come back [to Belfast] you’ve got that Graeme McDowell , Van Morrison kind of thing. You sound like you’re halfway between Belfast and [the United States]. It takes about three or four days before I start getting more Belfast again.”

Boyle has an English accent for Shardlake, the new Disney show adapted from CJ Samson’s novels, about a crime-detecting lawyer working for Thomas Cromwell (who is played by Sean Bean). He thinks of it as “a Tudor buddy movie”. He plays the foil to Arthur Hughes’s Shardlake. “I’m wearing a codpiece, swashbuckling and cocky, and he’s a studious lawyer. They’re the direct antithesis to each other ... I wanted to try something a bit more light-hearted that wasn’t a political thing. It’s a great watch, really fun.”

Shardlake: Anthony Boyle as Jack Barak in the Disney+ series

The next role is a bit closer to home. In Say Nothing, the adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s book about the Troubles, he plays the IRA leader Brendan Hughes, whose nickname was The Dark. “We were filming in a studio in London, but the streets we were walking down were streets I’ve walked my whole life. I went to [school at] St Louise’s , down the Falls Road, and 30 seconds down the street there’s a mural of The Dark, of Brendan Hughes.”

What was it like to enter that world? “I’ve only ever seen the streets of Belfast look like a war zone in documentaries,” says Boyle. “So the set was like the streets of Belfast, with the Saracens [armoured vehicles] and the rubble. I sent a video to my mum and dad, and they felt very emotional. It was a sobering thing ... If I’m on a set, I’m at work. And they’re, like, ‘Jesus Christ, it was like that. Remember that we couldn’t get a car down the street. Remember the burned-out buses.’ Suddenly, I was going, ‘Oh, this real.’

“There are scenes where they’re being searched by British soldiers ... My dad had to walk up and down going to Gaelic training, and the same British soldier would pull out his kit and would throw it in a puddle every day.” Did it help him understand what his dad had experienced? “No, because you’re an actor on a movie set, [but] there’s some sort of connective tissue. I felt like him in that moment.”

What was it like using his own accent for a change? “Josh Zetumer [the showrunner] let us be very free with the wording of things. If [the script] said something like, ‘Come on guys, let’s leave,’ we’d go, ‘Yo, get the f*** out.’ He’s an amazing writer. He got the Belfast dialect so well ... There was a scene where I’m robbing a bank, and the actor has glasses on. And I said, ‘Give me the money, ye speccy bastard.’ And [Josh] was, like, ‘What did you call him, a speaky bastard..? Because he was speaking so much?’ ‘No, speccy’. ‘Speccy! Spectacles! Brilliant! It’s in the picture!’”

Boyle goes back to Belfast whenever he can. His parents are proud of him, he says; they always encouraged him. Just the day before we talk, he was walking the Mourne Mountains with friends, followed by a few pints of Guinness (“a perfect Irish day”). He has only recently started to be recognised when he goes home (if you don’t count the ghost-tour incident). “I had a taxi man the other day go, ‘Are you that wee actor from here?’ I go, ‘Yeah’, and, he says, ‘You were in that wee Game Boy film?’ I said, ‘Game Boy film? Oh, you mean Tetris?’ And he says, ‘Aye, that was f***ing powerful.’”

Shardlake is available on Disney+ from Wednesday, May 1st

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