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The Bobby Sands Mural is a world-famous portrait of the IRA leader. It is painted on the walls of the Sinn Fein Political Party Press Office at the corner of Sevastopol Street and Falls Road. It is based on a photograph taken of Sands while he was imprisoned.

In 1977, Bobby Sands was imprisoned in Long Kesh Maze Prison for 14 years for gun possession along with a number of other IRA members and leaders. While in prison, Sands and his cohorts demanded that they not be forced to wear prison uniforms or do prison work. They also wanted to be able to associate with other prisoners and receive visitors and/or packages. Denied these demands, Sands and the others went on a hunger strike.

Sands was elected to the UK parliament during his time in prison. However, he died from the hunger strike before he was able to take his seat. This mural of his smiling face was created as a memorial in 1998. It is one of many murals in Belfast, but is arguably the most well known.

The Eileen Hickey Irish Republican History Museum is located in Conway Mill in West Belfast. The museum first opened in 2007 but it located in a former linen mill that dates to 1842. It opened on the anniversary of the death of the main benefactor of the museum, Eileen Hickey.

Hickey was the former Officer Commanding of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoners in Armagh Women's prison and she dedicated her life to preserving artifacts and relics from the period in Irish history known as The Troubles.

Some exhibits at the Irish Republican History Museum include a jacket worn by Mairead Farrell, a cell door from the Armagh women's prison, weapons used during The Troubles, items sculpted by prisoners and a large number of posters, paintings and articles. The museum is also home to a library and interpretive center.

The Garden of Remembrance is a solemn yet serene tribute that speaks volumes to Ireland鈥檚 recent history. Officially opened on 24 June 2001 and commissioned by the Falls Cultural Society, it stands today as one of the most poignant Republican memorial gardens in the city. Small yet thoughtfully designed, this space brings together horticulture and heritage: an iron gate ushers you toward a paved patio flanked by neat planting beds, leading to a prominent plaque under a proud Irish Tricolour.

At its heart, the Garden honours the members of 鈥淒鈥� Company, 2nd Battalion of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, alongside civilians from the Falls Road community who tragically lost their lives during The Troubles. It also commemorates former prisoners who died on hunger strike in 1981 at Long Kesh鈥檚 H鈥態locks. The central plaque bears bilingual inscriptions鈥擨rish and English鈥攑roclaiming the residents鈥� dedication: 鈥渢o those brave and gallant vols 鈥� who made the supreme sacrifice in their quest for Irish Freedom鈥�.

For tourists, this Garden of Remembrance offers more than historical context; it invites quiet reflection amidst Belfast鈥檚 vibrant atmosphere. It provides insight into local identity, the power of community memory, and the lingering impact of a city striving towards peace. Placed along the mural-lined Falls Road鈥攈ome to an array of political artworks鈥攖his memorial deserves inclusion in any thoughtful walking tour. Visitors are encouraged to approach with respect, allowing time to read the inscriptions, absorb the atmosphere, and contemplate the stories embedded in this living homage to resilience and remembrance.

The Belfast Peace Walls are barriers that separate Protestant and Catholic neighborhoods through the city. They were originally built in 1969 to establish peace by separating sectarian groups. Today, they are popular tourist attractions.

Arguably, the most famous Peace Wall is located between Shankill Road and Falls Road. There is also a large Peace Wall along Cupar Way, which has become a canvas for local artists. Graffiti and street art intermingle on the Peace Walls to provide color to the city while also reminding citizens and tourists of the strife of the country.

The walls were originally meant to be temporary structures. Ironically, the structures have not only stayed in place, but have increased in number. The most recent Peace Wall was constructed in 2017. There are now 59 in the city.

The Belfast City Council began a plan to remove the Peace Walls, but the vast majority of residents believe they continue to help quell violence. Still, the plan is for all Peace Walls to be removed in the future.

The Shankill Road Memorial Garden was constructed as a memorial to victims of a bomb explosion on Shankill Road. The bombing was carried out by the IRA in October 1993 as an attempt to assassinate the UDA leadership. The bombing killed one IRA member, a UDA member and eight citizens. It also wounded over 50 people.

The garden was opened on May 29, 1994. In addition to serving as a memorial to the Shankill Road bombing victims, the garden honors casualties from both World Wars along with other conflicts.

Visitors to the Shankill Road Memorial Garden will find a memorial stone and lamppost. Each contain ashes from the flowers placed at the bombing. The gated garden has floral plots, shade trees and numerous benches.

Shankill Road Memorial Garden is located on Shankill Road next to the West Kirk Presbyterian Church. It is open to visitors 24 hours, seven days per week.

The Shankill Road is the arterial spine of West Belfast, stretching approximately 1.5 miles from the city centre towards the suburb of Woodvale. It arises from the Irish 鈥渞oad of the old church鈥�, in reference to a 5th-century church once located here, remnants of which survive in the adjacent graveyard. Today, the road is a bustling portrait of working鈥慶lass loyalist life, lined with shops, schools, churches, and local services serving the Court district.

Once a 19th-century linen hub with streets named after Belgian flax regions, Shankill Road later became a center of loyalist activity during the Troubles. Groups like the Shankill Defence Association and UVF formed here, and the 1993 bombing at Frizzell鈥檚 Fish Shop marked a tragic chapter. Today, murals and memorials reflect both pride and remembrance.

Visitors will notice vibrant murals and peace lines peppered along the route, reflecting sectarian tensions while signaling hope. The famous Shankill Graveyard, dating back over a millennium, and the Somme memorial beside it, pay tribute to generations鈥攊ncluding soldiers from the 36th Ulster Division. Nearby lie community treasures: the Shankill Women鈥檚 Centre, old pubs like the Rex Bar, and various sports facilities dedicated to boxing and football鈥攈alls of fame where locals such as Norman Whiteside and Wayne McCullough once trained.

Today, the Shankill Road offers tourists a genuine and complex Belfast experience. From its roots in early Christianity to its industrial heyday and through periods of conflict and reconciliation, this thoroughfare embodies a living neighbourhood. Visitors can explore its poignant memorials, admire street art, and enjoy the community spirit in local caf茅s, shops, or on a guided walking tour.