Belfast Political Tour: Two Sides of the Peace Wall

Hear the conflict from the people who lived it, on both sides of the wall

A three-hour walking tour of West Belfast led by Republican and Loyalist ex-political prisoners, crossing the Peace Wall to explore the Falls Road and Shankill neighborhoods. You walk the streets where the conflict unfolded, stop at memorials and murals on both sides, and hear firsthand accounts of the Troubles from the men and women who were imprisoned for their beliefs. Free admission to all sites; a portion of proceeds supports cross-community youth projects.

Step-by-step itinerary

Belfast political and mural walking tour

• Walk both sides of Peace Wall
• Explore murals in nationalist Falls Road
• Visit International Wall and memorials
• Explore loyalist murals in Shankill
• See Shankill Memorial Garden and bomb sites

The Experience

Most Belfast tours stick to one side of the story. This one crosses the Peace Wall with two guides—one Republican, one Loyalist—so you hear the conflict explained from opposing perspectives as you move through West Belfast. The tour covers the Falls Road, where nationalist murals include the International Wall and Bobby Sands memorial, and the Shankill, where loyalist memorials mark sites like the Bayardo Bombing and Frizzells Fish Shop Bombing. The guides stop at multiple locations along the wall itself, so you see how the physical barrier divides the neighborhoods and understand why it was built.

What sets this apart is that your guides are ex-prisoners who served time in Northern Ireland's prisons for their political beliefs. They don't narrate history from a textbook—they explain what the murals mean to their communities, what the conflict cost them personally, and how people on each side remember the same events differently. The three-hour walk is steady but manageable for most fitness levels, and all areas are wheelchair accessible. You meet at Divis Tower, with public transportation nearby if you're not driving.

The tour runs in English and is suitable for anyone 15 and older. Admission to the sites along the route is included, so there are no surprise fees at memorials or along the wall. A portion of what you pay goes directly to local organizations running cross-community projects with children, so the money stays in Belfast.

What’s included

• Two local guides—one Republican ex-prisoner, one Loyalist ex-prisoner—leading the walk.
• free admission to all sites along the Peace Wall, Falls Road and Shankill.
• personal stories and historical commentary explaining the murals and memorials from both perspectives.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Yellow Umbrella Tours Limited

Is this one for you?Two ex-political prisoners—one Republican, one Loyalist—walk you through their opposing histories on either side of the Peace Wall, making the conflict impossible to reduce to a single narrative.

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Top questions

What's the difference between the Falls Road and Shankill sides of the tour?

The Falls Road is the nationalist area, where murals commemorate republican history and figures like Bobby Sands; the Shankill is the loyalist area, where memorials reflect unionist and British perspectives on the same period. Your two guides explain the murals and events from each community's viewpoint, so you understand how the same conflict is remembered differently on each side of the Peace Wall.

Who are the tour guides, and what will they talk about?

One guide is a former Republican prisoner and one is a former Loyalist prisoner—both served time in Northern Ireland's prisons for their political activism. They share personal stories about their experiences during the Troubles, explain the history and meaning behind the murals and memorials you visit, and describe the effects the conflict had on their families and communities.

Is this tour suitable if I'm not very fit or I use a wheelchair?

Yes. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, and all areas and surfaces along the route are wheelchair accessible. Service animals are allowed, and public transportation options are available near the meeting point at Divis Tower if you need them.

What's included in the price, and what do I need to pay for separately?

The price includes the three-hour guided walk, admission to all sites visited along the route, and the commentary from both guides. Food, drinks, and gratuities are not included; you'll need to arrange those separately.

Why does some of the tour money go to local projects?

A portion of the tour proceeds supports cross-community projects working with local children in Belfast, so the money directly benefits the neighborhoods you're walking through and helps build connections between communities.