This is not a standard sightseeing tour. It is a deep dive into the political divisions that sparked the Troubles, placing Belfast within the context of a fast changing world — reflecting our humanity and sometimes our lack of it.
Walk from City Hall towards Divis and the Falls Road, the Irish heartland of West Belfast. Learn how the conflict exploded with mobs and housing set ablaze. See the first mural — a statement of pride in Irish identity — before reaching the vibrant International Wall, where political murals change to reflect local and world events.
Pass through heavily fortified security gates — a border between two communities — and walk into the British Shankill Area. Here you will see powerful loyalist murals telling an entirely different storey of identity, loyalty and loss.
From the Shankill, walk to the Peace Walls — learn why they were built and why they are still standing. Return to the Falls Road through new imposing security gates. Walking back to the city centre, learn about the economic and political backdrop to the peace process and the people who dedicated their lives to building bridges — musicians, boxers and historians.
Belfast does not sit alone — the forces that shaped this city are reshaping the world. The tour looks back at the past but also forward to what comes next.
The tour finishes at a historic church at the heart of Irish history — a fitting place to reflect on everything you have seen and heard. You will see the main sights associated with the conflict but you will also see very ordinary things that tell a bigger storey. Greater truths can be learned from what is hidden in plain sight. Often it's not what you see but what you don't see that tells the bigger storey.
Please note the tour contains some graphic content — parental discretion is advised. Listening sets are provided throughout.