Belfast's Peace Walls Walking Tour: From Divis Tower to Bobby Sands

Belfast is a city still marked by one of the most intensely documented urban conflicts of the 20th century. On this walking tour, you'll cross between Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods, tracing how decades of division shaped the streets, the murals, and the people who lived through it. You'll also hear how communities on both sides are finding their way forward.

The tour starts at Divis Tower in West Belfast, where a plaque remembers Patrick Rooney, aged nine, one of the first children killed during the Troubles. From there, you'll walk past St. Comgall's Primary School, the site of an early gun battle in 1969, and along the International Wall, where murals connect West Belfast's struggle to conflicts in Palestine, Cuba, and beyond. Passing through one of the many interface gates, you'll cross into the Protestant Shankill Road, where Union Jacks replace the Irish tricolour almost immediately.

Along the Shankill Road, you’ll visit the Bayardo Bar memorial, marking the 1975 IRA bombing, and the Shankill Memorial Garden, a quiet space honouring members of the Protestant community who lost their lives during the Troubles. You’ll also pass the site of the 1993 Frizzell’s fish shop bombing, where nine civilians were killed.

Returning along the Catholic Falls Road and the towering peace walls, you’ll see the imposing corrugated iron and concrete barriers that still divide parts of the community today. The tour ends at the famous Bobby Sands mural, a powerful symbol of the 1981 hunger strikes that drew worldwide attention to the Maze Prison.

This balanced, unbiased tour explores both sides of the peace walls, giving visitors a deeper understanding of the suffering, loss, and lived experiences within both Catholic and Protestant communities throughout the conflict.

On this 60-minute tour, you will:

• Begin at the famous Divis Tower (West Belfast) — where it all began, at the heart of the Troubles
• Learn how the Battle of the Falls, also known as the Falls Road curfew in July 1970, changed everything
• Walk along the world-famous International Solidarity Wall, known for its political murals and global messages of support
• Pass through the iconic interface gates that separate the Falls (Catholic) and Shankill (Protestant) communities
• Hear about Linda Ervine and her work promoting the Irish language within Protestant communities
• View murals of current British monarch and Queen Elizabeth II, reflecting the strong British identity of the Shankill area
• Visit the world-famous Peace Walls, where you can see them up close, touch them, and write a personal message!
• Finish at one of Belfast’s most iconic murals — the Bobby Sands Mural

This accessible tour answers key questions about the Peace Walls and political murals, the Troubles, and the divided city Belfast still partly remains — through the stories of Belfast. It’s not overly political, but engaging and enjoyable, with moments of poignancy, and even a few lighter moments along the way.