Murals: glimpses of the past
By Rey mos
1 Jun 2009
IT IS ALMOST FOUR YEARS NOW that I'm enjoying my life in the birthplace of the Irish footballer legend, George Best and where RMS Titanic was built in 1911. One month before my departure from Manila in 2005, there were isolated bombings in Belfast which did not hinder me to discover this British territory, the north of Ireland.
Embracing the Irish culture is not easy but a worthwhile experience. Aside from the weather condition, I'm happy to learn and understand its past and how this city became Lonely Planet's top tourist destination.
Looking at its past, Northern Ireland was a battle ground for so many years because of the religious and political conflicts. This is manifested with the thousands of wall paintings or so called "murals" around the country which strongly reflect political beliefs among the people. People believe that these murals represent their struggle, courage, loyalty, volunteerism, and their hope to change for the betterment of the community. But simply, it is a street art form that expresses political divide between Unionist (Protestant) and the Republicans (Catholic).
In the present time, negotiations are being done by government to replace these murals into a positive reflection of the past, present and the future of Northern Ireland as a friendly, safe and peaceful nation. On the other hand, these murals are also one of the popular attractions that provide extra income to the tourism industry. Some of the latest murals show adoration to George Best, but some show disapproval to the former US President, George Bush, Jr.
3 responses
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Martin E. Morris gave props (1 Jun 2009):
I am so pleased to see that someone is recording these works of art before they are lost.Nicely written story with very good images!!! Voted !!!
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Marco Martinez gave props (2 Jun 2009):
Rey, this is a great photo essay. Your choice of perspectives is as excellent as the murals you selected for this story. Well done.
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Thomas Brandenburg gave props (5 Jun 2009):
I like this essay, the history and the culture of murals there. Where I live in midwest of US, there is very little of this art form, and the only place I can recall see alot of public murals is in Luzern, Switzerland
