BELFAST WALKING TOUR FIELD GUIDE
Dual Narratives on Foot: Walking the Falls and Shankill Through Belfast’s Murals and Peace Wall
A three-hour, operator-led walking tour of West Belfast that pairs republican and loyalist firsthand testimony with visits to iconic murals and sites along the Falls Road and Shankill Road, useful for travelers who want an on-the-ground orientation to the city’s contested landscape.
Dual Narratives on Foot: Walking the Falls and Shankill Through Belfast’s Murals and Peace Wall.
This guided, three-hour walking tour threads through West Belfast’s nationalist and unionist districts, pairing accounts from former republican and loyalist prisoners with a route that follows the Peace Wall and stops at landmark murals, churches and sites that shaped the Troubles and its aftermath.
Highlights
Outing Highlights
Firsthand testimony from both sides
On this joint Falls/Shankill Tour, visitors are guided first by republican former prisoners through the nationalist areas, then handed over at the gates of the Peace Wall to former loyalist activists who tell the unionist perspective—offering direct, local testimony about recent decades of Belfast history.
Murals and political walls
The route takes in world‑famous political artworks on the International Wall, the Republican Memorial Garden and the Bobby Sands mural—visual records of community memory and political identity along the Falls Road.
A walk that tracks the Peace Wall
The tour follows the course of the Peace Wall, moves through Clonard (including Clonard Monastery Church) and Bombay Street—an epicentre of events in 1969—before crossing into the Shankill area and finishing on the Lower Shankill Road.
What the day feels like
What it feels like on the ground
The experience is conversational and urban: a three‑hour walking loop that begins at Coiste’s mural at Divis Tower and moves through the republican Falls Road with stop‑and‑talks at murals, memorials and local streets, then pauses at the Peace Wall gates for a handover to a loyalist guide who leads the group through Shankill, closing on the Lower Shankill Road.
Suitability
Who it's for
Who this tour suits — and who should consider alternatives.
Practical planner
Details to review before reserving
The tour is three hours long and is conducted on foot through West Belfast.
The walk starts at Coiste’s mural at Divis Tower (Divis Street) and finishes on the Lower Shankill Road.
This joint Falls/Shankill Tour is operated by Coiste Irish Political Tours.
Review cancellation policies before reserving.
Frequently asked questions
Planning Your Outing
How long is the Falls/Shankill Tour?
The walking tour lasts three hours.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts at Coiste’s mural at Divis Tower (Divis Street) and finishes on the Lower Shankill Road.
Who leads the tour?
The tour is guided by republican former prisoners for the Falls leg and by former loyalist activists for the Shankill leg, providing perspectives from both communities.
What sites will we see on the route?
Highlights include the International Wall with political artworks, the Republican Memorial Garden, the Bobby Sands mural, Clonard Monastery Church, Bombay Street, the gates of the Peace Wall and sites in the Shankill area.
Is the tour suitable for people who cannot walk long distances?
Because the itinerary is a three‑hour walking tour across multiple outdoor stops and neighbourhood streets, it may be challenging for those unable to walk for extended periods.