Recent political history dominates West Belfast and the Gaeltacht Quarter, and many oversea visitors are amazed at how close the Nationalist Falls and Unionist Shankill Roads are – a walk along connecting Lanark Way takes you to the Peace Wall. This West Belfast Map takes you on a journey along the main sights in and around the Falls Road: Until 2005 the top two floors of Divis Tower (1) were used for surveillance by the British Army. Coiste Political Tours leave from its base Mon-Sat 11am and Sun 2pm. St. Peter’s Cathedral (2) was built in the Gothic Revival style and its twin spires can be seen across the city.

The International Wall (3) is a constantly changing tableau of global conflicts and issues with particular support among the community. Falls Remembrance Garden (4) commemorates those who have died or been imprisoned for political reasons as far back as 1921. Conway Mill (5) is a 19th century linen mill and listed building now used as a community and arts hub. A cafe, craft shops and Irish Republican History Museum are located inside. The famous Bobby Sands Mural (6) is on the side of the Sinn Fein offices. Clonard Monastery (7) boasts magnificent mosaics and a 6m-wide stained-glass rose window. It is home to the Catholic order of Redemptorists and, in 1994, staged secret talks leading to the IRA cessation. An Cultúrlann (9) contains a theatre, gallery, restaurant and shop across its three
floors. Visit its Tourist Information Office for lots more information on accommodation, attractions, tours and events including August’s West Belfast Festival (Féile an Phobail).
At 37.5m high, Rise (10) is Belfast’s largest public art sculpture and know locally as the Balls on the Falls. The James Connolly Plaque (11) marks this famous Irish Nationalist and 1916 Easter Rising hero’s former home. Cross-denominational City Cemetery (12) has many industrial, religious and political leaders among its 250,000 graves, and a sunken wall divides Protestant and Catholic plots. Bog Meadows Nature Reserve (13) and Falls Park (14), with its playground and Playing Fields, are among the Quarter’s finest green spaces. Milltown Cemetery (15) is Belfast’s main Catholic cemetery and contains thousands of graves and memorials. Three of the ten 1981 hunger strikers are buried in its Republican Plot, among them Bobby Sands. Discover lots more local
info at www.visitwestbelfast.com