Several of my previous blog posts have highlighted written words and paintings on walls: murals of writers and poets and their meaningful words. Murals and writing on walls hold political and cultural importance and meaning everywhere, especially in Belfast. When we first set out on our day trip, we stumbled upon an interesting question posed on the wall: “Love, Peace & Happiness is this possible in Belfast…? Discuss.” Is this possible in any place? Is this possible for humanity? I did not realize the strong implications of these words and how prevalent they are to Belfast’s culture and history. Even though we have discussed these conflicts in class and seen museum exhibits, I was not completely aware of the full extent of the tensions and feuds between Nationalists and Unionists.

During the Black Taxi tour, Pat did a great job at illuminating the past tensions-the Troubles-and the modern conflicts between these two sides. The mural of Stevie Top Gun McKeag had several different meanings depending on the side-a memorial for a valiant hero versus a violent murderer. Then, Pat took us to the peace wall, a physical divider between the two communities. He gave us permanent markers to sign the wall, giving us a chance to write our own names and words on the peace wall. It seems like signing the wall is sign of peace not only in Belfast, but a petition for peace for the whole world. Perhaps, the most important fact of murals and writing on walls is how it holds meaning and it makes people discuss them.