During our Ireland trip we had to spend a few hours on one of my wife's current work projects in Belfast. So on the way back, I took the opportunity to take a couple of images that record the changing face of the city. The "Troubles" have had a major impact on many parts of Belfast, in particular in some residential areas of the city. Murals paying tribute to the paramilitaries have been evident in these places for many years but as part of the peace process there is a move to replace the paramilitary-style mural with art work that celebrates other aspects of life in the north. I found these two examples of the old and the new in the east of the city. The first portrays a typical display of strength in honour of the Ulster Freedom Fighters, or UFF:
This, however, is more typical of the new brand of mural. As an Englishman, it's not necessarily going to go down as my favourite example for it shows David Healy's (in)famous goal that defeated England in 2005. In my defence, it was pouring down when I took these two shots and I just didn't fancy roaming the streets to find a less embarrassing design!
Next time I'm in Belfast I plan to photograph a couple of examples of murals from a republican area of Belfast - just for balance, you understand.
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