Greater Clonard Martyrs Memorial

Walking through Belfast, you quickly realize that the history of “The Troubles” is still deeply woven into the landscape of the city. Murals, memorial, peace walls and neighborhood tributes appear throughout different sections of Belfast, reminding us that this conflict is part of a living memory for many people who call this city home.

This memorial wall honors Republican prisoners from the Greater Clonard area who died during the conflict known as The Troubles. The images and names displayed here represent individuals who became symbols within the Irish Republican movement, particularly during the prison hunger strikes and political struggles of the late twentieth century.

These murals are powerful works of public memory and reveal how deeply divided communities were, and in some ways, remain. The fences, walls and memorial spaces throughout Belfast tell the story of neighborhoods shaped by decades of violence.

One of the most significant events connected to these memorials was the 1981 Irish hunger strike, when Republican prisoners protested their status inside Belfast prisons. The most famous of these prisoners was Bobby Sands, who died after 66 days without food and became an international symbol of the conflict.  

In Belfast, history exists openly in the streets. Here it is painted on buildings, remembered in neighborhood memorials and woven into daily life. “The Troubles” were deeply personal experiences that affected families, communities and generations of people.