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Twenty-five years on from the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast, is still dominated by the 'peace walls'.

Erected by the British army between the neighbourhoods of pro-Ireland republicans, primarily Catholic, and pro-UK loyalists, primarily Protestant, the collection of 75 walls, spanning 13 kilometres, are yet to be dismantled.

Though the sectarian conflict dubbed 'The Troubles' culminated with the peace accord in 1998, the graffiti filled walls remain a prominent feature, dividing the city.

A former republican paramilitary member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Michael Culbert now leads tours of the peace walls and believes the walls are a relic of the past and can no longer be justified.

Many compare the peace walls to the Berlin Wall, which was demolished at the fall of the Soviet Union.

However, criminal justice professor Jonny Byrne hypothesises why this hasn't and might never be the case in Belfast.

Currently serving as a tourist attraction, the peace walls are a hotspot for what Byrne coins 'recreational rioting', which included protests in 2021, as tensions rose over Brexit trade agreements.

Whilst people mix and mingle in other parts of the city, questions over the relevance of the walls remain.

Michael Culbert is convinced they'll come down in due course.

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