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Peace in division - 19th April 2023

Northern Ireland signed the Good Friday Agreement to end conflict in 1998. But after twenty-five years, the dividing 'peace walls' remain a major feature of Belfast. 

The peace walls were constructed by the British army and include 75 walls across 13 kilometres. The walls separated Catholic pro-Ireland republicans and Protestant pro-UK loyalists. The conflict between these two groups is known as 'The Troubles', which ended with the peace agreement. 

Michael Culbert was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) but is now a tour guide at the peace walls. He believes the walls should come down.

Michael Culbert: "The walls here are a, are a remnant of our, our past conflict, when you think of wall. The walls were built, one, by the British government. And to a degree they were built to stop bullets. That's what the wall - the bullets can't go through the wall. There are no bullets flying now, so the walls have to come down."

When the Soviet Union ended, the Berlin Wall was knocked down. Professor of criminal justice Jonny Byrne explains that the peace walls have become a part of Belfast's identity and may never come down.

Jonny Byrne: "That's never happened and never will happen because we don't have a Berlin wall structure here. The peace walls, they actually have become part of the built environment and communities. You, you can drive through areas and not even know they're there because they've become part of the, the, the, the buildings and the, and the, and the architecture of these communities."

Though the peace walls are now a tourist attraction, they're still a symbol of protest. In 2021, people protested at them as anger rose over Brexit trade agreements. 

Today, republicans and loyalists live and work together in peace. But what does this mean for the peace walls? Culbert hopes they'll come down in the future. 

Michael Culbert: "The problem is the walls have been here that long. They're, they're covering at least two, possibly three generations. It'll take time but people will come, come to it."