Like much of Belfast this area has a troubled history, and the communities that live here have been involved in centuries of domestic and international conflict with local people fighting in Two World Wars, as well as in the Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence. More recently the thirty years of violent conflict known as ‘The Troubles’ have deeply impacted these communities, as they became increasingly divided and segregated.

The conflict has left an architectural legacy on this area in the form of numerous murals commemorating republican and loyalist paramilitaries, and ‘peace lines’ – physical barriers located on the interface between the predominantly nationalist/republican Short Strand and unionist/loyalist Newtownards Road.

Now, for the first time, the communities themselves have an opportunity to have their voices heard, and to tell their stories to the world: stories of violence, division, pain, resilience and everyday life against a backdrop of conflict. Three community organisations have come together to produce a series of tourist itineraries which tell their stories – and they invite you to come and experience this part of Belfast.