Some of Northern Ireland’s neighbourhoods are still divided by physical barriers known as Peace Walls or Peace Lines. Most of them are located in Belfast, particularly in areas where predominantly nationalist and loyalist communities live close to one another. Other interface barriers can also be found in places such as Derry/Londonderry, Portadown and Lurgan.
The barriers are one of the most visible reminders of the Troubles, the period of political and sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted from the late 1960s until the 1990s. Although the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 brought an end to most of the large-scale violence, many of the physical divisions between communities remained.
Why were the Peace Walls built?
The first Peace Wall was erected in Belfast in 1969, following some of the worst violence of the early years of the Troubles. The disturbances involved nationalist and loyalist communities as well as the security forces, and resulted in widespread destruction and displacement.
The original intention was for many of these barriers to be temporary. They were designed to separate communities and prevent people from crossing into areas where they could become targets of violence, while also reducing the risk of attacks being launched across community boundaries.
Over the following decades, however, temporary barriers became much more permanent. New walls, fences, gates and other forms of defensive architecture were constructed in areas where tensions remained particularly high.
The term “Peace Wall” can therefore refer to quite different structures. Some are substantial brick or concrete walls, while others consist of metal fencing, gates or combinations of different barriers.
Where are the Peace Walls?
Belfast has by far the largest concentration of Peace Walls and other interface barriers. They can be found in several parts of the city, including west, north and east Belfast.
Some of the best-known examples include the Cupar Way Peace Wall, which separates the Shankill and Falls areas, and barriers around Springmartin, Springfield, Ardoyne and Short Strand.
There are also interface structures elsewhere in Northern Ireland, including Derry/Londonderry, Portadown and Lurgan.
It is difficult to give one definitive figure for the total number of Peace Walls because there is no single official definition covering every wall, fence, gate and other defensive structure. Different organisations have therefore produced different totals.
The Northern Ireland Department of Justice has a specific programme covering 59 interface security structures under its responsibility. Other research and community organisations identify a larger number of barriers and forms of defensive architecture across Northern Ireland.
Peace Walls after the Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998, represented a historic turning point for Northern Ireland and significantly reduced political violence.
However, the agreement did not immediately remove the physical divisions between communities. In many areas, residents continued to have concerns about security and possible outbreaks of violence.
As a result, many Peace Walls remained in place even as Northern Ireland became considerably more peaceful.
The continued existence of these structures demonstrates that political peace and physical integration are not necessarily the same thing. In some neighbourhoods, communities remain largely segregated in terms of housing, schools and everyday life.
Are the Peace Walls being removed?
Yes, but much more slowly than originally expected.
In 2013, the Northern Ireland Executive’s Together: Building a United Community strategy established an ambitious objective of removing all interface structures by 2023, where communities could agree to their removal.
The Department of Justice subsequently established its Interface Programme to work towards reducing or removing these barriers. The original programme explicitly referred to the 2023 target.
However, the 2023 target was not achieved.
The removal process has instead become a gradual, community-led programme. Rather than simply taking down every wall, authorities work with residents and community organisations to determine whether an individual barrier can be removed, reduced, modified or replaced with a less restrictive structure.
According to the Northern Ireland Executive’s 2024–25 reporting, around one-third of the 59 official interface security structures had been removed and another third had been reduced. Work was continuing on the remaining locations.
The Department of Justice also reported that three interface security structures were removed during 2024–25, following consultation with communities and statutory partners.
One example is Flax Street in north Belfast. Two solid interface barriers were removed and replaced with vehicular and pedestrian gates, allowing local people to pass through for much of the day while retaining a level of security when required.
Another important example came in Portadown, where a 3-metre-high interface structure that had stood for 27 years was removed following extensive consultation with local communities.
In Derry/Londonderry, most of the remaining interface security structures along Derry’s Walls have also now been removed. Current projects include work at Donaldson Crescent, Springmartin Gate and Holy Cross in Belfast.
Will all the Peace Walls disappear?
There is currently no new fixed deadline for removing all the Peace Walls.
This is an important change from the original 2023 objective. The emphasis is now on achieving reductions or removals where there is sufficient support from the communities affected.
For some residents, the walls remain reassuring because they provide a physical separation from neighbouring communities and are associated with protection from possible violence. For others, they are an unwanted reminder of the Troubles and continue to reinforce the division between communities.
This makes removing them considerably more complicated than simply demolishing a wall.
The Department of Justice continues to operate its Interface Programme, working with communities towards the reduction or removal of interface structures. Some barriers have therefore disappeared completely, while others have been shortened, replaced by gates or modified to make movement between communities easier.
Can you visit the Peace Walls?
Yes. The Peace Walls are one of the most unusual sights in Belfast, and several can be visited relatively easily.
The most famous is the Cupar Way Peace Wall, where visitors can see hundreds of messages and signatures written on the wall. The area has become particularly associated with political murals and messages calling for peace.
However, visitors should remember that these are not simply tourist attractions. They are located in residential neighbourhoods where people live with the legacy of decades of conflict.
Some of the barriers also have gates controlling movement between communities. The opening arrangements vary considerably. The Department of Justice currently lists several gates with restricted opening hours, including barriers at North Howard Street, Northumberland Street, Townsend Street, Lanark Way, Workman Avenue and Flax Street.
It is therefore worth checking the current opening arrangements if you intend to walk through an interface area rather than simply view the walls.
The messages on the Peace Walls
Perhaps the most striking feature for visitors is the thousands of messages written on some of the walls.
Over the years, visitors from Northern Ireland and around the world have left messages expressing hopes for peace, reconciliation and an end to division.
The contrast is particularly powerful: structures originally created to separate communities have become places where people from completely different backgrounds leave messages calling for greater understanding.
At the same time, the continued existence of the walls shows that the legacy of the Troubles has not disappeared completely.
The physical barriers are gradually being reduced in some areas, but the process of removing them is ultimately dependent on rebuilding confidence between communities. As Northern Ireland continues to move further away from its violent past, the Peace Walls remain both a symbol of how far the country has come and a reminder of the divisions that have yet to disappear.