Abstract
Murals represent a famous aspect of the Northern Ireland conflict and act as a significant public space element. The large outdoor paintings have been used by various Republican or Loyalist groups as tools for presenting their stances and are designed not only for the world public, but, mainly, for the local community.
By this ideological mobilisation, they play a part in forming identities of both communities (Nationalist/Catholic and Unionist/Protestant) on local level. The tradition of mural painting continues in the post-conflict era and experiences an intense transformation.
New actors emerge, including state-sponsored initiatives, aiming to boost the peace process by re-imaging paramilitary murals and seeking for new, non-conflict topics in cultural heritage of the two communities. A twofold question may be put forward.
Which parts of cultural heritage are being used and how are these themes changing in post-conflict era? And moreover, can the murals themselves be considered a part of cultural heritage of Northern Ireland's communities, districts of segregated cities or of the Northern Ireland itself as a region? This paper analyses the issue using the example of Belfast murals and state-sponsored project Re-imaging Communities.