Things to see and do Ireland

Murals -Lincoln Courts/ Bond Street (Heritage Trail)

These murals show various symbols rooted in Loayalist tradition and history, for example The Clenched Fist (which has been perhaps one of the strongest Loyalist emblems that has existed) and the colours of the Union Jack and the Crown (which symbolise the British Monarchy) are only a few of the many images appearing on Loyalist murals. The image of King William III of Orange (also known as King Billy) can be found on many wall murals in Loyalist areas. The Dutchman who was declared sovereign of England, Scotland and Ireland in February 1689 won the Protestant victory over the Catholic King James II (a Scotsman) on 1 July 1690 at the Battle of the Boyne. There are many images of King Billy on horseback crossing the Boyne and these are symbolic of a victory for Protestantism.

In 2006, £3.3 million was to be spent replacing paramilitary murals in Northern Ireland. The purpose of the 'Re-Imaging Communities Programme' was to engage local people and their communities in finding ways of replacing divisive murals and emblems with more positive imagery. The aim was to remove any paramilitary murals designed to intimidate or mark out territory (The Colours Red, White and Blue signifying Loyalism and Green, White and Orange signifying Republicanism.

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