Falls Road
Encyclopedia
The Falls Road is the main road through west Belfast
in Northern Ireland
; from Divis Street in Belfast city centre
to Andersonstown
in the suburbs. Its name is synonymous with the republican communities in the city. It is known as one of the more famous streets in Northern Ireland, drawing many tourists all year round. The neighbouring Shankill Road is predominantly loyalist, separated from the Falls Road by peace lines
. The road is usually referred to as the Falls Road, rather than as Falls Road.
mills. All of these have now closed. The housing in the area developed in the nineteenth century and was organised in narrow streets of small terraced back-to-back
housing. Many of these streets were named after characters and events in the Crimean War
(1853-1856) which was occurring at that time. These included Raglan Street - named after Lord Raglan, commander of British forces in the Crimean War, Alma Street - named after the Battle of Alma
, Balaklava Street - named after the Battle of Balaklava, Inkerman Street - named after the Battle of Inkerman
, and Sevastopol Street - named after the Siege of Sevastopol.
By the 1960s the buildings in the area had decayed considerably and the Belfast Corporation introduced a major development plan which involved wholescale demolition of much of the area and its replacement with a series of flat complexes. The high point of this redevelopment was Divis Tower
, built on top of the historic district formerly known as the Pound Loney.
As a predominantly working-class community, the Falls Road has historically had a strong socialist tradition but prior to the 1970s and 1980s had also been less militantly nationalist than many other areas of Northern Ireland. So while James Connolly
, the Irish socialist, resided in the upper Falls for a period in the early 20th century and was involved in organizing the workers in the linen mills the area was generally seen as a bedrock of the Irish Parliamentary Party
: famously Éamon de Valera
lost heavily here in the 1918 UK General Election
. Connolly's secretary Winifred Carney
also lived on the Falls. The past century has seen an ongoing contest between various versions of labour/socialist and nationalist/republican for electoral leadership in the area. In the 1929 election to the new Parliament of Northern Ireland
, the Belfast, Falls
constituency was won by the Nationalist
Richard Byrne after a very bitter contest with William McMullen
, a strong supporter of Connolly. In the 1945 election, Harry Diamond
won the seat standing for the Socialist Republican Party
. He held the seat until 1969, when he was defeated by Paddy Devlin
standing for the Northern Ireland Labour Party
. Devlin, who had once been a member, alongside Diamond, of the Belfast branch of the Irish Labour Party, became a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
in 1970 and remained the member until the Parliament was prorogued in 1972.
In 1964, Billy McMillen
stood as a Republican
candidate for the Belfast West
constituency in the Westminster
election. His office was in Divis Street and the Irish tricolour
alongside the Starry Plough
of James Connolly's Irish Citizen Army
in was displayed in the window. The public display of the flag of the Republic of Ireland
was banned by the Northern Ireland government at that time. Protestant preacher Ian Paisley
insisted that the Royal Ulster Constabulary
remove the flag or he would organise a march and remove it himself. The police feared a backlash from Loyalists, and removed it. There was unrest and rioting from the nationalist community.
In the late 1960s, many Catholics from across Northern Ireland began to campaign for civil rights
. This included an end to religious discrimination in housing and jobs. Loyalists opposed the Civil Rights movement. They raided nationalist areas. Several streets around the Falls Road were burnt out by loyalists in August 1969. In response to the worsening situation, the British Government deployed the British Army
on to the Falls Road. The troops were initially welcomed by the Falls residents, who trusted them to act in an unbiased manner. This attitude, however, quickly turned to anger as they came to see the British Army as an occupying force. In 1970, the road was the scene of what became known as the Falls Curfew
. After an attack by the Provisional IRA, 3000 British troops sealed off the streets around the Falls road, home to about 10,000 people, setting off CS gas. The British actions were opposed by the Official IRA
, who engaged them in a vicious gun battle. Over the course of the weekend, four Catholic civilians were killed by the British. Ninety rifles were recovered. This event is widely regarded as the end of the British army's "honeymoon" period with the nationalist community in Northern Ireland. For the following thirty years the British Army maintained a substantial presence on the Falls Road, with a base on top of the Divis Tower. This was removed in August 2005 as part of the British government's Normalisation programme following the IRA's
statement that it was ending its armed activities. In the intervening period, the Falls Road area saw some of the worst violence of the Troubles
.
Over the past thirty years there has been a substantial revival of traditional culture in terms of Irish language, dancing and music. These are all displayed in the Féile an Phobail
, which is an annual festival that aims to rival the Belfast Festival at Queen's
. The road is also home to the Cultúrlann, an Irish cultural centre. In recent times the area has become a tourist destination, with people wanting to see the site of some of the incidents that occurred during The Troubles
and the many Republican murals that are now to be seen in the area. A popular destination is the Sinn Féin
shop and office with its mural of hunger strike
r Bobby Sands
, which is often used by Sinn Féin politicians as a backdrop when giving television interviews. Another popular destination is the 'solidarity wall', which features murals mainly dedicated to peoples/revolutionaries inspired by or with connections to Irish Republicanism (the Blanketmen
, Palestinians, ETA
, Frederick Douglass
and so on) and is located close to the newly rebuilt Falls Road Leisure Centre and the Divis area.
, St Rose's High School
, St Mary's University College
, Irish language secondary school Coláiste Feirste
and St. Louise's Comprehensive College, one of the largest comprehensives in Europe. There were also several primary schools including St Finian's Primary School
and St. Catherine's Primary School but these latter closed due to falling student numbers. St. Catherines merged with St. John's Girls and St. Gall's Boys to form St. Clares in September 2005 . St Marys CBGS Belfast
was originally located in Barrack Street off Divis Street in the lower Falls area but transferred to a greenfield site on the Glen Road in the upper Falls area in the 1960s.
There are also several large hospitals in the area including the Royal Victoria Hospital
, the Royal Maternity and the Children's Hospital.
churches such as St. Peter's Cathedral
in the Divis Street/Lower Falls area, St. Paul's Church in the mid-Falls area and St. John's Church in the Upper Falls. Nearby is located Clonard monastery
, the home of the Redemptorist religious order. Two large cemeteries are located at the top of the Falls Road - Belfast City Cemetery
and Milltown Cemetery
. The most famous of the original Mill Buildings is Conway Mill, originally a flax spinning mill, it now houses a community enterprise of small businesses, art studios, retail space and education floor. The Dunlewey Centre (Belfast Metropolitan College) is a Community Education Centre in the heart of the lower Falls.
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
; from Divis Street in Belfast city centre
Belfast City Centre
Belfast city centre is the central business district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.The city centre was originally centred around the Donegall Street area. Donegall Street is now mainly a business area, but with expanding residential and entertainment development as part of the Cathedral Quarter...
to Andersonstown
Andersonstown
Andersonstown is a suburb of Belfast, Northern Ireland.It is overshadowed by the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain and contains a mixture of public and private housing. It is largely populated by the Irish nationalist and Roman Catholic community...
in the suburbs. Its name is synonymous with the republican communities in the city. It is known as one of the more famous streets in Northern Ireland, drawing many tourists all year round. The neighbouring Shankill Road is predominantly loyalist, separated from the Falls Road by peace lines
Peace lines
The peace lines or peace walls are a series of separation barriers in Northern Ireland that separate Catholic and Protestant neighbourhoods. They have been built at urban interface areas in Belfast, Derry, Portadown and elsewhere...
. The road is usually referred to as the Falls Road, rather than as Falls Road.
History
The Falls Road was originally a country lane leading from the city centre but the population of the area expanded rapidly in the nineteenth century with the construction of several large linenLinen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
mills. All of these have now closed. The housing in the area developed in the nineteenth century and was organised in narrow streets of small terraced back-to-back
Back-to-back houses
Usually of low quality and high density, they were built for working class people and because three of the four walls of the house were shared with other buildings and therefore contained no doors or windows, back-to-back houses were notoriously ill-lit and poorly ventilated and sanitation was of...
housing. Many of these streets were named after characters and events in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
(1853-1856) which was occurring at that time. These included Raglan Street - named after Lord Raglan, commander of British forces in the Crimean War, Alma Street - named after the Battle of Alma
Battle of Alma
The Battle of the Alma , which is usually considered the first battle of the Crimean War , took place just south of the River Alma in the Crimea. An Anglo-French force under General St...
, Balaklava Street - named after the Battle of Balaklava, Inkerman Street - named after the Battle of Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
, and Sevastopol Street - named after the Siege of Sevastopol.
By the 1960s the buildings in the area had decayed considerably and the Belfast Corporation introduced a major development plan which involved wholescale demolition of much of the area and its replacement with a series of flat complexes. The high point of this redevelopment was Divis Tower
Divis Tower
Divis Tower is a 61m tall tower in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 20 floors tall, it was built in 1966 as part of the now-demolished Divis Flats complex. It is named after the nearby Divis Mountain. The complex of 850 flats, housing 2400 residents was designed by architect Frank Robertson for the...
, built on top of the historic district formerly known as the Pound Loney.
Politics
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
, the Irish socialist, resided in the upper Falls for a period in the early 20th century and was involved in organizing the workers in the linen mills the area was generally seen as a bedrock of the Irish Parliamentary Party
Irish Parliamentary Party
The Irish Parliamentary Party was formed in 1882 by Charles Stewart Parnell, the leader of the Nationalist Party, replacing the Home Rule League, as official parliamentary party for Irish nationalist Members of Parliament elected to the House of Commons at...
: famously Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
lost heavily here in the 1918 UK General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
. Connolly's secretary Winifred Carney
Winifred Carney
Maria Winifred Carney, known as Winnie Carney, was a suffragist, trade unionist and Irish independence activist. Born in Bangor, County Down, her family moved to the Falls Road in Belfast when she was a child...
also lived on the Falls. The past century has seen an ongoing contest between various versions of labour/socialist and nationalist/republican for electoral leadership in the area. In the 1929 election to the new Parliament of Northern Ireland
Parliament of Northern Ireland
The Parliament of Northern Ireland was the home rule legislature of Northern Ireland, created under the Government of Ireland Act 1920, which sat from 7 June 1921 to 30 March 1972, when it was suspended...
, the Belfast, Falls
Belfast Falls (Northern Ireland Parliament constituency)
Belfast Falls was a constituency of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.-Boundaries:Belfast Falls was a borough constituency comprising part of western Belfast...
constituency was won by the Nationalist
Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland)
The Nationalist Party† - was the continuation of the Irish Parliamentary Party, and was formed after partition, by the Northern Ireland-based members of the IPP....
Richard Byrne after a very bitter contest with William McMullen
William McMullen
William McMullen , sometimes known as Billy McMullen, was an Irish trade unionist and politician.Born into a Protestant family in Belfast, McMullen began working in the shipyards and became an active trade unionist...
, a strong supporter of Connolly. In the 1945 election, Harry Diamond
Harry Diamond
Harry Diamond was a socialist and an Irish nationalist. He was the MP for Belfast Falls in the Parliament of Northern Ireland, and later the leader of the Republican Labour Party....
won the seat standing for the Socialist Republican Party
Socialist Republican Party (Ireland)
The Socialist Republican Party was an Irish republican political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1944 by a coalition of former Nationalist Party members, former Irish Republican Army members and Protestant trade unionists around Victor Halley, all based in West Belfast.The party...
. He held the seat until 1969, when he was defeated by Paddy Devlin
Paddy Devlin
Paddy Devlin was a Northern Irish social democrat and Labour activist, a former Stormont MP, a founder of the Social Democratic and Labour Party and a member of the 1974 Power Sharing Executive.-Early life:...
standing for the Northern Ireland Labour Party
Northern Ireland Labour Party
The Northern Ireland Labour Party was an Irish political party which operated from 1924 until 1987.In 1913 the British Labour Party resolved to give the recently formed Irish Labour Party exclusive organising rights in Ireland...
. Devlin, who had once been a member, alongside Diamond, of the Belfast branch of the Irish Labour Party, became a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
in 1970 and remained the member until the Parliament was prorogued in 1972.
In 1964, Billy McMillen
Billy McMillen
Billy McMillen was an Irish republican activist and an officer of the Official Irish Republican Army...
stood as a Republican
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
candidate for the Belfast West
Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast West is a parliamentary constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.-Boundaries:The seat was restored in 1922 when as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
constituency in the Westminster
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
election. His office was in Divis Street and the Irish tricolour
Flag of Ireland
The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green , white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2...
alongside the Starry Plough
The Starry Plough (flag)
The Starry Plough banner was originally used by the Irish Citizen Army, a socialist, Republican movement. James Connolly, co-founder of the Irish Citizen Army with Jack White, said the significance of the banner was that a free Ireland would control its own destiny from the plough to the stars.This...
of James Connolly's Irish Citizen Army
Irish Citizen Army
The Irish Citizen Army , or ICA, was a small group of trained trade union volunteers established in Dublin for the defence of worker’s demonstrations from the police. It was formed by James Larkin and Jack White. Other prominent members included James Connolly, Seán O'Casey, Constance Markievicz,...
in was displayed in the window. The public display of the flag of the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
was banned by the Northern Ireland government at that time. Protestant preacher Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
insisted that the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
remove the flag or he would organise a march and remove it himself. The police feared a backlash from Loyalists, and removed it. There was unrest and rioting from the nationalist community.
In the late 1960s, many Catholics from across Northern Ireland began to campaign for civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
. This included an end to religious discrimination in housing and jobs. Loyalists opposed the Civil Rights movement. They raided nationalist areas. Several streets around the Falls Road were burnt out by loyalists in August 1969. In response to the worsening situation, the British Government deployed the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on to the Falls Road. The troops were initially welcomed by the Falls residents, who trusted them to act in an unbiased manner. This attitude, however, quickly turned to anger as they came to see the British Army as an occupying force. In 1970, the road was the scene of what became known as the Falls Curfew
Falls Curfew
The Falls Curfew was a British Army operation during 3–5 July 1970 in an area along the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The operation started with a weapons search but quickly developed into rioting and gun battles between British soldiers and the Official Irish Republican Army...
. After an attack by the Provisional IRA, 3000 British troops sealed off the streets around the Falls road, home to about 10,000 people, setting off CS gas. The British actions were opposed by the Official IRA
Official IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA is an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to create a "32-county workers' republic" in Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army in December 1969, shortly after the beginning of "The Troubles"...
, who engaged them in a vicious gun battle. Over the course of the weekend, four Catholic civilians were killed by the British. Ninety rifles were recovered. This event is widely regarded as the end of the British army's "honeymoon" period with the nationalist community in Northern Ireland. For the following thirty years the British Army maintained a substantial presence on the Falls Road, with a base on top of the Divis Tower. This was removed in August 2005 as part of the British government's Normalisation programme following the IRA's
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
statement that it was ending its armed activities. In the intervening period, the Falls Road area saw some of the worst violence of the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
.
Culture
Feile an Phobail
Féile an Phobail , also known as the West Belfast Festival is a community arts organisation known for its August Féile . The organisation is prominent for its promotion of Irish and international culture...
, which is an annual festival that aims to rival the Belfast Festival at Queen's
Belfast Festival at Queen's
The Ulster Bank Belfast Festival at Queen's is an annual arts festival held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The 49th Festival will take place from 14 to 31 October 2011.-History:...
. The road is also home to the Cultúrlann, an Irish cultural centre. In recent times the area has become a tourist destination, with people wanting to see the site of some of the incidents that occurred during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
and the many Republican murals that are now to be seen in the area. A popular destination is the Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
shop and office with its mural of hunger strike
Hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
r Bobby Sands
Bobby Sands
Robert Gerard "Bobby" Sands was an Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army and member of the United Kingdom Parliament who died on hunger strike while imprisoned in HM Prison Maze....
, which is often used by Sinn Féin politicians as a backdrop when giving television interviews. Another popular destination is the 'solidarity wall', which features murals mainly dedicated to peoples/revolutionaries inspired by or with connections to Irish Republicanism (the Blanketmen
Blanket protest
The blanket protest was part of a five year protest during the Troubles by Provisional Irish Republican Army and Irish National Liberation Army prisoners held in the Maze prison in Northern Ireland. The republican prisoners' status as political prisoners, known as Special Category Status, had...
, Palestinians, ETA
ETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
, Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
and so on) and is located close to the newly rebuilt Falls Road Leisure Centre and the Divis area.
Educational institutions and hospitals
Several large educational institutions are also located in the area. These include St. Dominic's High SchoolSt. Dominic's High School
St Dominic's Grammar School for Girls, formerly St Dominic's High School, is a Catholic grammar school for girls aged 11-18 , in Belfast, Northern Ireland..-History:...
, St Rose's High School
St Rose's High School
St Rose's High School is a high school in West Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was founded by nuns in 1963. The current uniform for this all girls school is a navy jumper, blue shirt, navy skirt/pinafore, navy tights/navy knee socks and black shoes. St Rose's also have a P.E. uniform tracksuit...
, St Mary's University College
St. Mary's University College (Belfast)
St Mary's University College was established in 1985, but can directly trace its existence to 1900 and the foundation of St Mary's Training College, which focused mainly on the training of women as teachers...
, Irish language secondary school Coláiste Feirste
Coláiste Feirste
Coláiste Feirste is the only secondary-level Irish-medium school in Belfast, Northern Ireland.Previously known as Méanscoil Feirste, the gaelscoil is located in the west of the city in a new facility on Belfast's Falls Road...
and St. Louise's Comprehensive College, one of the largest comprehensives in Europe. There were also several primary schools including St Finian's Primary School
St Finian's Primary School
St. Finian's Primary School was a Roman Catholic primary school located in the Falls Road area of West Belfast. It was run by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. In view of its high educational standards it attracted pupils not only from the Falls Road but other Catholic districts in Belfast. Due...
and St. Catherine's Primary School but these latter closed due to falling student numbers. St. Catherines merged with St. John's Girls and St. Gall's Boys to form St. Clares in September 2005 . St Marys CBGS Belfast
St Marys CBGS Belfast
St. Mary's Christian Brothers' Grammar School is a Roman Catholic boys' grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland-History:...
was originally located in Barrack Street off Divis Street in the lower Falls area but transferred to a greenfield site on the Glen Road in the upper Falls area in the 1960s.
There are also several large hospitals in the area including the Royal Victoria Hospital
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast
The Royal Victoria Hospital is a hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, the Royal Maternity and the Children's Hospital.
Notable buildings
Although the area is largely residential there are several substantial buildings. These include several CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
churches such as St. Peter's Cathedral
St. Peter's Cathedral, Belfast
St. Peter’s Cathedral, Belfast. is the Roman Catholic cathedral church for the diocese of Down and Connor and is the episcopal seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Down and Connor. It is located in the Divis Street area of the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland and dates from the 1860s...
in the Divis Street/Lower Falls area, St. Paul's Church in the mid-Falls area and St. John's Church in the Upper Falls. Nearby is located Clonard monastery
Clonard monastery
Clonard Monastery is a Roman Catholic church and monastery, located off the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland.The complex was developed by a Catholic religious order known as the Redemptorist. Members of this religious order came to Belfast originally in 1896. They initially built a small...
, the home of the Redemptorist religious order. Two large cemeteries are located at the top of the Falls Road - Belfast City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery
Belfast City Cemetery is a cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and Springfield Road, near Milltown Cemetery...
and Milltown Cemetery
Milltown Cemetery
Milltown Cemetery is a large cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland.It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and the M1 motorway. Milltown Cemetery opened in 1869 and there are now approximately 200,000 of Belfast's citizens buried there. Most of those buried there are...
. The most famous of the original Mill Buildings is Conway Mill, originally a flax spinning mill, it now houses a community enterprise of small businesses, art studios, retail space and education floor. The Dunlewey Centre (Belfast Metropolitan College) is a Community Education Centre in the heart of the lower Falls.
See also
- Gaeltacht Quarter, BelfastGaeltacht Quarter, BelfastThe Gaeltacht Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is an area surrounding the Falls Road in the west of the city. A Gaeltacht is an area where the Irish language is widely spoken. The area aims to promote the Irish language and provide tourist attractions associated with it, as well as Irish...
- Lower Falls (District Electoral Area)Lower Falls (District Electoral Area)Lower Falls is one of the nine district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the west of the city, the district elects five members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Beechmount; Clonard; Falls; Upper Springfield; and Whiterock. Lower Falls forms part of the...
- Upper Falls (District Electoral Area)Upper Falls (District Electoral Area)Upper Falls is one of the nine district electoral areas in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the west of the city, the district elects five members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Andersonstown; Falls Park; Glen Road; Glencolin; and Ladybrook. Upper Falls forms part of the...