ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at a range of artistic responses to the unrest in Northern Ireland since the civil rights movement and by artists based in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The artist's work references language and the perception of terrain. Bloody Sunday was the fulcrum which turned the conflict, and Northern Ireland became convulsed by war. Mural painting was quickly recognised as an established feature of Protestant popular culture and helped to define the political and cultural parameters of the Northern Ireland state. In 1999, the South African politician, Alex Boraine, travelled to Northern Ireland in his role as director of the New York University Law School's Justice in Transition programme. Freedom of speech had long been a concern in Northern Ireland. The gradual development of the peace process led to stability which supported a huge improvement in both the mundane conditions of its citizens and the economic life in Northern Ireland.
