- Falls Road also refers to the Rochester, Lockport and Niagara Falls Railroad, the New York Central Railroad's line to Niagara Falls, New York. Incorporated December 14 1850. This company rebuilt and opened in July 1852, the road originally incorporated April 24 1834, as the Lockport The New York Central Railroad, known simply as the New York Central in its publicity was a Railroad operating in the Northeastern United States. Niagara Falls is a City in Niagara County, New York, United States.
The Falls Road (Bóthar na bhFál in Irish, meaning "road of the hedgerows") is the main road through West Belfast in Northern Ireland; from Divis Street and Castle Place in Belfast City Centre to Andersonstown in the suburbs. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of Belfast City Centre is the Central business district of the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Andersonstown (Baile Andarsan is a district of west Belfast. It is overshadowed by the Black Mountain and Divis Mountain and contains a mixture of Its name is synonymous with the Catholic and republican communities in the city. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". Irish republicanism (Poblachtánachas is an ideology based on the Irish nationalist belief that all of Ireland should be a single independent Republic It is easily known as one of the more famous streets in Northern Ireland, drawing many tourists all year round. The neighbouring Shankill Road is predominantly Protestant, separated from the Falls Road by peace lines. The Shankill Road ( is the arterial road leading through a predominantly Protestant working-class area Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Peace Lines are a series of Separation barriers ranging in length from a few hundred yards to over three miles (5 km separating Catholic As implied by the usage of the term in this article, the road is usually referred to as The Falls Road, rather than as Falls Road.
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History
As its name implies, 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 linen mills. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. 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. 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. Belfast ( is the capital city of Northern Ireland and the seat of government in Northern Ireland. The high point of this redevelopment was Divis Tower. Divis Tower is a 61m (20008 ft tall tower in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Politics
As a predominantly working class community, the Falls Road has historically had a strong socialist tradition. Robert Gerard Sands (Roibeard Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh commonly known as Bobby Sands, (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981 was a Provisional Irish Republican Army Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution 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. James Connolly (Séamas Ó Conghaile 5 June 1868 &ndash 12 May 1916 was an Irish Socialist leader
In 1964 Billy McMillen stood as a Republican candidate for the Belfast West constituency in the Westminster election. Billy McMillen was an Irish Republican activist and an officer within the Official Irish Republican Army. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 For other constituencies of the same name see Belfast West. Belfast West is a Parliamentary Constituency in the UK House Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. His office was in Divis Street and displayed the Irish tricolour alongside the Starry Plough of James Connolly's Irish Citizen Army in the office window. The Starry Plough banner was originally used by the Irish Citizen Army. The Irish Citizen Army ( Irish name: Arm Cathartha na hÉireann) or ICA was a small group of trained Trade union volunteers established in Dublin The public display of the flag of the Republic of Ireland was banned by the Northern Ireland government at that time. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Protestant preacher Ian Paisley insisted police remove the flag, or he would instigate rioting. Ian Richard Kyle Paisley (born 6 April 1926 styled The Rt Hon The police feared a backlash from Protestant extremeists, and took down the flag. There was unrest and rioting from the Catholic community. This is sometimes considered the start of The Troubles.
In the 1960s, residents of the Falls Road and other Catholic areas of Northern Ireland began to campaign for civil rights. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 This included an end to religious discrimination in housing and jobs. Many civil rights marches were attacked by Loyalists, often aided by the almost-entirely Protestant police force. Several streets around Catholic Falls Road were burnt out by Loyalists.
In response to the Northern Ireland riots of August 1969, the British government introduced British troops onto the Falls Road. From 13- 17 August 1969, Northern Ireland was rocked by intensive Sectarian rioting The troops were initially welcomed by the residents of the Falls Road as a source of protection. The community of the Falls had come under assault by Protestant gangs. However, this attitude on the part of residents quickly turned to anger as they were drawn into conflict with the British Army. In 1970, the road was the scene of what became known as the Falls Curfew. The Falls Curfew, also known as the Lower Falls Curfew or sometimes as the "Rape of the Lower Falls" was a British Army operation on the Falls Road in In response to a gun and grenade attack by the Provisional IRA, 3000 British army troops sealed off the streets around the road, home to about 10,000 people. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the They flooded the area with soldiers in an attempt to recover IRA weapons. After an all day gun battle (predominantly with the Official IRA), ninety rifles were recovered and four Catholic civilians were killed by the soldiers. The term Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA (informally the Officials) refers to one of the two organisations&mdashthe other being the Provisional This event is widely regarded as the end of the British army's "honeymoon" period with the Irish nationalist community in Northern Ireland. For the following thirty years the British Army and 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. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the In the intervening period, the Falls Road area saw some of the worst violence of the Troubles.
Culture
The area has a rich and vibrant culture. Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14 1818 February 20 1895 was an American abolitionist, editor, Orator 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. Féile an Phobail, also known as the West Belfast Festival, is an annual festival of Irish and International culture that takes place in and around the Falls The Belfast Festival at Queen's is an annual arts Festival held in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 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 mural is a Painting on a wall ceiling or other large permanent surface A popular destination is the Sinn Féin shop and office with its mural of hunger striker Bobby Sands, which is often used by Sinn Féin politicians as a backdrop when giving television interviews. Sinn Féin () is a political party in Ireland. The current party led by Gerry Adams was formed following a split in January 1970 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 Robert Gerard Sands (Roibeard Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh commonly known as Bobby Sands, (9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981 was a Provisional Irish Republican Army 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 refurbished Falls Road Leisure Centre and the Divis area. The blanket protest (Agóid na mBlancéid was part of a five year protest during The Troubles by Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA and Irish National Liberation Palestinian people or Palestinians ( الشعب الفلسطيني, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni; الفلسطينيون, al-filasTīnīyyūn eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist Frederick Douglass (born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, February 14 1818 February 20 1895 was an American abolitionist, editor, Orator
Educational institutions and hospitals
Several large educational institutions are also located in the area. These include St. Dominic's High School, St Rose's High School, St Mary's University College, Irish language secondary school Coláiste Feirste and St. St Dominic's High School is a Catholic Grammar school for girls aged 11-18 St Mary's University College ( Irish: Coláiste Ollscoile Naomh Muire) was established in 1985 but can directly trace its existence to 1900 and the foundation of Coláiste Feirste is the largest and the only second level Irish medium school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 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. St Finian's Primary School was a primary school that was located in the Falls Road area of west Belfast. Catherine's Primary School but these latter closed due to falling student numbers while 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. St Mary's CBGS (Christian Brothers' Grammar School (in Irish: Scoil Mhuire na mBráithre) is a Roman Catholic boys' Grammar school in Glen Road ( Bóthar an Ghleanna) is an Electoral ward of West Belfast.
There are also several large hospitals in the area including the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Royal Maternity and the Children's Hospital. The Royal Victoria Hospital ( Irish: Ospidéal Ríoga Victoria; commonly known as "The Royal" or the "R
Notable buildings
Although the area is largely residential there are several substantial buildings. These include several Catholic churches such as St. Peter's Cathedral in the Divis Street/Lower Falls area, St. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete". St Peter’s Cathedral Belfast is the Roman Catholic cathedral church for the diocese of Down and Connor. 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. Clonard Monastery is the term used to describe the Catholic church and Monastery that is located near the Falls Road in Belfast. The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Latin Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris – C Two large cemeteries are located at the top of the Falls Road - Belfast City Cemetery and Milltown Cemetery. Belfast City Cemetery is a Cemetery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Milltown Cemetery is a Cemetery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 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.
References
External links
- Fáilte Feirste Thiar
- Féile an Phobail
- Cultúrlann
- Raidió Fáilte 107.1 FM
- Falls Road in Rushlight Magazine
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