Draft:Graffiti in Northern Ireland

Graffiti in Northern Ireland is often in the form of a sectarian mural but is also commonly in the form of tags which can be offensive. Graffiti as art has become very popular in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after the introduction of hip hop in the 1980s. Murals are a type of graffiti found in Northern Ireland which became popular in the 1960s and they are mostly political or referencing the troubles, they are usually in support of either Catholic or Protestant paramilitaries. TMN is the most notable graffiti crew in Northern Ireland, TMN usually stands for 'The Most Nasty'.

History


Most murals and a large portion of other types of graffiti in Northern Ireland has come as a result of the troubles, a 30 year conflict between Catholic and Protestant paramilitaries which took place from 1968 to 1998, murals in Northern Ireland started becoming popular in the 1960s as a result. Graffiti in Northern Ireland often reflects this conflict with the earliest sectarian murals appearing in the early 20th century but have seen a boom in the late 1970s and 1980s. Glen Molloy is a well known Belfast street artist who was interested in graffiti in the 1980s but turned to street art more recently, earning himself the title 'Banksy of Belfast', his artwork is found all across Belfast.

In Belfast there has been a long tradition of graffiti writing, it was introduced to Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK on a large scale in the 1980s as a part of the hip hop and electro music movement. Street art in Belfast has grown and become a lot more common than the typical sectarian murals following the troubles and within the 2000s. Street art in Belfast has become more of an expression of personal opinion and feeling than political or religious belief, this is similar in other urban and built up parts of Northern Ireland such as Bangor. Street art in Belfast reflects the turbulent past and diverse and colourful present of Northern Ireland.