Editing Belfast (section)

=== West Belfast ===
In the mid-19th century rural poverty and famine drove large numbers of Catholic tenant farmers, landless labourers and their families toward Belfast. Their route brought them down the [[Falls Road, Belfast|Falls Road]] and into what are now remnants of an older Catholic enclave around [[St Mary's Church, Belfast|St Mary's Church]], the town's first Catholic chapel (opened in 1784 with Presbyterian subscriptions),<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 February 2020 |title=First Ecumenical Ash Wednesday Service to take place in Belfast |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2020/02/24/news/first-ecumenical-ash-wednesday-service-to-take-place-in-belfast-1849878/ |access-date=10 February 2024 |website=The Irish News |archive-date=17 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917001531/https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2020/02/24/news/first-ecumenical-ash-wednesday-service-to-take-place-in-belfast-1849878/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Smithfield Market and Library Quarter, Belfast|Smithfield Market]].<ref name=":4" /> Eventually, an entire west side of the city, stretching up the Falls Road, along the [[Springfield Road]] (encompassing the new housing estates built 1950s and 60s: Highfield, New Barnsley, Ballymurphy, Whiterock and Turf Lodge) and out past [[Andersonstown]] on the Stewartstown Road toward [[Poleglass]], became near-exclusively Catholic and, in political terms, nationalist.

Reflecting the nature of available employment as mill workers, domestics and shop assistants, the population, initially, was disproportionately female. Further opportunities for women on the Falls Road arose through developments in education and public health. In 1900, the [[Dominican Order]] opened [[St Mary's University College, Belfast|St Mary's [Teacher] Training College]], and in 1903 [[Edward VII|King Edward VII]] opened the [[Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast|Royal Victoria Hospital]] at the junction with the Grosvenor Road.<ref name="clarke">{{cite web |last=Clarke |first=Richard |year=1997 |title=History of the Royal Victoria Hospital |url=https://www.ums.ac.uk/inst/hrvh_rc.pdf |access-date=1 April 2019 |publisher=Ulster Medical Society }}</ref> Extensively redeveloped and expanded, the hospital has a staff of more than 8,500.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 November 2023 |title=Royal Victoria Hospital staff parking in 80% of visitor spaces |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-67380561 |access-date=8 February 2024 |work=BBC News |archive-date=26 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326231426/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-67380561 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Landmarks in the area include the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic-revival]] [[St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast|St Peter's Cathedral]] (1866, signature twin spires added in 1886);<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Peter's Roman Catholic Cathedral &#124; What to See &#124; Belfast & Northern Ireland |url=https://www.inyourpocket.com/belfast/St.-Peter-s-Roman-Catholic-Cathedral_27946v |access-date=9 February 2024 |archive-date=27 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180327023812/https://www.inyourpocket.com/belfast/St.-Peter-s-Roman-Catholic-Cathedral_27946v |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Clonard Monastery]] (1911), the Conway Mill (1853/1901, re-developed as a community enterprise, arts and education centre in 1983);<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conway Mill |url=https://conway-mill.ie/ |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Conway Mill |archive-date=11 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231211053906/https://conway-mill.ie/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Belfast City Cemetery]] (1869) and, best known for its republican graves, [[Milltown Cemetery]] (1869).

The area's greatest visitor attractions are its wall and gable-end murals. In contrast to those in loyalist areas, where Israel is typically the only outside reference, these range more freely beyond the local conflict frequently expressing solidarity with [[Palestinians]], with [[Cuba]], and with [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque]] and [[Catalonia|Catalan]] separatists.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CAIN: Murals: Rolston, Bill. Drawing Support: Murals in the North of Ireland |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/bibdbs/murals/rolston1.htm#murals |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=cain.ulster.ac.uk |archive-date=17 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917061019/https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/bibdbs/murals/rolston1.htm#murals |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=CAIN: Rolston, Bill. Contemporary Murals in Northern Ireland – Republican Tradition |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/bibdbs/murals/slide9.htm |access-date=9 February 2024 |website=cain.ulster.ac.uk |archive-date=3 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240803100613/https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/bibdbs/murals/slide9.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>