People, issues, and society in Northern Ireland are deeply shaped by its long history, culture, and collective memory, with artists, significant individuals, and organisations playing central roles in expressing issues, shaping identity, and fostering reconciliation.
Northern Ireland has long been recognised for its vibrant artistic traditions. Murals in Belfast and Derry are among the most striking examples of public art, reflecting both political division and aspirations for peace. The Bogside Artists' People's Gallery in Derry, created in 1994, consists of twelve murals that commemorate the experiences of local communities during The Troubles.
These works are not sectarian in tone but instead highlight themes of victimhood, activism, and resilience. Beyond murals, artisans in crafts such as linen weaving, pottery, and glasswork continue to preserve traditional skills, linking contemporary society with its industrial and cultural heritage.
Northern Ireland's civic life is enriched by organisations that promote culture, peace, and community development. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland supports creative expression across the region, while community-based associations such as Co-operation Ireland and the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action foster cross-community dialogue and social cohesion. Sporting organisations, particularly the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Football Association, also play significant roles in shaping identity and bringing people together, though they reflect different cultural traditions.
The most enduring issue in Northern Irish society has been the legacy of The Troubles, a conflict that spanned three decades and left deep scars. Murals, plaques, and gardens commemorate victims of violence, while larger memorials such as the Titanic Belfast museum symbolise shared heritage beyond political divides. The transformation of murals into heritage and tourist attractions after 1998 illustrates how memory has been managed to promote both economic development and reconciliation. Importantly, memorials are not only about the past; they also shape how communities envision their future.
Murals and memorials, once divisive, are increasingly reframed as part of a collective heritage. Artists and organisations provide platforms for dialogue, creativity, and healing.
Artists and artisans of all types, including cartoonists, illustrators, musicians, painters, and sculptors, are appropriate topics for this part of our guide, along with other people with broad significance. Northern Ireland organisations and associations, issues, and memorials may also be featured here.
Recommended Resources
Act Now is a people-powered campaigning community in Northern Ireland that helps residents organise campaigns, start petitions, and push for policy change on social and economic issues. The site offers tools and guidance to organise community action and gather support. Visitors can also add their voice to existing campaigns or launch a new petition, view campaign updates, reports, and press releases on local issues, or donate to the organisaiton to fund campaigning work.
https://www.actnowni.org/
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) is a liberal and centrist political party in Northern Ireland, and the third-largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Founded in 1970 from the New Ulster Movement, the party originally represented moderate and non-sectarian unionism. Over time, however, it moved towards neutrality on the Union. It came to represent wider liberal and non-sectarian concerns, being designated neither Unionist nor Irish nationalist.
https://www.allianceparty.org/
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Founded as a successor to the Committee for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts in 1984, the Arts Council is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. As the leading development agency for the arts, it is responsible for distributing Exchequer and National Lottery Funding for the arts in Northern Ireland. Funding information for individuals and organisations is provided on the website, along with job opportunities, resources, and contact details.
https://artscouncil-ni.org/
The Bardic Educational Arts & Media (BEAM) Creative Network is a Northern Ireland not-for-profit arts organisation that delivers bespoke regional and cross-border arts programmes, utilising drama, dance, visual art, creative writing, film, animation, and photography to engage people of all ages and abilities. Key activities include school and community programmes, diversity and good relations work, issue-based programmes, community events, film production, and animation.
https://beamcreativenetwork.com/
Boys & Girls Clubs was founded as an independent, voluntary association of six local organisations dedicated to bringing communities together and enriching the lives of children and young people. Today, it has evolved into a leading Regional Voluntary Youth Organisation (RVYO), a registered charity that supports 147 local youth organisations. Its memberships, benefits, core services, youth work, programmes, and governance are set forth, along with photos and videos.
https://boysandgirlsclubs.net/
Conservatives of Northern Ireland
The official website of the Northern Ireland Conservative Party offers an opportunity to subscribe to updates about the party, which describes itself as a centre-right alternative for people in, from, or otherwise interested in Northern Ireland. Some party news is displayed, and an interactive link is available for joining the party, renewing membership, making donations, or getting involved in upcoming issues or projects. Current party officers are identified.
https://www.niconservatives.com/
The DUP is a unionist, loyalist, British nationalist party, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. Founded during The Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party until 2008, it is currently the 2nd largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Described as socially conservative and right-wing, the DUP sees itself as defending Britishness and Ulster Protestant culture against Irish nationalism and republicanism. Its organisational structure and policies are featured.
https://mydup.com/
Diverse Youth Northern Ireland
DYNI is a social group comprising youths from diverse ethnic backgrounds, created to provide Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) youths with the opportunity to see and appreciate their environment and the world around them. The group organises social activities to help them improve their standard of living and to build and improve their socio-communicative orientation and responsiveness in a foreign environment. An introduction to DYNI and its activities is provided, along with contacts.
https://diverseyouthni.com/
Divided Society Northern Ireland
Divided Society is a digitised resource hosted by the Linen Hall Library that documents Northern Ireland's conflict and peace process, with material focused on the period 1990-1998, known as The Troubles. Included are over 500 journal titles, with hundreds of issues and thousands of articles, covering the conflict and peace process, along with hundreds of political posters, oral history audio clips, TV news clips, scholarly essays, and a searchable archive of full-text articles.
https://www.dividedsociety.org/
Headquartered in Belfast, the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland is the central governing body of the Orange Institution, a Protestant fraternal organisation that promotes the principles of the Protestant Reformation and commemorates the Glorious Revolution and William of Orange. Commonly referred to as the Orange Order, the Institution was founded in 1795 following sectarian violence in County Armagh, and it grew as a defence of Protestant civil and religious liberties.
https://www.goli.org.uk/
Its seven Local RSNs are community-led organisations that connect residents, service providers, volunteers, and funders to strengthen rural wellbeing, resilience, and access to services, activities that typically focus on reducing isolation, coordinating local resources, improving access to healthcare and social support, and building local capacity for emergencies and long-term sustainability. Its services and activities are outlined on its website, and contact details are provided.
http://localruralsupportnetworks.org
North of Ireland Family History Society
Created as a family history group in Bangor with about fifty members in 1979, additional branches were formed over the following years, ultimately leading to the ones that can be found on the Society's website. The benefits of membership, corporate memberships, and a private member area are outlined, along with a calendar of courses and events, an introduction to the research centre and other resources, including DNA information, an online shopping area, and contact details.
https://www.nifhs.org/
Northern Ireland Federation of Clubs, The
A not-for-profit membership body, the Northern Ireland Federation of Clubs represents private member, non-profit clubs across Northern Ireland and lobbies on legislation and regulation affecting the club sector. Its services include advocacy and lobbying, guidance and resources, and community engagement. Members include private members' clubs and non-profit organisations in Northern Ireland, and benefits include sector representation and access to model documents and procedures.
https://www.nifederationofclubs.com/
Headquartered in Belfast, NIF is an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes a shared future in Northern Ireland through community relations, civic leadership, and the exchange of international best practices. Its core areas are in community relations (building cohesion), conflict transformation (learning and sharing global best practice), and local community activism (civic leadership and community development). Its projects are outlined, and its leadership is introduced.
https://northernireland.foundation/
Northern Ireland Land Rover Club
NLRC was founded in 1996 by a group of Land Rover enthusiasts interested in using their vehicles as they were intended to be used, and to improve their standard of driving. A membership club for Land Rover and 4x4 owners, the Club runs legal off-road driving events across Northern Ireland, from beginner-friendly skills assessments to more challenging trials. Its website features an event calendar, membership sign-up and fees, club news, and contact details.
https://www.nilandroverclub.com/
Northern Ireland Road and Touring Motorcycle Club
An organised bike club in Northern Ireland, ratClubNI, has been hosting events for approximately twenty years, including annual trips to Scotland, monthly ride-outs, track days, and touring events. Open to members with all makes of bikes, its membership base is reported as over 160 members. Its website features membership information, event notices, ride routes, a photo gallery, videos, an introduction to its team, an informational blog, and contact details.
https://ratclubni.com/
Established by the Department of Education in 1979 to represent the views of young people to government and decision-makers in Northern Ireland, the NIYF is a regional, youth-led voluntary organisation. Its stated mission is to empower young people to make their voices heard, influence policy, and build skills through youth participation, campaigns, education, and peacebuilding programmes. Its key projects and campaigns are set forth, and contacts are provided.
https://niyf.org/
Numismatic Society of Ireland Northern Branch
The Northern Ireland-based branch of the island-wide Numismatic Society of Ireland was founded in 1963 to promote the study and collecting of coins, tokens, medals, and related objects. Regular meetings for members feature talks, displays, and show-and-tell sessions. They also run public lectures and livestreamed events, organise visits to museums and exhibitions, occasionally arrange trips to sites of numismatic interest, support young collectors, and promote Irish numismatics.
https://www.numsocirelandnb.com/
The Northern Ireland-based peace and non-violence organisation was founded in 1976 as a protest against violence in Northern Ireland. Its purpose is to campaign for reconciliation, human rights, and an end to political violence. Its current campaigns are featured on its website, along with relevant news highlights, open letters, endorsements of marches and fasts, policy statements, and appeals to world leaders. Its site features news, campaign pages, resources, and volunteer opportunities.
https://www.peacepeople.com/
Scouts NI is the regional branch of The Scout Association serving Northern Ireland, delivering the Scout programme to around 10,000 young people through local Scout groups, Explorer groups, and volunteer leaders. Ages and sections include Squirrel (where available), Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, and Network for older youth. Activities include camping, hiking, community service, earning badges, participating in Duke of Edinburgh opportunities, and training for adult volunteers.
https://www.scoutsni.org/
Active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party. The original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905, and its members established the revolutionary Irish Republic and its parliament, the First Dáil. Many of them were active in the Irish War of Independence, during which it was closely associated with the Irish Republican Army. Following the 1970 split, the modern Sinn Féin emerged.
https://sinnfein.ie/
Formed in 2012, Stronger Together is a network for people and organisations working on ethnic and racial equality in Northern Ireland. Representing Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) organisations, community and volunteer sectors, and public services, membership is available to individuals and organisations. Its website features membership information, a list of current consortium members, and contact details. Its website features information by category, council area, or by health trust.
https://www.strongertogetherni.org/
TUV is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. A founding precept of the party is that "nothing which is morally wrong can be politically right." The party was formed in 2007 by Jim Allister after he and others had resigned from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The TUV has consistently opposed the presence of Sinn Féin in the Northern Ireland government. It is currently the 3rd largest unionist party in Northern Ireland. Its website features speeches, documents, and press releases.
https://www.tuv.org.uk/
The UUP is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. Founded in 1905, it is the third-oldest political party in the United Kingdom, and the oldest on the island of Ireland. Initially known as the Ulster Unionist Council, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster, it was the governing party of Northern Ireland between 1921-1972, and supported by most unionist voters throughout the period known as The Troubles, during which it was often referred to as the Official Unionist Party.
https://www.uup.org/
YouthAction NI is a regional voluntary youth organisation based in College Square North, Belfast. The organisation supports young people through youth work, arts, wellbeing, leadership, and peace-building programmes. Its activities include leadership, activism, peacebuilding, wellbeing, creativity, youth arts, and life and work skills, which are outlined on its website. The organisation accepts donations and welcomes donations of money, time, products, or skills.
https://www.youthaction.org/
