The Falls Where the Troubles Began Exhibition

The Falls Where the Troubles Began is an exhibition curated by the Falls Community Council, running at St Comgall's - Ionad Eileen Howell on Divis Street in Belfast. It's open through 2026, so there's plenty of time to fit it in.

Rather than trying to cover the whole history of the Troubles, the exhibition focuses on a specific window: the outbreak of conflict on the streets around the old St Comgall's school between August 1969 and July 1970. It's a look at a small, historic, largely Catholic community living in the area known as The Falls, and the events that upended it in those few months. The display draws on local eye-witness testimony and oral history, so it's built from the people who were actually there.

There are a few specific moments it holds up. August 1969, when loyalists set fire to homes and businesses in the area, and the RUC opened fire towards the school and the Divis Flats complex. Then July 1970, when thousands of British soldiers, backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters, stormed the neighbourhood and placed residents under a strict military curfew. It also cites the Scarman Tribunal's report, which estimated that at least 3,500 families were displaced during the August 1969 riots.

The exhibition was made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund and has won a Best of the West Tourism Award. You'll find it at St Comgall's - Ionad Eileen Howell, Divis Street, Belfast BT12 4AQ, and it's open until the end of 2026.