Free Belfast, 1970
© Germund Sjövall
An independent, community-based initiative · BelfastMuseum of the
Museum of the
Troubles and Peace.
A major museum for Belfast city centre — accommodating multiple perspectives on the Troubles and the Irish Peace Process, and providing a safe, shared space to reflect on the years of violence and the work of reconciliation.
Photograph © Thomas McMullan · belfastmedia.com
The initiative
An independent, community-based initiative for a major museum in Belfast city centre.
The Museum of the Troubles and Peace (MOTAP) is an independent, community-based initiative. It aims to establish a major museum in Belfast city centre that accommodates multiple perspectives and reflects a diverse range of viewpoints on the Troubles and the Peace Process.
By utilizing leading-edge technology and modern museum design, MOTAP will present Northern Ireland's troubled history on a scale that does justice to its global significance. Crucially, it will provide a safe, shared space to discuss the experiences lived through during the years of violence.
A people's history
"There is no single narrative of the Troubles. There are just so many different experiences — the good, the bad, the ugly. Each family, each neighbourhood, has its own story to tell. We would like you to capture some of these stories before they are lost to the younger generation."
MOTAP — an introduction.
A short film introducing the Museum of the Troubles and Peace and the work behind it.
What the museum will carry.
Multiple perspectives
A museum that accommodates plural viewpoints on the Troubles and the Peace Process — giving voice to different communities and marginalised experiences rather than a single authorised narrative.
A safe shared space
A civic, cross-community space in Belfast city centre where the experiences lived through during the years of violence can be discussed openly, honestly and with care.
Leading-edge museum design
Modern museum design and immersive technology bringing Northern Ireland's troubled history to a scale that does justice to its global significance.
A European symbol
Northern Ireland: a European symbol of peace, reconciliation and tolerance.
Northern Ireland is a unique region that is simultaneously British, Irish, and European. Forged through a long history of political and social division, yet home to just two million people, it holds immense potential to become a global symbol of reconciliation and shared futures.
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement remains a beacon of hope for regions worldwide seeking to emerge from violent conflict.
A gift to the archive
The Germund Sjövall Gallery
Swedish photographer Germund Sjövall travelled through Belfast in the early 1970s, documenting both political rupture and ordinary life. His generous donation of these photographs is one of the founding gifts to the Museum of the Troubles and Peace.
Street girl, Belfast
© Germund Sjövall
Children in the street
© Germund Sjövall
Barbed wire
© Germund Sjövall
In collaboration with
Built with the institutions standing behind the work.
Support the museum.
MOTAP is carried forward by the individuals and organisations who stand alongside it. Add your name as a Friend of MOTAP and help build a shared civic space for the Troubles and the Peace Process.
Become a Friend of MOTAP