Loyalist murals are becoming less threatening, a leading academic claimed today.
Old-style paintings depicting hooded gunmen and paramilitary imagery are giving way to historical themes such as World War I scenes and images of Ulster Scots culture, Professor Bill Rolston found.
The University of Ulster academic claimed loyalist paramilitaries were cleaning up their act in response to coming under pressure.
"Republican murals responded to the ceasefires in a number of ways, dropping paramilitary references except in memorial murals, and frequently commenting on the progress - or the lack of it - in the peace process," he said.
"They have also continued to represent themes that were their hallmark since the 1980s, electoral campaigns, opposition to state repression, Irish history and mythology, and references to political struggles against colonialism and repression elsewhere in the world.
"Loyalist murals, on the contrary, became for some years increasingly dominated by paramilitary imagery and made few direct comments on political events and issues."
However, Prof Rolston said loyalist murals had changed in recent years.
"For all that they are threatening, the loyalist murals also speak of a deep inferiority complex, a defensiveness and a fear that the writing is literally on the wall for loyalists," he said.
"There are many deep problems facing them. "The Ulster Scots murals are a breath of fresh air, but only time will tell if they will ever seriously challenge, never mind replace, paramilitary murals."
Prof Rolston also noted that seven out of 14 murals in the Lower Shankill in west Belfast have been painted out recently.
Some of these disappeared following the recent loyalist feud which led to the dissolution of Johnny Adair's `C' Company, while others went amid pressure on loyalists to clean up their act, he said.
Prof Rolston found republican murals very different to loyalist paintings.
"Paramilitary imagery was never as dominant as in the loyalist murals, but it disappeared, practically overnight, with the ceasefire," he said.
"With the exception of memorials to dead IRA personnel and some historical themes, the guns are absent from republican murals and are unlikely to reappear."
PA