Militant wall paintings in loyalist and republican communities in Northern Ireland are increasingly being replaced by more peaceful illustrations of less contentious images.

Balaclava-clad gun men from paramilitary groups on both sides of the sectarian divide had been the main feature on the murals which have been among the most colourful products of the Troubles.

While the peace process is still making faltering progress, political themes and propaganda still dominate the gable-end paintings.

However, trends are beginning to change towards addressing questions of identity and cultural issues, arguably less contentious than the more overtly militant murals.

According to Dr Neil Jarman, a Belfast community worker who has studied murals for many years, recent images highlighting the Ulster Scots culture indicate a move away from the images associated with terrorism.

"They attempt to broaden out the notion of what it means to be a Protestant, what it means to have a Protestant identity in contemporary Northern Ireland."

In the past, the murals in either community would have been accused of generating a chill factor in the other.

One Shankhill Road resident welcomed the latest trend-shift.

Referring to an Ulster Scots mural, Martin McCready said: "I don't think it can be offensive to any religion and it doesn't depict any crime."

Republican muralists are still focused on using the walls as a front page to trumpet concerns of the community.

Danny Devenney has been painting wall murals for many years and he admitted that many have been prompted by politicians who want to highlight a particular issue.

"People in Sinn Fein have suggested ideas and issues to me which I've gone out and done," he said.

In Londonderry's Bogside, the scene of some of the most violent confrontations of the Troubles, the murals have been described as an "open-air art gallery".

Local residents and tourists alike see the murals as a way of depicting scenes from local history, such as Bloody Sunday when British paratroopers opened fire on a civil rights march, killing or mortally wounding 14 protesters,

In Belfast, one group based on the Falls Road launched a map aimed at telling tourists where various murals were located.

It is likely that whatever the outcome to the peace process, murals and their messages will feature on Northern Ireland's landscape for many years to come.