The Shankill Road (from Irish Seanchill, meaning "old church") is one of the main roads leading through west Belfast, Northern Ireland. It runs through the predominantly loyalist working-class area known as the Shankill. The road stretches westwards for about 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from central Belfast and is lined, to an extent, by shops. The residents live in the many streets which branch off the main road.