painted wall

Loyalist Westwinds

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of images from Westwinds estate in Newtownards, featuring (East Belfast) UVF murals and memorial gardens.

The newest one shows Carson signing the 1912 Covenant beneath a UVF emblem reading “Armed and ready”.

The one with some damage reads, “Our only crime was to serve you, the community and protect ‘our country’. Now times have changed. As a force, our belief is not only ‘for God and Ulster’ but to you, the community, ‘help us to help you’.”

The central stone in the memorial garden is dedicated to “all our fallen comrades both in the Battle Of The Somme and fight against republicanism”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Peter Moloney
M10715 M10736
M10716 [M10717] [M10718] [M10719]
M10720 [M10721] [M10722] [M10723] [M10724] [M10725]
M10726 [M10727] [M10728]
M10729 [M10730] [M10731] [M10732] [M10733] [M10734] [M10735]

Bogside

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The eastern side of what was the island of Derry is called the Water side and the western side, although originally under water, became the Bog side in about 1600. The mural shown here, by RAZER (ig), is on the back of the shops adjacent to the Bogside Inn. There is an excellent history of the area from 1162 to the construction of Rossville flats in 1966 at the Museum Of Free Derry.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Peter Moloney
M10666

The Sagart

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A tribute to Father Alec Reid, who died on November 22nd, 2013, and buried on the 27th, has been added to the international wall on Divis Street. Reid was a priest in the nearby Clonard monastery and helped negotiate between Sinn Féin and the SDLP and between nationalists and the government of the Republic. He is perhaps best known for attempting to save Corporals Wood and Howe and administering the last rites to them, in 1988 (WP).

This piece takes the place of a ‘Free Marian Price” mural on the International Wall (Divis St); Price was freed on May 30th, 2013.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Peter Moloney
M10656

Tim Collins

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The information board, second above, shows a gunman (and a piece of fencing) that have been replaced by a pair of small pieces, one on the wall, one on boards (painted by John Stewart) to Colonel Timothy Thomas Cyril “Tim” Collins, OBE, whose speech to troops on the eve of the Iraq invasion in 2003 is reproduced in part on the right: “There are some who are alive at this moment who will not be alive shortly. Those who do not wish to go on that journey, we will not send. As for the others, I expect you to rock their world. But if you are ferocious in battle, remember to be magnanimous in victory.” (More at WP.) The memorial garden and all of the other UDA panels remain, however – see UFF 4th Battalion.

Two other pieces in “phase 1” of “Communities Moving Forward Re-Imaging Programme” are Boxing Through The Ages and Past/Future (Lendrick St).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10644 [M10645] M10646 [M10647] [M10648] M10643

Years Of Sacrifice

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This mural was originally intended to have two hooded gunmen firing a funeral volley (see X01436 for the draft), but because of protest by locals (see, e.g. NewsLetter) this was changed to two unmasked men, one of whom is clearly of the WWI era. Most of the mural refers to the modern UVF: the Nissen huts and towers are from Long Kesh, UVF members Robert Seymour, James Cordner, Joe Long, and Robert Bennett are listed on the left-hand side.

Carlingford Street, east Belfast. The “UVF 1st batt B. coy” graffiti is in Omeath Street.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10635 [M10636] [M10637] [M10638] [M10639] [M10640]
M10641

East Belfast Volunteers

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a repainted version of the mural of ‘insignia’ of units of the eighth battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles. This new mural includes a background of silhouetted soldiers and additional poppies on the right of the main gable and along the bottom of the side wall; the units included remain the same as before.

The plaques on the side wall have changed slightly: the information plaque remains from before but the plaque of VC winners now includes photographs, and the words of Moina Michael’s ‘We Shall Keep The Faith’ are now included in addition to McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’.

Canada Street, east Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10633 [M10634] [M10626] M10627 M10628 [M10629] M10630

The Untold Story

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a repainted version of the Canada Street mural about Protestant refugees to Liverpool in 1971. The text on the right of the previous version began “In August 1971 many Protestants fled their homes as the IRA launched a bitter sectarian attack on Protestant communities throughout Belfast” but now does not mention the IRA.

To the mural has been added a laminated letter of thanks to Elsie (Allen) Doyle, one of the organisers in Liverpool

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10631 [M10616] [M10617] [M10618] [M10619] [M10620] [M10621] M10622 [M10623] [M10624] [M10625] [M10632]
in august 1971 many protestants fled their homes as the scale of violence erupted throughout belfast the loyal people of liverpool held out the hand of friendship in our hour of need up to 2000 terrified women and children escaped from burning homes to live in the safety of liverpool that act of friendship by the people of liverpool will never be forgotten a bond never broken no surrender telegraph the big flight of fear is on refugee problem is still growing number of homeless running into several thousand moving out of riot areas echo city gets ready northern ireland steamship ulster queen princes dock just after 6.30 am tired and strained hastily packed suitcases told of there anguish elsie allen doyle the debt of gratitude owed to this lady cannot be measured sitting in liverpool she seen the plight of the protestant families having to flee their home some of them burning as a member of lily of north ladies l.o.l. 79 she decided something had to be done her husband & father-in-law traveled to belfast in august 1971 what she saw motivated her to think that people could come and stay these needed a break away from mayhem that was going on in the name of the republican cause started to make plans and phoned friends including the orange order the hand of friendship was being extended across the irish sea they would not be found wanting took over 900 no mean feat seen they were all housed and cared for god bless you grandchildren loyalist stretched out to us

Lockout Centenary

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“There can be no dignity in labour, till labour knows no master.” The statue of Jim Larkin in Donegall Street Place has been augmented with a massive mural celebrating the many unions which have membership in Ireland. 2013 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Dublin lock-out, which ran from August 1913 to January 1914. The three female figures in the border to the right of Larkin are Winifred Carney, Inez McCormack, and ?Betty Sinclair?.

For the statue without the mural, see James Larkin.

Donegall Street Place, Belfast city centre.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10611c M10512 [M10513] [M10514] [M10515]

Peace Bridge

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

In this Caw mural the Peace Bridge is shown spanning the Foyle between (the former) Ebrington barracks and the Guildhall, with a film-strip of images, many depicting naval and military scenes, above and below. Second from left in the upper ribbon, a poster encourages people to “Join the Wrens [and free a man for the fleet]” (the Women’s Royal Naval Service; see the poster at IWM); there are also soldiers playing ping-pong in their barracks, and the ship’s bell of the HMS Londonderry (which served as a training ship during the Falkland War — WP).

Sperrin Park, Caw, Londonderry

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10541 [M10541a]