The rocks in Westwinds estate have been repainted. The poppy in the foreground was previously a YCV emblem (as seen in 2018). In the distance, Scrabo Tower overlooks the estate.
Blenheim Drive, Westwinds, Newtownards
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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New portraits of the twelve dead Troubles-era hunger strikers (including Frank Stagg and Michael Gaughan) have been mounted next to the Falls Road Memorial Garden, with a quote from Bobby Sands’s ‘H-Block Trilogy’ on the cross-bar: “There is no source or foreign force/Can break one man who knows,/That his free will no thing can kill/And from that freedom grows.”
See also the previous (black-and-white) version.
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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The full Belfast City Council last week overturned a committee decision to place dual-language (English and Irish) street-signs only on the CNR parts of long roads that pass through both CNR and PUL areas (Belfast Live). A TUV councillor at the meeting promised that any new signs would be “cut down” (BelTel) but the motion was carried by 31 votes to 25.
Currently at issue are Donegall Park Avenue, Oldpark Road, and Skegoneill Road. Donegall Park Avenue reaches a PUL area of the Shore Road at its eastern end, the site of the recent bonfire and anti-immigrant banners. In protest at the plan, and to make the identity of the area clear, the current street-sign at the junction has been papered over with “Loyalist Donegall Park Avenue”.
The policy statement on street-signs can be found at the Council’s web site (pdf).
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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That is, king or queen “by the grace of God” or divine right. The first UK monarch to use the phrase was Henry V in the early 1400s and it has been used as a royal motto since then, up to and including the present-day monarchs shown on this board in the Caw, Londonderry.
On the left, the past – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; in the centre, the present – His Majesty King Charles III; on the right, the future – William Prince Of Wales, Baron Of [sic] Carrickfergus.
The Welsh dragon is included alongside the three flags/crests that make up the Union Flag – St George’s Cross for England, St Andrew’s Saltire for Scotland, and St Patrick’s Saltire for Ireland.
For the same trio in Newtownabbey, see Past, Present, Future.
Replaces the William MacFadzean board in Kinsale Park, Caw, Londonderry.
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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The association of lions with the English monarchy goes back to Henry II and his sons Richard (“the lionheart”) and John (WP). Why they were represented by lions is unclear; it perhaps stems from the prominence of lions in the Bible and the Lion Of Judah from Genesis 49:9.
These lions, somehow carrying Union Flags, are in Lord Street at Lord Street Mews, east Belfast
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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“From Queens Park to the house of Windsor: thank you for your devoted service.” This entry updates 2022’s The Longest Reign, which celebrated Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee. Although Elizabeth became queen in February 1952, most of the celebrations took place around the bank holiday Elizabeth in early June. Elizabeth died in September of the same year, and the board (after the interim “Booked“) has now been changed into a memorial.
Queen’s Avenue, Glengormley, Newtownabbey
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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The UVF boards at the junction of London and My Lady’s roads in east Belfast have been completely replaced (compared to 2022). The hooded gunmen on the short side have been replaced by “Joy, peace, love” while a tribute to David Ervine now replaces the lettering reading “East Belfast Ulster Volunteer Force”. Ervine was a UVF member from 1972 to 1980 before turning to a career in politics. “He asked the question “why can’t I be an Irish citizen of the UK?” … “An architect of peace. An inspiration to us all.” Always remembered by his family, comrades, colleagues and friends.”
Next to Ervine is a UVF roll of honour in which Roy Walker joins Robert Bennett, James Cordner, Joseph Long, and Robert Seymour, who were previously portrayed (Ulster’s Brave). Walker was killed in a feud with the UDA in 1976. And around the corner the UVF emblem has been replaced by a board to the Ulster Volunteer Force Regimental Band, containing a controversial photograph of the band marching past the site of the 1992 Sean Graham bookies massacre (Crime World). Update: the photograph has been replaced – see the parallel entry in the Seosamh Mac Coılle Collection.
The largest panel remains a tribute to the dead of WWI, for which see again the parallel entry in the Seosamh Mac Coılle Collection.
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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“The Lisbellaw community celebrates the coronation of his majesty King Charles III. God save the King.” Charles’s coronation was on May 6th, 2023, eight months after acceding to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He turns 78 this year (2026).
This is a large printed board in the Brook Street, Lisbellaw, below the A4.
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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“Harmin celebrates 100 years of Northern Ireland”. Placard in Harmin Park, Glengormley, Newtownabbey
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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“Our village may be small when you see it on a map but it has influenced history across the world. This is the story of two people who are proudly linked to Dervock – a President and a famous international diplomat.”
The President is “William McKinley (1843-1901) 25th President of the United States … from 1897-1901. McKinley was immensely proud of his North Antrim ancestry. His great-great-grandfather, James, left his home place in the townland of Conagher, near Dervock in 1743 and sailed for American. James eventually settled in Niles, Ohio, where the future President was born on 29 January 1843. … “That’s all a man can hope for during his lifetime – to set an example – and when he is dead, to be an inspiration for history.””
There is an extensive memorial to McKinley in Riverside Park – see From Scotland, To Ulster, To America. There is a currently a motion before Causeway council to rename Riverside Park in honour of McKinley (Love Ballymena). A quote from McKinley appears in a mural in Ballymoney.
The second figure is “George, Earl Macartney (1737-1806) Eighteenth century diplomat. Over 250 years ago, George Macartney was the landlord of Dervock and the surrounding district. He was born at Lissanoure Castle, his family estate near Loughguile, Co. Antrim, on 14 May 1737. … His most famous role was leading the First Embassy to China (1792-1794) …”
Castlecat Road, Dervock
See also: the Visual History page on Ulster-Scots murals.
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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Paddy Duffy Collection 