McMaster and Lendrick streets – part of a conservation site of Victorian terraced houses (Dept For Communities) – were the epicentre of last week’s anti-immigration riots, with cars and houses in the street set ablaze and families evacuated to safety by the security forces (BBC video).
Also in the street: An Act Of Betrayal (about the Sea Border) and (before that, c. 2010) Young Newtown UDA.
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“To the memory of the loyal 36th”. The emblem of the 36th (Ulster) Division – shown in close-up above – is a modern one, perhaps from the 2000s. The 36th’s emblem in WWI was a simple red (left) hand, while this one involves a crest combining a Union Flag, Maid Of Erin harp (emblem of the Royal Irish Rifles), and a red (right) hand on a field of nine shamrocks, below a crown and flanked with UVF flags. These are flags of the modern UVF; according to Sam’s Flags, the flags of the Ulster Volunteers (1913-1914) looked like regimental flags.
Grange Drive, Ballyclare, replacing We Band Of Brothers
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“Lest we forget.” JP Beadle’s painting “Battle Of The Somme: Attack Of The Ulster Division” shows soldiers of the 36th Division bravely going to their death on July 1st, 1916. The original painting hangs in Belfast City Hall (militaryprints.com). In the board shown here, a foreground of poppies has been added, along with the Ulster Tower in Thiepval, France, on the right.
Grange Drive, Ballyclare
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A “living mural” on and around the wall around the Ark Housing (web) in Millisle, Co Down, was announced in the summer of 2025 (Newtownards Chronicle), with art by Blaze FX (ig) to be complemented by planters. By March, 2026, only background colours and various line-drawings of wildlife had been completed – see the images towards the bottom of the page – but now the whole the colours and details have been added.
With support from the Millisle And District Community Association (Fb) and Ulster Wildlife (Fb).
Ballymacruise Drive, Millisle
March 20th, 2026:
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“Come for the music … stay for the craic.” Alana McDowell (ig) and Ana Fish (web) have been working in the city centre, converting the permanently closed (since 2012) shutters of JJB Sports, as well as the shutters of Jean Millar Bridal, into a tribute to Belfast’s music scene – see the ‘Music Matters’ plan in the entry on the UNESCO City Of Music mural – and the upcoming Fleadh Cheoıl from August 2nd to 9th (web).
Royal Avenue, replacing a number of pieces by Leo Boyd. The in-progress shots are from June 16th.
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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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“1st south Belfast LSC [Fb] remembers. Lest we forget.” “To the glory of God and in honourable memory of the former players from Linfield Football Club who laid down the glory of their youth upon the altar of freedom during the Great War of 1914 – 1918.
The main part of this new board in the Village shows the Linfield memorial at Bertrancourt, France. The memorial was unveiled in 2022 (BBC). The BBC article explains the reference to “Rifleman Walker” in the poem by Johnny Jamison at the centre of the memorial: Walker had been a Linfield player before joining the Royal Irish Rifles and dying on May 6th, 1916. Jamison recites his poem in this Fb video. In the background is the familiar Ulster Tower.
Broadway, the Village, south Belfast. For the small boards above, see Village Team On Tour and I Would Rather Be An Ulsterman.
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A memorial service was held at the Times Bar on Friday (June 5th) (News Letter) to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the attack on the Times Bar in 1976, in which Edward McMurray and Robert Groves were killed by a republican bomb. (An image of the bombed bar can be found on Xitter.)
Three plaques were added to the memorial garden where the service took place, to William Haddock, James Smyth, and William Flynn. (Compare to 2019.)
As the images from May 10th, below, show, a painted mural was originally planned for the spot.
May 10th:
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The colours of the third (Carrickfergus) battalion of the Central Antrim regiment of the Ulster Volunteers can be seen at Sam’s Flags. They are very similar to the piece shown above, except for the addition of the emblem in the top right corner (close-up immediately below) which shows the Ulster Volunteers drilling with a machine-gun mounted in a car, preparing to resist Home Rule – see this 1988 mural and the photograph in this History Ireland article. (See also UVF Motor Car Corps.) In the Royal Irish Rifles of WWI, however, Central Antrim became the 12th battalion (War Time Memories Project).
Next to the Central Antrim flag is a board marking the “110th anniversary of the Battle Of The Somme 1 July 1916 – 1 July 2026. Honouring their courage, remembering their sacrifice. Lest we forget.”
Hawthorn Avenue/Sandes Court, Sunnylands, Carrickfergus, replacing Remembering Our Fallen.
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“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less!” In Through The Looking Glass, Humpty Dumpty explains that un-birthday presents are better than birthday presents because there are 364 days in a year to receive them. “There’s glory for you”, he says, by which he means “a knock-down argument”, as he is a master of words, even prideful verbs (archive.org).
This is a new mural by DMC with children from Sunnylands Nursery School and support from the Communities In Transition project. The characters portrayed are (from left to right) the Red Queen, the White Rabbit, the Hatter, the Caterpillar, Humpty Dumpty, Alice, the Cheshire Cat.
Sunningdale Crescent, Sunnylands, Carrickfergus
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Paddy Duffy Collection 