Extramural Activity

Fare You Well – Your Suit Is Cold

2024-09-132024-10-07Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

According the Antrim & Newtownabbey Council press-release, the new statue of Queen Elizabeth (and two corgis) unveiled on September 6th next to last year’s statue of Prince Philip in Antrim Castle Gardens “captures Her Majesty in a dignified pose, reflecting her grace, steadfastness and lifelong service to public service”. Others are not so sure that it captures Elizabeth at all, including the A&N’s own councillor Vera McWilliam, who told the BBC that “it does not resemble the queen in any shape or form” (BBC); the controversy was reported on as far afield as Australia, India, and the US.

Both pieces were “sculptured” by Anto Brennan (NVTv profile), who also did the bust of Mary-Ann McCracken opposite Clifton House (seen in The World Affords No Enjoyment Equal To That Of Promoting The Happiness Of Others).

See also Artnet for this and other recent controversies over the paintings of UK royals.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Brigadier Billy Wright

2024-09-132024-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“In memory of Brigadier Billy Wright (King Rat). ‘Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.’ – John Ch15v13. Gone but not forgotten.” Wright became alienated from the UVF due to his opposition to the ceasefire and peace process (in 1994) and was finally kicked out in 1996 during the Drumcree dispute. The Portadown UVF under Wright formed the LVF [Loyalist Volunteer Force]; another LVF unit was formed in Ballycraigy, where this memorial can be found. (BBC | WP) Silhouetted graveside mourners have been added, compared to the 2009 image in the Peter Moloney collection.

Craighill, Ballycraigy, Antrim.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Garden Of Reflection

2024-09-062024-09-15Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This piece of street art is by emic (web) (with the “Friday Folk”, a social group for retired women (Volunteer Now)) in Killyleagh Street, Crossgar, County Down. It appears to show the transmogrification of driftwood and rock (in the left hand) into a bird (in the right hand). Get in touch if you can supply a reference or better interpretation.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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The Great Wall

2024-09-062024-09-11Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The distinctive turrets of Killyleagh Castle were added by Charles Lanyon in the mid 1800s, when the house – parts of which go back to the 1100s – was renovated (Castles World). There is no water around the grounds but Canoe NI has maps of trails in the Strangford Lough area that go past Killyleagh.

The art is by Pigment Space/MWAK (ig) in Church Hill, Killyleagh, on the side of the ‘Great Wall’ Chinese take-away.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Olympic Rings

2024-09-062025-07-16Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Ireland’s first-ever gymnastics gold medal was won at the recent (2024) summer Olympics by Rhys McClenaghan, competing on the pommel horse (Reuters | Irish Times). The new art celebrating his victory is by Cha Cha (ig) in Meetinghouse Lane, in his home town of Newtownards. McClenaghan was also featured in a 2021 wall-painting in Dublin (Dublin Gazette).

Previous Olympic medalists: Michael Conlan in west Belfast | Boxing Champions in Ardoyne.

Meetinghouse Lane, Newtownards, site of a 2021 paint jam.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Bravery Without Limit, Memory Without End

2024-09-032024-09-09Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“15th battalion Royal Irish Rifles (North Belfast Volunteers). To the memory and sacrifice of the North Belfast Volunteers who formed in this area, brave young men who gave their lives at the Somme and other battles to restore peace in Europe. ‘To them, bravery was without limit. To us, memory is without end.'” Five of the six portraits were included in the previous mural (see Many Did Not Return): (1) Rifleman Forrester, (2) Rifleman Baird, (4) Sergeant Major Magookin, (5) Rifleman Templeton, (6) 2nd Lt De La Harpur.

“Second Lieutenant Edmund De Lind. Awarded the VC for actions near Grugies, France 21st March 1918.”

De Wind was born in Comber but went to Canada in 1911. When the Great War began he joined the Canadian Army in Edmonton and fought at the Somme and Vimy Ridge. He joined the British Army and joined the RIR, the 15th battalion of which was originally drawn from the North Belfast Volunteers (War Time Memories). He died on March 18th, 1918, at St Quentin, near Grugies, in the Aisne. For his actions he was awarded the Victoria Cross; it is held in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa. (CEF | Royal Irish | Legion | Ulster History | WP)

As is seen in the final two images, De Wind is remembered on one of the pillars outside St Anne’s in Belfast city centre.

The stone in front pre-dates this mural, though more names have been added since it was seen in Ghosts Of The Somme. “Rathcoole Friends Of The Somme roll of honour. Past member – lest we forget.”

Inniscarn Drive, Newtownabbey. Launched July 22nd, 2024.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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If Necessary, We Must Shed Blood

2024-09-012024-09-14Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a selection of placards from the Village in south Belfast, many on the theme of the fight against Home Rule in 1912 and the creation of Northern Ireland in 1921.

The most interesting is perhaps the small placard sandwiched (in the image below) between the UVF territorial marking (see e.g. Welcome To The Village) and the “warning” to landlords (see Not A Dumping Ground). The quote form Salisbury – “Parliament has a right to govern the people of Ulster; it has no right to sell them into slavery” – comes from a speech made in 1892 (Launceston Examiner) and Spencer was addressing the Lords in 1893 when he said, “We feel like the Americans when the integrity of THEIR country was threatened, and, if necessary, we must shed blood to maintain the strength and salvation of THIS country” (Hansard). Both statements, that is, were made in connection with the second Home Rule bill (of 1893) rather than the third as the “1914” crest of the “South Belfast regiment” of the Ulster Volunteers would suggest.

Below is a reproduction of a stamp featuring Edward Carson, described in the Notre Dame collection. These stamps were sold as a fundraiser; they were not used for postage.

For the “brothers in arms” placard, see Ulster & Israel and below that, Stand Firm.

For the Craig placard, see What We Have We Hold. The final three were seen previously in The Red Hand And The Winning Hand.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Flying High

2024-09-012024-09-05Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are four species of bird flying in convoy through Belfast city centre. From left to right we see dunlin, lapwing, godwit (above), and Arctic tern (below). The art was painted by Annatomix (web), with support from Daisy Chain (web), as part of the “Great Expectations” project from the Linen Quarter Business Improvement District (web).

Great Victoria Street, Belfast, adjacent to Belfast Has The Reason.

The in-progress shots, below, are from October and November, 2023.

Windsor Park

2024-09-012024-09-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a gallery of the boards along the lane to the east of Windsor Park where Linfield and Northern Ireland play their soccer matches. Five describe “historical games” played by Northern Ireland at the ground (from 1958, 1975, 1981, 2005, and 2015) and five describe Linfield FC (the “7 trophy” teams of 1921 and 1961, ‘the blues in Europe’, a history of the club, the 2005-2006 season, and Captains).

To the left and right of these boards are the murals seen in Football For All.

A Bigger Picture

2024-09-012025-01-22Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“‘Creativity, like society, thrives when the individual elements fit within a bigger picture’ – Ernest Hemingway”

There’s no record of this statement being written or uttered by Hemingway. Instead, it appears to come from Will Gompertz’s 2015 book Think Like An Artist (wikiquote gives “Creativity, like society, thrives when the individual elements fit within, and add to, a bigger picture.”).

Hope Street, Belfast city centre, on the side of the Ginger Bisto on Great Victoria Street.

Paddy Duffy Collection

Murals From Belfast (And Round-About)

Author: Extramural Activity