This is the scene at the Corcrain-Redmanville bonfire (Fb) site, along Drumilly Green, where the hut has been moved to the south side of the Green, to join the Union Flag and Ulster Banner.
The 2025 bonfire topped 100 feet in height (News Letter); collecting for the 2026 pyre has yet to begin.
Westland Road, Portadown
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“The loyalist community will protect its residents and homes from: thieves, paedophiles, unwanted graffiti & domestic abusers.” The list of crimes makes no reference to denomination or ethnicity, but “loyalist” and the combined Union Flag and Ulster Banner suggest that the threat comes from those who identify insufficiently with the UK.
Possible background: BBC | LCR (Fb) | BBC
Corcrain Drive, Portadown
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Gymnast Rhys McClenaghan is a European, World, and Olympic champion, competing in the pommel horse. He has been awarded both the BEM and the MBE, as well as receiving the freedom of the borough of Ards And North Down (News Letter) – McClenaghan hails from Newtownards.
This new mural, by Jossie Pops (web), is in South Street.
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Smile … you’re on CCTV. A “peace line” or “war wall” divides the CNR Newington and PUL Tiger’s Bay along the top of Hallidays Road, and ends with an abandoned building at the junction with the Limestone Road. In 2002, in response to persistent rioting, rather than closing off the road, five cameras were installed on the Limestone Road at the point where the two areas meet (BBC | Community Relations pdf). Once installed, the range and power of the cameras were pre-emptively demonstrated to local youths (Guardian).
According to Forss 2018 (p. 53), the concrete bases were painted by a local youth-group (pdf) circa 2015. These jaunty images, and the mural in the background of the fifth image (When Young People Are United), attempt to present a different vision of the interface to young children going to Currie Primary and the Sunshine play-group.
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This Cullyback art is a “Shared Island” (gov.ie) project, created as a collaboration between Waterford City & County Council and Mid- & East-Antrim Borough Council. It shows, from left to right, children playing soccer in front of Buick Memorial school, the Cullybackey Pipe Band (Fb), the Railway Sleeper (Discover NI), wildlife at the Cullybackey Bridge (geograph), and Maine works.
Paint by Claire Prouvost (web), 2025-10, with support from The Walls Project (Fb) and Cullybackey Community Partnership (Fb).
Main Street, Cullybackey, between the Maine business centre and Boots.
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This Ballymoney mural celebrates and commemorates members of the Dunlop family of motorcycle racers. From left to right we see brothers Joey and Robert and then Robert’s sons William and Michael. Joey died in a race in Estonia in 2000; Robert died in 2008 of injuries sustained in a practice session for the North West 200; William died in 2018 in a crash during practice for the Skerries 100. Michael is still alive and currently aged 36; he was Irish Motorcyclist Of The Year in 2025 (BelTel).
This mural was painted by Oliver McParland (web) in Castlecroft Square, Ballymoney.
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These two panels were created by Ross Wilson (web) along with children from four local Ballymoney schools (BBC | NI World). They portray two famous poets from Northern Ireland, Seamus Heaney and John Hewitt and include a line from a work of each:
Seamus Heaney’s “Believe that a further shore is reachable from here”, comes from The Cure At Troy (youtube).
The quotation from John Hewitt is the first line of the poem I Write For: “I write for my own kind, I do not pitch my voice that every phrase be heard by those who have no choice.”
Castlecroft Square, Ballymoney
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On the anniversary of David Ervine’s death, January 8th, a new board was launched in his memory, with images of Ervine “yearning for peace” in the cages of Long Kesh, where he met Gusty Spence (the pair can be seen together in the middle of the first column of photographs).
After his release, Ervine turned to politics, running unsuccessfully as a PUP candidate for Pottinger in the Belfast City Council elections of 1985 (WP); he would eventually be successful in 1997. In 1998 he was returned by Belfast East in the Assembly election (ARK). He helped bring about the loyalist ceasefire in 1994 – which was read aloud by Spence (youtube) – and was pro-Agreement in 1998 (DIB | Guardian | Slugger).
The information about the Memory Chair sculpture makes mention of Ervine’s boots but it seems they have not survived the mothballing of the sculpture which was last seen on site – boots included – in 2014.
Montrose Street South, replacing the various pieces seen in late 2024’s Today, Everyday, And Always.
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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
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“Kennedy Kane McArthur, Olympic hero, Stockholm 1912, gold medal marathon winner. Dervock born and bred.”
Ken McArthur emigrated from Dervock to Johannesburg, South Africa, at age 20 and ran his first marathon at 28. Four years later, he represented South Africa at the Olympics and was victorious in the marathon (WP). There is footage of the race at olympics.com.
“Portrait paintings by pupils of the William Pinkerton Memorial primary school, Dervock. Homage to Kennedy Kane McArthur, 1881 – 1960, Local hero and Olympian. Dervock born and bred.”
Castlecat Road, Dervock
The large medallion is in the visitor centre in Townsend Street, Ballymoney. It reads, “To commemorate the victory of Kennedy K. McArthur in the marathon race at the Olympic Games in Stockholm 1912. This memorial of strength and virtue is dedicated by the people of his native district.”
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