PUL

Collecting Signatures

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Tourists from various countries – shown above are Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, German, the United States – can now sign the Cupar Way war-wall in a specially-designated panel for their country; guests from other nations will have to continue defacing the wall wherever they can find a spot, whether or not it is covered in art.

The panels extend to the right of image and replace Only A Fool Would Fight, which already has various place-names of divided areas above it – Israel/Palestine, Shankill/Falls, Nicosia, Baghdad, Berlin.

For background, see the wall’s Visual History page.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07205

Join Your Local Band

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are three from Mersey Street, east Belfast.

Above, a recruitment tarp for the Blues And Royals flute band (Fb).

Below, (and on the wall above the flute band’s tarp) a NI Centenary board using the St Patrick’s saltire in the background. The saltire is an Anglo symbol of Ireland and was included in the Union Flag when the union was between Britain and Ireland and thus – like the word “Ulster” – has been reduced to signifying Northern Ireland after partition.

Last, street-art on the bridge over Conn’s Water.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07291 T07293 T07292

Jim McCabe

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Jim McCabe, “life-long campaigner for truth and justice” after his wife Norah was killed by a plastic bullet in 1981, returns to the “International Wall” (Visual History) on Divis Street. The original mural – from a few months after his death in January 2023 – was replaced by A Window To A Free Country, one of the Palestinian-inspired murals. This new version replaces The Land Is Ours.

“In memory of all the innocent victims murdered and seriously injured by British Crown forces.”

The image above is from August 2nd; the images below are from July.

July 13th:

July 9th:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07280
T07223 T07222 T07221
T07215 [T07214] T07213 T07212 [T07211] [T07210] [T07209]

Roden Street Through The Years

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Roden Street was divided in two when the Westlink was built along the path of the Blackstaff to join the M1 at Broadway with the Grosvenor Road. (This portion of the Westlink opened in 1981; a Klaus Fröhlich photograph of a blocked-off Roden Street on the CNR side, looking towards Divis, is included at the end of the post.) The vintage mural in the top left of the first board (above) was in Clifford Street and is now on the Grosvenor Road (CNR) side of the motorway. (The mural can be seen in Visual History 01.)

From the second board, the “RSD” (Roden Street Defenders [private Fb]) red hand was in Iverna Street, and the King Billy was in Rockland Street.

In the fourth board, the red fist in the top right (which famously had five fingers and two thumbs) was in Roosevelt Street, which is the location of these boards. Immediately below it is the A Battalion mural at the south (Donegall Road) end of Roden Street.

Copyright 1981 Klaus Fröhlich. Used by permission

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07270 T07271 T07272 T07273 T07274

Your Culture Needs You

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of small boards on flower boxes in “the Village Green community park of remembrance”:
“The Protestant faith we will maintain. Your culture needs you. Join your local band, Orange lodge, Apprentice Boys, Royal Black historical group”, with Kitchener pointing at the viewer;
“Deserted – Well, I can stand alone!“;
“Ulster Day, 28th September, 1912“;
“No Home Rule. Let our flag run out straight in the wind. The old red shall be floated again. When the ranks that are thinned shall be thinned. When the names that are twenty are ten“;
– Edward Carson and the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1913;
– All nine counties of Ulster are “Hands up!” “against Home Rule”.

The Village, south Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07263 T07264 T07265 T07266 T07267 T07268 T07269

Let Your Light Shine

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“How cool is it that the same God that created oceans and mountains and galaxies looked at you and thought the world needed one you too”, “Be the light”, “God is love”, “Let your light shine”.

Uplifting religious messages in Sixmilewater Park, below Main Street, Ballyclare.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07248 T07249 T07250 T07251 T07252 T07253

Ballyclare Remembers

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Modern UVF volunteers in balaclavas stand with heads bowed on either side of the Ulster Tower in Thiepval, standing among orange lilies and red poppies.

On the left the 10th Scottish Rifles (AWM) commence a raid, below the emblem of the Ulster Volunteer Force, and on the right, the Royal Fusiliers appear to march off to war in a press photograph (Flickr), below the emblem of the 36th (Ulster) Division.

In Grange Drive, Ballyclare, on the same as wall, and using part of the frame from, a previous UDA board: Young Guns.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07241 T07242

VE Day 80

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The memorial wall in Erskine Park, Ballyclare, marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day – May 8th, 2025 – with a pair of printed boards wrapping around the corner of the low wall.

For views of the gable and the low wall with armed-forces emblems and plaques to Girvan and Erskine, see The Men From Ballyclare.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07243 T07244 T07247

Ballysillan UVF

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Six memorial plaques to members of the UVF’s 1st battalion (West Belfast), D company (Ballysillan) have been re-instated and two new one added alongside the 100 Years Of Conflict boards at Carr’s Glen. The plaques to Bingham, Phillips, McEvoy, the “officers and volunteers”, Stewart, and Taylor were on the old UVF mural on this wall (see the Peter Moloney Collection); the two new ones are to Kenny Howie and to Scottish supporters.

Left:
“Lt Col John Dowey Bingham killed by the enemies of Ulster 14th September 1986. Remembered by officers and members of the 1st Batt D Coy Ballysillan. Lest we forget” [(WP)]
“In memory of Major Patrick McEvoy. Lest we forget”
“In memory of Kenny Howie 21.4.1977 – 8.4.2013. Lest we forget”
“In proud memory of the officers and volunteers of D Company 1st Battalion Ulster Volunteer Force. For God and Ulster”.

Right:
“In memory of Major Thomas Stewart. Lest we forget” [d. 1996 in a dispute over money (Irish Times | BelTel)
“In memory of Martin Chin Taylor. Lest we forget” [d. 2000 killed by the LVF (BBC)]
“In proud memory of Volunteer David (Davey) Phillips, taken by cowards Sunday 12th July 1998. Sadly missed by his friends and comrades of ‘D’ Company Ballysillan. Lest we forget” [possibly d. 1998 (BelTel)]
“In memory of fallen volunteers 1st Battalion D. Company Ulster Volunteer Force Scotland”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07228 T07229 T07230

Ballynafeigh Remembers

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Three plaques at the Ballynafeigh Apprentice Boys social club on Blackwood Street:

“In loving memory of Allison Jane Smith – you’re missed so much by so many who knew you in Ballynafeigh”, “Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Northern Ireland – Northern Ireland centennial 3rd May 2021”, “In memory of all our past members”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07208