PUL

Carson’s Volunteers

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From the info board (barely visible but mostly out of shot to the right):

“This mural is dedicated to the men and women of Willowfield. In 1912 the 3rd Home Rule bill was introduced and passed by Parliament, and although defeated 3 times by the house of Lords it was sent for Royal assent. On 9th April 1912 over 200,000 unionists attended a rally at Balmoral including the Orange Order and Unionist Clubs which had marched from the city centre. Here they were addressed by among others, Sir Edward Carson, leader of the Irish Unionist Party. On 28th September nearly 500,000 men and women signed the Ulster Covenant. Factories and the Shipyard in Belfast were idle and silent, allowing their workers the opportunity to attend church and then to congregate at the City Hall. 3,242 men and women from Willowfield signed the Covenant, some in their own blood. They then formed into the 2nd Willowfield Battalion of the East Belfast Regiment U.V.F. commanded by Dr. William Gibson. They drilled and trained in the Willowfield Unionist Club that was situated about half a mile from this spot. With the onset of WW1 in 1914, these same volunteers stood to the fore to defend the Empire as the 8th battalion (East Belfast) in the 36th Ulster Division. Many did not return but their bravery and honour will forever be remembered.”

Ardenvohr Street, east Belfast

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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The Jingler

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Downshire Bridge over “The Cut” through the centre of Banbridge town (created in 1834; here is a NLI image from the 1900s), is locally known as “Jingler’s Bridge” on account of one or more of the sellers on the bridge jingling their coins (Geograph), perhaps among them this apple-seller, painted by Friz (ig) on the northern side of The Cut/Bridge Street.

Downshire Bridge is perhaps named for the 3rd (Arthur Hill) or 4th (Arthur Wills Hill) Marquess Of Downshire (Lord Belmont).

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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You’re Never Too Old

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The saying “You’re never too old to set another goal or dream another dream” is attributed to east Belfast-bred C.S. Lewis — shown here on the right — though we are unable to find any record of him saying or writing these words; instead it might be be a motivational speaker called Les Brown. In the rest of the poster, young people play in the grounds of Queen’s University and Belfast City Hall.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Woodvale Connect

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Five steps to mental health – give, connect, be active, take notice, keep learning – and affirmations to live by, such as “This is me”, “You’re a superstar”, “I am what I am”, and “Simply the best“. Part of the Shankill SAFE (Safer Areas For Everyone) project in the Woodvale, with support from Alternatives and the Communities In Transition programme.

From the info board: “#ItsOKToTalk” “This art project was completed as part of Alternative – Safer Areas For Everyone (SAFE) project. The young people involved identified mental health as the theme for their art project and incorporated positive mental health messages & support numbers to highlight the issue. The group also identified the “Steps” area as the location for the art work, to help brighten up the area which had become unsightly, neglected and a focus for anti-social behaviour. This project also engaged with the residents through door to door surveys, provided information leaflets on support services and organised community clean ups to help improve community pride & spirit in the area. Special thanks to Jamie, Dylan, Kyle, Corey and Mason who showed positive leadership in their community, to street artist Emic & Sam from Signlink for the art work & graphics and to the local residents and young people who were involved in the clean ups. SAFE Shankill is supported by the The Executive Office through Communities In Transition programme.”

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Arrivals

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Here are two final pieces from the street-art make-over of Banbridge in 2022. Below is Holly Pereira (web)’s “Welcome To Banbridge” in Newry Street; above and immediately below is Decoy (web)’s piece in Downshire Place depicting how the town grew up around a coach stop at the eponymous “Bann bridge” on the route from Belfast to Dublin (ABC borough council). According to Connolly (Google Books) and History Ireland, a short-lived coach service c. 1740 from Dublin to Belfast stopped in Drogheda and Newry; permanent service did not begin until 1788. According to the Downshire Arms (web), a Georgian coaching inn built in 1816, Banbridge was the second stop along the route from Belfast.

The other paintings in the 2022 ‘Arrivals’ project, organised by Daisy Chain and the Council, are by Friz (The Jingler), FGB (Ernest Walton), and Rob Hilken (Damask For Dignity).

For a list of other borough council projects, see Visual History 11 on the rise of street art.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Disintegration

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Ernest Walton was born in 1903 in Co. Waterford, graduated from TCD, and then worked in the Cavendish lab in Cambridge, England, and then at TCD. He and John Cockroft were together awarded the 1951 Nobel Prize in physics for their 1932 work at Cavendish that split apart the nucleus (specifically, of a lithium atom), verifying Rutherford’s conjectures about the structure of atoms (WP). He died in Belfast in 1995.

His connection to Banbridge, which is where this FGB (ig) mural can be found on Bridge St, is that he attended kindergarten in the town (DIB).

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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