The Vault artists have moved out of the old Belfast Met building in east Belfast (see Do You Own A Giant Building? | The Vault Is Empty | Locked Vault) and set up shop in Marlborough House in the city centre and the Shankill Mission in west Belfast. The group have a new web site: vaultartiststudios.com. The inaugural event at “Marly” took place this weekend, called It’s All Your Vault. There will also be a launch event at the Shankill Mission at some point. In the meantime, here are three from the side of the Shankill Mission, from (bottom) emic (ig), (below) Rob Hilken (ig), and (above) Kerrie Hannah (ig) who takes her inspiration from stained glass windows in Townsend Presbyterian by Wilhelmina Geddes (see On The Other Side).
“It is not for riches, fame or glory that we remain in the shadows of our community, but for its protection.”
These words are echoed on the central stone in the garden of reflection, with adjacent North Down UDA roll of honour: “‘Who shall separate us?’ Right up to the present day, these words have been the inspiration and motivation of numerous men and women to serve, fight and die for the defence of their homeland, its people and its heritage. This selfless action is not for riches, fame or glory, but is freely given out of a love of freedom, commitment to the faith and culture of our nation, and a desire that all future generation in all communities can live in peace.”
Movilla Street and Wallace’s Street, off Upper Movilla Street. “Loyalist Movilla” in Newtownards.
Here is a complete set of the street art in Meetinghouse Lane, Newtownards, mostly produced during an October 2021 jam, though the Glen Molloy (ig) piece above pre-dates that. The other pieces are by Kerri Hanna (ig), Mr Fenz (ig), Emic (ig), Matthew Knight (ig), Carla Hodgson (ig), Danni Simpson (ig), ?kairos?, Irony (ig), RAZER (Fb) & NOYS (ig), NRMN (Gerry Norman ig), Friz (ig), Annatomix (ig) (the squirrel’s name is Derek), Rob Hilken (ig), FGB (ig), Zippy (ig), Alana McDowell (ig).
This is the UVF/RHC memorial garden in Ballybeen, with individual plaques to “East Belfast battalion commander” RJ ‘Mickey’ Wilson (died 2022), Jim ‘Jonty’ Johnston (killed in 2003 BelTel), M. Walker, G. McCartney, David Brown. While most of the plaques and stones are to the modern UVF, there are three pieces to the 36th (Ulster) Division.
“Too many names to mention, but I will certainly try./Tears run down my face as I try not to cry./Their names written in gold of Volunteers gone by./These men they died heroes in battles, fought and won./They may be gone, but in our hearts remain./The Ulster Volunteer Force. The People’s Army./Armed and ready again.”
Which direction will you go in? To the negative west of the compass of “choice” lie “Alcohol, paramilitaries, drugs”; to the positive east are “Education, employment, life. On the side panel, youngsters are encouraged to study English, math(s), social media and Google.
And further down Brooklands Drive, “Ballybeen makes winners” in sports: soccer, boxing, and motorcycle racing. The boxer is John Lowey, who represented Ireland at the 1988 Olympics; he is also featured in Boxing Through The Generations and Ballybeen Dream which last also includes three local footballers.
This memorial in the Coleraine diamond commemorates the six civilians who died in an IRA car-bomb explosion in Railway Road in 1973.
“In loving memory of those killed on Railway Road 12th June 1973 – never forgotten”, “Nan Davis, Elizabeth Palmer, Robert Scott // Francis Campbell, Dinah Campbell, Elizabeth Craigmile”, “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone but what is woven into the lives of others – Pericles”.
An anti-drug-dealing message (see Peace Impact Programme) has been added below the (2nd battalion North Antrim & Londonderry) UDA emblem (seen previously in 2012) in Linden Avenue, Coleraine.
These two boards from the Armagh True Blues flute band (Fb) in Barrack Hill commemorate the Ulster Volunteers of 1912 who went on to join the 9th (County Armagh) battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Wartime Memories).
The “1st batt” emblem (in the third image) applies to both the Ulster Volunteers of the Home-Rule era and the Troubles-era Mid-Ulster UVF.
Paddy Duffy Collection 