PUL

Botanical Borough

Extramural Activity2 Comments

Here are the pieces painted for the Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s ‘Botanical Borough’ project (BelTel), co-orindated by Daisy Chain (web). There are seven pieces by Hixxy (ig), one of a flower chosen by each of the seven different electoral areas of the Borough, in the towns of Randalstown, Antrim, Crumlin, Ballyclare, Whiteabbey, Monkstown, and Glengormley, with an additional piece in four of the towns by other aritsts.

Above is a flax flower by Hixxy in John St, Randalstown. Immediately below are bluebells by Hixxy and Andy Council at the library in Railway St, Antrim. The others follow.

Wild Roses by Hixxy and Woskerski on Main St, Crumlin

Flax flowers by Hixxy and Holly Pereira (with horses) in Ballyclare

Cherry Blossom by Hixxy next to the Six Three One Cafe in Whiteabbey

Flax by Hixxy at The Butchers & Deli in Monkstown

Forget-Me-Nots by both Hixxy, at the Lilian Bland Community Park, and Kitsune, on the Antrim Rd, Glengormley

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03711 [T03712] [T03713]
T03717 [T03716]
T03715 [T03714]
T03730
T03733 [T03731]
T03732
T03684 [T03685]
T03683 [T03681]
T03682c
T03672
T03688
T03692 [T03693]
T03600 [T03601] [T03602]

Remembrance Sunday

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Remembrance Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, commemorates and celebrates the end of hostilities in the first World War on November 11th, 1918. Many ceremonies in the UK take place on the second Sunday of the month, regardless of the date. This practice began in 1945, changing the WWII practice of marking the occasion on the preceding Sunday, to ensure that the holiday did not fall on a work-day (WP).

This large tarp (above) is at the Shore Road memorial garden to the 10th, 36th, and 16th divisions, shown below, along with the nearby Fifes & Drums/Fairhill flute band (Fb)/Pride Of The Shore (Fb) tribute to QEII. The tarp was also seen last year: Remembrance Day.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03664 [T03662] [T03663]
T03476 [T03477] [T08003]
T03475
2025: T08001 T08002

Wall Of Champions

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“You earn your trophies at practice – you just pick them up at competitions.” The largest number among the honours on the left is 56, for the number of times Linfield has won the league.

“Monkstown true blues Linfield supporters club,” (Fb) “Follow your dreams – if you can dream it, you can become it.”

Cloyne Crescent, Monkstown, Newtownabbey.

Click to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03690 [T03689]

Be Kind To Your Mind

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The new ‘Listening Ear’ murals on the interior garden wall of the Dunanney Centre, Rathcoole, were launched at the start of November by David Healy and Roy McGivern of Linfield FC (Fb). The mental-health messages – “be kind to your mind”, “we are here to listen”, “mental health is a priority”, “#youmattertous” – join the existing ‘community garden’ mural (above) and there’s also a panel of blackboard paint for kids to write and draw on.

Click to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03675 T03676 T03677 [T03678]
Thrive Newtownabbey (Fb) Ace Spray Works NI

Memory Lane

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” Work to clean up and beautify Devlin’s Lane in Whiteabbey began in 2020, with the large butterfly mural shown above (Belfast Live); 15 (16?) boards showing local history were put in place in August 2021 (NIWorld | Belfast Live). The text on the ‘White Abbey’ panel comes directly from WP.

The project was organised by Whiteabbey Residents’ Association, with funding from Translink – the alley (official name, Abbeyville Place) runs to Whiteabbey train station.

The ‘Justice4Noah’ and ‘Your best is good enough’ panels seem to have a different origin.

The panels are presented here from north to south, beginning with the western side:

The wall then switches to the eastern side of the alley:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03642-T03661

Dreams Don’t Work Unless You Do

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the new Glen Molloy mural in Carrickfergus, showing a boy practicing his baton-twirling and marching. It’s in the same style as the Little Drummer Boy in the Shankill.

The mural is in Agnes Street, at the far end of Marine Highway, heading towards Eden. The in-progress images below show Glen at work and the mural at different stages of development.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03604 [T03605] [T03606] [T03607]
T03528 [T03529]
X14379 [X14378] courtesy of Seosamh Mac Coılle

Union Is Strength

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Colonel Edward Saunderson MP, UDU founder, leader of the Irish Unionist Party. 1837-1906. Union is strength. ‘We must be prepared for every possible eventuality’ – on the issue of Home Rule 1893.”

The dates given are the span of Saunderson’s life, not his political career, which began in 1865 as MP for his home county of Cavan.

The bill under consideration in 1893 was the second Home Rule bill, which the UDU was formed to resist. The UDU initially met in Belfast in March; the manifesto of the meeting can be read on page 5 of the [Sydney] Freeman’s for 1893-04-29.

On June 8th, 1893, the Westminster government asked the police for a report on the Union, fearing its goal was armed resistance to Home Rule, and considering declaring it an illegal organisation ([Sydney] Daily Telegraph, 1893-06-10 page 5).

In September, the bill was passed in the Commons but defeated in the Lords. An account of the October meeting quotes Saunderson saying that the organisation should maintain itself by “if the necessity arose” “proving – not by words, but by deeds – that they meant what they said.” (Gympie Times & Mary River Mining Gazette, 1893-12-07 page 3).

Saunderson at the time was (also) leader of the Irish Unionist Alliance (here called the “Irish Unionist Party”) and he went on to be the first leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, from 1905 to 1906 (WP), when he died of pneumonia (WP).

The Ulster Defence Union is employed as an origin-story by the Troubles-era UDA as the UDU formed an ‘Ulster Defence Association’ – see UDU-UFF-UDA and UDU-WDA-UDA-UFF – and the name is used by the post-Agreement UDA – see Daffodil Days.

Owenreagh Drive, Rathcoole, Newtownabbey

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01223c T01223