Belfast east – Page 14 – Paddy Duffy Collection

We Shall Defend Our Island

2022-10-092024-07-30Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The mural in Castlereagh Parade was repainted for the centenary of the end of WWI, but with some notable differences from the previous version. Three flag-holders have been added above. On the right are now a poppy and mourning soldiers. The quote comes from a speech by Winston Churchill on 1940-06-04 – “We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches. [We shall fight on the landing grounds.] We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.” – but the current first line was previously omitted in favour of another Churchill quote: “We have nothing to offer but blood, tears, and sweat.” See: Whatever The Cost May Be.

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Bloomfield House

2022-10-092025-06-15Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The 100th anniversary plaque and board shown in this entry are on the spot of Bloomfield House (web), where guns from Clyde Valley were held for the East Belfast battalion of the Ulster Volunteers in 1914.

See also: John Henry Patterson’s involvement in Operation Lion.

Grand Parade, east Belfast, next to the Orangefield memorial board.

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In All Theatres Of Conflict

2022-10-092025-06-15Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“In memory of the men and women from the Orangefield area, who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our freedom in all theatres of conflict, both foreign and at home.” These boards are memorials to the members of the 8th battalion 36th (Ulster) Division, formed from men from Avoniel and Strandtown.

Grand Parade, east Belfast, next to the gun-running board.

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You’ll Never Walk Alone

2022-10-092024-11-02Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The civic spirit of Bedfordshire’s Captain Tom Moore has been celebrated in murals across the UK, including this one by Blaze FX in Clonduff. Moore attempted to raise funds for the NHS during covid by doing laps around his garden with his walker in advance of his hundredth birthday. He originally aimed at raising 1,000 pounds but ended up raising 30 million after the effort went viral.

On the left is a tree cross-section (or “tree disk”) (on the left) that has been decorated with a hooded gunman and the insignia of the (east Belfast) UVF and YCV, along with a printed board with “The uniform may have changed but the cause remains the same. Ulster Volunteer Force” around the UVF emblem and “Fallen, not forgotten” below. There is a very close variant of this wording on a mural in Bowtown (Newtownards).

Tullyard Way, Castlereagh

Update, 2024: the mural has been – mostly – blacked out

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Our British Identity

2022-10-092025-10-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“[Politics is almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous.] In war you can only be killed once. In politics, many times. [ – Winston Churchill, 1903] Our British identity is non-negotiable! UVF East Belfast Battalion.” Hooded UVF volunteers are shown in active poses (as compared to the cradled rifles in The Erosion Of Our Identity) ready to resist any compromise in the still-unresolved tension between Brexit and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement of 1998.

The second board, on a similar theme, is in Belvoir Street, in east Belfast: “The prevention of the erosion of our identity is now our priority”.

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Now Is The Time To Kneel

2022-10-092024-07-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The “now” in “now is the time to kneel” would seem to suggest that there is some inappropriate kneeling going on at some other time, besides as a mark of respect to the patriotic dead (in this case, Queen Elizabeth II, who died on September 8th, 2022) – perhaps the kneeling prior to Premier League soccer matches as a protest against racism (World Soccer Talk).

Replaces Clonduff Youth on Clonduff Drive in Castlereagh.

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Killed In Action 1st July

2022-10-092024-07-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

As the plaque indicates, the mural was originally painted in 2006 for the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The side wall was painted for the 100th anniversary.

The plaque was originally in the plinth below the headstone – see Killed In Action.

The Silent Unseen

2022-09-252024-07-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Stanislaw Sosabowski — who appears in the apex of this mural in east Belfast — survived the first World War (fighting for Austria-Hungary), the occupation of Poland in 1939, and escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp before crossing Europe and taking command, in Britain, of the 1st Polish Paras. The unit fought in Operation Market Garden at the Battle Of Arnhem. (WP | Polish Heritage Society for a booklet of text and images)

His memoirs have been published as Freely I Served and interviews about his service were collected for a film called A Debt Of Dishonour (youtube) – the title comes from the fact that Sosabowski was blamed for the failure of the Operation, perhaps as a bargaining tactic in negotiations between Britain, Russia, and Poland.

Across the middle of the mural are airmen from the 303 Polish Squadron, which was celebrated in a Shankill mural: Love Demands Sacrifice. In the foreground is a modern British paratrooper in field gear.

For images of the launch, see WWIIPolesNI.

A post at (the blog) We In Coming Days May Be has a report on the East Belfast electoral constituency. Here is a report on Polish Residents In Belfast from the Belfast Interface Project. Attacks on Poles in east Belfast reached a peak in the first few months of 2014; see previously Romanian Housebreakers Beware and e.g. this Telegraph article. See also: Multiculturalism Is Genocide | Never Actually Existed | Belfast You’re Melting My Head.

Let Us Entertain You

2022-09-252024-07-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The LPOW mural in Harvey Court dates back to 1997, to the release of political prisoners as part of the Good Friday Agreement. A recent (2015) version can be seen at Consolidate The Peace. The new mural features performers Jonny Jones, John Calvert, Tony Jones, and Sylvia Pavis. It was painted by Blaze FX with sponsorship from Charter NI and the Housing Executive.

Getrude Star

2022-09-252024-07-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Gertrude Star flute band (Fb) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021 and to mark the occasion this (2022) May, the two side-walls were painted, one of which is shown below. The main mural was painted for the 50th anniversary in 2011, with Ulster Banners and Union Flags flanking the UK coat of arms – “Dieu et mon droit”, “Honi soit qui mal y pense”. The following areas are listed: (left) Gertrude St, Clarawood, Templemore Ave, Woodstrock Road, Albertbridge Rd, south Belfast, Scotland, Antrim, Glengormley, Carrickfergus, Braniel; (right) Dee Street, Newtownards Rd, Cregagh Rd, Castlereagh Rd, Holywood, Ballybeen, Tullycarnet, Shankill Rd, north Down, Bangor.