The main figure is from Jim Fitzpatrick’s The Coming Of Lugh and the two horsemen on the left are from Lugh The Il-Danna.
For more Jim Fitzpatrick drawings reproduced in murals, see the Visual History page.
The mural was perhaps painted for the Ardoyne Fleadh, and perhaps by Sean Doran, who worked on the Blind Piper in 1994 and produced posters for the Fleadh in 1996, 1997, and 1998.
Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast
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Copyright © 1996 Paddy Duffy
T00184
The writing on the stone reads, “In memory of Lt Col John Bingham, murdered 14th Sept 86” and “In memory of Major Thomas Stewart, murdered 29th Oct 96”. The volunteers in hoods are divided between active service and graveside memorial: two stand behind their downward-pointing rifles, two assume crouching positions with rifles pointed.
D company (Ballysillan), 1st battalion, UVF
Ballysillan Road, north Belfast
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Copyright © 1996 Paddy Duffy
T00232
These UVF hooded gunmen are at the entrance to the Mount Vernon estate in north Belfast. The message “prepared for peace, ready for war” expresses a wary skepticism about the ceasefire. The IRA’s ceasefire began in August 1994, and the UVF’s in October.
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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00138
This New Lodge mural shows people on the coast, near abandoned buildings, trying to grow crops during the period of the Great Hunger (1845-1852).
“An tOcras Mór” (a literal translation of “the great hunger/famine”) is usually (in Irish) “An Gorta Mór” or “An Drochshaol”.
The left-most and right-most figures are from Searching For Potatoes In A Stubble Field in the Illustrated London News. ILN images are a staple of Belfast muraling on the Great Hunger: see the Visual History page on the Great Hunger. (Here is a list, with links, of all of the illustrations of Ireland in ILN from the period 1845-1852.)
The two central figures, and the composition of the three women together, come from Millet’s The Gleaners. (Thanks to Jeryn Mayer for this pointer.)
Painted by “Farset Artists” – Jonny McKerr (later the street–artist JMK), Paul McCullough, Eamon Monaghan, and Dee Fitzsimons.
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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00181
“Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoıl – meon an phobaıl a thógáıl tríd an chultúr” = “building community spirit through culture”.
“Eıre [Éire] (Éıru [Érıu]), a queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann, slain at the battle of Taıltean [Taılteann] (Telltown [Teltown], Co. Meath) 1698 BC.” Érıu is placed in a neolithic setting and is releasing a dove which flies off in a trail of stars. (In the repainted version, the date given is 698.)
Brompton Park, Ardoyne, Belfast
Here is the previous Ard Eoın Fleadh Cheoıl mural in this location.
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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T00157 [T00162]
“Gaelic games – part of our heritage.” Athletes play hurling, football, and camogie and the local GAA club Ardoyne Kickhams (Fb) is celebrated. “Is treıse dúchas ná oılıuınt” means “heritage is stronger than upbringing”. “Fáılte go dtí Ard Eoın” [“Welcome to Ardoyne”] appears in the apex.
Havana way, Ardoyne, north Belfast
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Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00165 [T00176]
Long Kesh viewed through a keyhole, with green ribbons from the campaign to free republican prisoners. “The mural was donated by New Lodge RAC [Relatives Action Committee]”.
Donore Court, New Lodge, north Belfast
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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00081
The Blind Piper is a painting (original) by Joseph Haverty (WP), here placed in the context of North Belfast’s Cave Hill.
Sponsored by North Belfast Cultural Society (both along the bottom and in the apex).
The signatures in the corners read “Seán Doran ’94” “Paul McCullough”
Brompton Park, Ardoyne, north Belfast
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Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00164 [T00177]
British soldiers trooping back towards London, being painted on the back of Free Derry Corner, on Lecky Road, Derry. The piece is by Robert Ballagh, taking a famous photograph of British forces in the Falklands marching (“yomping”) towards Port Stanley and placing it in a circle (to suggest a closing eye, perhaps) below tricoloured party balloons.
The image was also produced as a mural in the Short Strand (east Belfast) and on a board above the Sınn Féın offices/Sıopa Na hEalaíne in west Belfast and as a mural on Free Derry Corner and on a board in Shantallow, Derry and on a board in Letterkenny.
Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast
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Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00107 [T00205]
The mural of the Madonna and child on the side of the Morning Star hostel greeted travellers going up Divis Street from 1988 to (at least) 2002. It was, according to minutes of Belfast City Council’s Development Committee (2002-03-06 pdf), one of four religious murals painted in west Belfast in 1988. The other three are unknown – please get in touch if you can identify them.
The second mural, below, with similar figures and palette, was also extant in 1988, though might have been painted earlier. It was in Hillman Street in the New Lodge. It is entitled “Our Lady Of Medjugorje” despite the fact that the Medjugorje apparition (in 1981) was of Mary alone, without child.
There were two other vintage religious murals in the New Lodge, one of a paschal lamb in Lepper Street (C00111 | X05493) that was extant in 1988, and one of the 1879 apparition in Knock in Oceanic Street whose date of creation is unknown – it was visible in Street View in 2008. Of the same (1988) vintage seem to be murals of a shamrock (C04981), Gaelic games (C04977), a harpist (M01248), and doves (M01249).
Other visions of Our Lady Of Medjugorje occurred at the top of Springhill in 1990 (see the Gerard Kelly site) and in Ardoyne, painted c. 1993 (M01017) and repainted on various occasions since (possibly 2004, 2012, 2014, 2020).
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Copyright © 1988 Paddy Duffy
T00197 T00174
T00196
Paddy Duffy Collection 