Belfast north – Page 18 – Paddy Duffy Collection

An tOcras Mór

1995-01-012025-09-20Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00181

Érıu

1995-01-012025-09-20Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“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.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T00157 [T00162]

Part Of Our Heritage

1995-01-012025-09-20Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“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

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00165 [T00176]

Saoırse

1995-01-012025-09-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00081

The Blind Piper

1994-01-012025-09-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00164 [T00177]

Slán Abhaıle

1994-01-012025-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00107 [T00205]

Madonna And Child

1988-08-012025-09-02Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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).

Mandela, Father Of Freedom

1988-06-012025-08-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Happy birthday, comrade”. ANC leader Nelson Mandela turned 70 on July 18, 1988. He spent the day, like every birthday since 1963, in prison; he would not be released until 1990, after which apartheid would be dismantled and Mandela become the first President of South Africa. “The future belongs to you.” The colours of the ANC join the colours of the Irish Tricolour as a background to Mandela’s portrait. Painted by Mo Chara Kelly, with the help of “Sınn Féın Youth”.

Leeson Street, west Belfast

Tiger’s Bay

1988-05-012025-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

For some speculation as to the origins of the name “Tiger’s Bay” see Connolly Cove; a more realistic origin-story is given on the Belfast Forum, that a “tiger bay” or “tiger’s bay” is sailor slang for a rough area. The name was originally applied only to the warren of streets immediately below Newington (again Belfast Forum), but later extended to include everything down to North Queen Street.

Hogarth Street, north Belfast, though the precise location is uncertain

Tiger’s Bay UVF

1988-05-012025-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

UVF volunteers in balaclavas take aim other across a free-floating Northern Ireland with an Uzi and an assault rifle. The emblem supported by flags on the right is unusual for its inclusion of a ?large daisy? and pink ribbon.

The location of this wall is unknown, which suggests the site of the Community Centre – please get in touch if you know where it was.

Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast