Belfast north – Page 9 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Our Homes Have Been Given To Foreigners

2023-12-062024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The corner at Limestone Road and North Queen Street has been finding a biblical passage to express the jubilations and tribulations of God’s chosen people since 2016, when Revelations 18:4 was cited on the gable wall in support of Brexit; in 2021 this was changed to Psalms 95:7 – visible in the images in the wide shot, below – in reference to the chosen people’s soccer team, Rangers.

The lower wall used Genesis 38:28 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (2017), along with Luke 1:31-33 and 2 Samuel 7:16 to proclaim the everlasting Christian order; then in 2018 John 15:13 was used to mark the centenary of armistice that ended WWI in 1918; and in 2020 2 Chronicles 7:14 was deployed as an exhortation to pray to the Lord for relief from Covid-19.

And this brings us to the newest quotation, which places an Israeli flag above Lamentations 5:1-2: “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace./Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners” (NIV). The lamentation is for Jerusalem, which in 589-586 BCE was besieged and overrun by the Babylonians and the Jews exiled to Babylon. The present-day analogue would presumably be the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023, against communities and bases near the Gaza Strip, in which around 1,200 people were killed (Reuters) and approximately 240 people were taken hostage (NYTimes).

It is not clear whether a further analogy with the Protestants of Northern Ireland is intended. This one might be simply to express support with the Israelis.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Remembrance Sunday

2023-11-102025-11-11Extramural 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.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Squirrelled Away

2023-10-272024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This squirrel is the third piece of wildlife to grace a Cavehill Road wall in recent weeks, following the swan in Marsden Gardens (Fowl Play) and fox at Charnwood Avenue (Outfoxed). This piece is in Sunningdale Park (also known to Line Of Duty fans as Platemere St) and was painted by Mr Fenz (ig) and Danni Simpson (ig). A fourth piece is planned for the top of the road, at the North Circular.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Outfoxed

2023-10-242024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Danni Simpson (ig) and Mr Fenz (ig) have completed their second mural in as many weeks on the Cavehill Road, adding a fox to the side of what is now Ben Madigan’s (formerly the Cavehill Inn) on Charnwood Avenue.

Previously: the Waterworks swan seen in Fowl Play.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Craigavon Two

2023-10-232024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“There is no lie big enough to cover the shame of jailing two innocent men #JFTC2”. Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton were convicted of the 2009 murder of Constable Stephen Carroll (BBC), and sentenced to life with 25-year and 18-year minimums, respectively. The case is under review (Guardian | An Phoblacht).

This RNU (Fb) board also appeared on Northumberland Street in west Belfast.

Berwick Road, Ardoyne, north Belfast.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Fowl Play

2023-10-172024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

There are lots of different fowl in the Waterworks but the swan is synonymous with the place. Belfasters have been saving up the heels of their loaves and taking them to “feed the swans” at the Waterworks since the reservoir was bought by the Corporation and modified to attact wildfowl in 1956 (Belfast Entries) – it provided an encounter with wild animals and was a free and fun family activity. Disease struck the swans in 1995 (Irish Times) and more than 50 died of avian flu during lockdown (November 2021-January 2022 – Belfast Media | Belfast Live has some upsetting photos) but there are still more than enough for the tradition to persist, though feeding them is now generally discouraged as an unnecessary human intervention.

As a tribute to the iconic bird and its long tradition in north Belfast, Danni Simpson (ig) and Mr Fenz (ig) have painted this larger-than-life swan on the side-wall of a coffee shop next to the upper reservoir.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Skins

2023-09-052024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Inniskilling Fusiliers were recruited from the four Ulster counties of Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry, and Donegal. In WWI, battalions also served in the 4th, 29th, and 10th Divisions, as well as the 109 Brigade of the 36th Division. In WWII (represented here by the Spitfire in pursuit of the Messerschmitt) the Fusiliers served in France, India, and Italy. (Ciroca | Long Trail | WP)

(For a broader history, from the Williamite campaign to modern Afghanistan, see Inniskilling.)

This Tyndale mural appears to have be painted without fanfare in 2022.

Royal Irish Rifles

2023-08-222024-09-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

After WWI, the Royal Irish Rifles became the Royal Ulster Rifles (and later became part of the Royal Irish Rangers). This board prioritises WWI as the Rifles were part of the 36th Division. The hero of WWI portrayed in the central panel is William McFadzean, awarded the VC for falling on two live grenades in the trenches on July 1st, 1916. McFadzean is familiar from many previous murals both individually and in the company of other VC winners; for his family home in Cregagh, see Rubicon.

Alongside McFadzean, the hero of WWII is Blair “Paddy” Mayne, who was only briefly in the Ulster Rifles before making his name in the Parachute Unit (later, and better, known as the SAS). His many medals of honour are shown in an old Newtownards mural, though he was denied the VC.