Coleraine – Paddy Duffy Collection

The Royal Landings

2025-05-072025-05-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The Royal Landing, Carrickfergus, Saturday 14th June 2025. The pageant, re-enactment, and parade.”

William III, statholder of Holland, landed at Torbay, England, in November, 1688 with 250+ ships and 30,000 men in order to overthrow the Catholic convert James II who had become king in 1685. As king of England, William was automatically made king of Ireland, but he and his forces had to go to Ireland to win the island from James and the forces loyal to him. Schomberg had already successfully besieged Carrickfergus in 1689, allowing William to land on June 14th, 1690. The image used as a background is Pocock’s oil painting of the landing, which is held by the National Maritime Museum.

The Royal Landing event involves a parade – involving the Carrickfergus Defenders flute band (Fb) and the Ulster Grenadiers flute band (Fb) – from Woodburn fields to the marina, where King Billy’s landing will be recreated (Fb).

See also: June 14th, 1690 in Newtownabbey

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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North Irish Horse

2025-04-112025-06-25Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Frosted glass window in the North Irish Horse Inn, Dervock. This Fb page suggests a connection with the 1798 Rebellion; the current North Irish Horse is a light cavalry reconnaissance unit of the British Army, which has a base in nearby Coleraine (web).

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Railyway Road Bombing

2023-09-252024-11-10Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This memorial in the Coleraine diamond commemorates the six civilians who died in an IRA car-bomb explosion in Railway Road in 1973.

“In loving memory of those killed on Railway Road 12th June 1973 – never forgotten”, “Nan Davis, Elizabeth Palmer, Robert Scott // Francis Campbell, Dinah Campbell, Elizabeth Craigmile”, “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone but what is woven into the lives of others – Pericles”.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Inspire A Generation

2023-09-172024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Marching into the future”. The 35th anniversary board – and the Pride Of The Bann flute band (Fb) itself – is still going over a decade after it was mounted in Harpur’s Hill, Coleraine; here is the board in 2012. It has now been joined by a board aimed at young people, designed by members of Sunlea Youth Club.

Tullyarton Road, Coleraine.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Nook Of The Ferns

2023-09-172024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of the larger pieces of street art in Coleraine, starting, above, with Others by emic (ig) in New Row West. Below is Flora And Fauna by Karl Porter of UV Arts (ig).

Many of these pieces (not including the piece above and Hilken’s Salmon Fishing) are part of the ‘Revitalise’ programme from Causeway Coast & Glens borough council (press release | map). There is a separate entry for some of the very many smaller pieces – see Voyage Of Discovery.

Hope (Hope Macaulay knitware (ig)) by Rob Hilken (ig) in Church St

Nook Of The Ferns (from the Irish “cúil rathain”) by emic (ig) in Queen St

Spacer by Shane Sutton (ig) in Queen St – a reference to Alexander Anderson’s work in 1920 on black holes (WP).

Sara O’Neill [ig] And The Fates Of Destiny by Friz (ig)

Willie Stewart by Meadow Toye (ig) in Park St

Salmon Fishing by Rob Hilken (ig) in Circular Rd

Illuminate by Friz (ig) in Abbey St

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Supreme Price

2023-09-172024-11-12Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“In proud [and] loving memory: Vol William Campbell, a true Ulsterman who paid the supreme price for the love of his country. William Campbell, who lost his life on active service 3rd January 2002. Quis separabit. 2nd Batt Coleraine.”

This is the third memorial board to Campbell – who died at the age of 19 when a pipe-bomb exploded prematurely – replacing others seen in 2013 and in 2007.

Tullyarton Road, Harpur’s Hill, Coleraine

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Footsteps Through Our History

2023-09-152024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Footsteps through the history of Coleraine, from top to bottom: Martin Luther (c. 1521); John Knox, who led the reformation in Scotland (c. 1560); the plan of Coleraine (c. 1611); the relief of Derry (1689); the Williamite campaign (1690); (and then a jump to) WWI (“Christmas truce, western front”); WWII (“War on the home front”).

These boards replaced a UDA mural in March, 2014 (see Loyalist Ballysally).

Daneshill Road, Coleraine.

Voyage Of Discovery

2023-09-152024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

All of the pieces shown here were produced in the summer of 2023 for Coleraine’s ‘Revitalise’ programme, co-ordinated by Michelle McGarvey (ig) for Causeway Coast & Glens borough council with funding by the Department Of Communities. They are on utility boxes and planters all over the town centre.

For some of the large pieces of street art in the town, including many produced for ‘Revitalise’, see Nook Of The Ferns. More information and images can be obtained from Causeway Coast & Glens borough council (press release | map).

The first four are from Marc Holmes’s (ig) Voyage Of Discovery series.

Sent As A Plague To The Girls Of Coleraine

2023-09-152024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are two pieces by Mark Christie (ig) for the 2021 revitalisation project in Coleraine town centre (Coast & Glens).

On the left, Kitty Of Coleraine, of the famous song (One Irish Rover), as imagined in a postcard by John Carey.

On the right, Major Quality and Miss Sweetly from the lid of a Quality Street tin. The confectionery collection was itself named after J.M. Barrie’s 1901 play and Coleraine native “Hugh Thompson” [Hugh Thomson] (WP | NVTv) provided the illustrations for a 1913 edition (many can be seen at RBKC); these probably inspired the “soldier and lady” characters for the tins (the leads in the play are called Captain Valentine Brown and Miss Phoebe Throssel), though they were drawn by Harold Oakes (WP); the tins and ads from 1936 can be seen at Metro. The image reproduced here is from the 1950s.