other – N Ireland – Page 8 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Leckagh Remembers The Fallen

2023-08-272024-08-13Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This selection of images from Leckagh Drive, Magherafelt, focuses on the memorials to the dead of WWI (and WWII in the mural above), with an additional board commemorating the UDR 5th (County Londonderry) battalion); there is also a mural and some plaques commemorating (modern-day) UVF volunteers, which will be in tomorrow’s post.

The board shown in the final image provides a history of the South Londonderry volunteers from towns such as Magherafelt, Castledawson, Moneymore, and Tobermore. Edward Carson reviewed the volunteers in April 1914. Later that same month, arms were received from the weapons landed in Larne. In the Great War, the men from the area served in the 10th battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the 109th brigade of the 36th Division.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Pause, Reflect, Remember

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

“Always remembered by the officers and volunteers of South Londonderry/Randalstown Ulster Volunteer Force.” This memorial mural and plaque in Magherafelt names Charlie Wright, Jonathan Wallace, Ken Wilkinson, and Ian McArthur.

Of these, Wilkinson seems the most well-known, as he served as a PUP representative for the area. He commented on sectarian tensions in Randalstown in 1999 (An Phoblacht) and in Coleraine in 2009 (Irish Examiner), and spoke against sueprgrass trials in 2011 as a member of FAST (Irish Times | see previously FAST and FASTing For Human Rights And Justice); he was accused of intimidation of Catholics in Antrim in 2003 (An Phoblacht). He stood for a number of elected positions (e.g. 2013) but was unsuccessful.

Ostensibly for his stand against drug-sellers, in 2010 a pipe-bomb (BBC), and in 2011 a make-shift car-bomb (BelTel), were placed against his home and he received death threats in 2013 (politics.ie). He died in 2021 (BelTel | News Letter | Irish News).

The plaque in the memorial garden (shown below) reads, “This plaque is dedicated in memory of all of the loyalist people of Ulster who have suffered at the hands of the enemies of our land. Lest we forget.”

The mural in the background can be seen in Leckagh Remembers The Fallen.

Also included is a nearby bench celebrating the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Leckagh Drive, Magherafelt.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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In Defence Of Our Civil And Religious Liberties

2023-08-272024-10-11Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This UDA board on the eastern side of the Leckagh estate names six men who “gave everything in defence of our civil and religious liberties”: Lindsay Mooney (remembered also in the Fountain and Lincoln Court areas of Londonderry), Benny Redfern (this board replaces a board dedicated to Redfern alone), Cecil McKnight (Waterside), Gary Lynch (Waterside), Ray Smallwoods (Lisburn), William Campbell (Coleraine).

“North Antrim – Londonderry – Tyrone brigade”, “Remembered by all South Londonderry & Tyrone 6th batt.”

For the Ulster Volunteers/UVF memorials in the middle of the estate, see Leckagh Remembers The Fallen and Pause, Reflect, Remember.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Ruaırí Óg CLG

2023-07-152025-04-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the second version of the Ruaırí Óg (web) (and Clann Lır) mural in the middle of Cushendall – the original dates back to 2006, which was the 100th anniversary of the club’s founding (“bunaıthe”) (see M02832). The hurlers and Curfew tower remain; the “Big Ears” (Volunteer) trophy is gone and in its place are three traditional musicians. The Clann Lır has been painted to include the harper seen in Jim Fitzpatrick’s painting of the Lear myth. A Celtic warrior has appeared on the bridge over the Dall.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Laochra Gael

2023-07-152024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The two laochra featured in the first panel (above) are Danny McNaughton and John Darragh, while GAA hall-of-famer Terence “Sambo” McNaughton is featured in the final panel (BBC | GAA). Also included are Finn MacCool (on Giant’s Causeway), Setanta/Cú Chulaınn, and Queen Meadhbh – the latter two are in the style of Jim Fitzpatrick – the first is based on Fitzpatrick’s Hurling Match and the second takes Leyendecker’s painting of Maeve (WP) and renders it in Fitzpatrick’s style, complete with club-coloured drapes.

Coast Road, Cushendall at the grounds of Ruaırí Óg CLG (web).

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Mol an óıge agus tıocfaıdh sí. Tír gan teanga, tír gan anam. Ní neart go cur le chéıle.

Everything Is Going To Be All Right

2023-07-152024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is Ciaran Gallagher’s (ig) take on McBride’s pub in Cushendun. Around the outside are a verse from Moira O’Neill’s ‘To W.C.S.’ in More Songs Of The Glens Of Antrim (pdf at Google Books): “I dreamt of gentle Ireland beneath the northern light/The waves that broke on Ireland were callin’ me at night/Till back across the salt sea, back against the sun/I took the way the birds know, and woke in Cushendun.”

For the exterior of the pub, surrounded by famous individuals, see Kathryn Bannister’s painting from the Dark Horse pub, Belfast.

Below the painting (and shown below) is Derek Mahon’s poem ‘Everything Is Going To Be All Right’: “How should I not be glad to contemplate/The clouds clearing beyond the dormer window/And a high tide reflected on the ceiling?/There will be dying, there will be dying/But there is no need to go into that./The poems flow from the hand unbidden/And the hidden source is the watchful heart/The sun rises in spite of everything/And the far cities are beautiful and bright/I lie here in a riot of sunlight/Watching the day break and the clouds flying/Everything is going to be all right.”

Main Street, Cushendun

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Bound Together

2023-07-152025-04-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This Ruaırí Óg mural is on the side of the Lurig Inn (Fb), Coast Road, Cushendall, and features Ruaırí Óg superfan “Main Man” John McKillop (in the yellow bib).

The text in the centre reads “Main Man John McKillop Sept 2015”, which is when Ruaırí Óg senior hurlers defeated Ballycastle McQuillan for the Antrim title. “Image courtesy of Seamus Loughran” is the lower right-hand corner. For the photograph itself, see the Irish News.

See also Ruaırí Óg CLG and Laochra Gael.

Downpatrick Street Art

2023-02-242024-09-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of street art in Downpatrick, roughly from the north of the town to the south, from Church Street to Irish Street to St Patrick’s Avenue. Many of these were done for Down Time 2022.

Girl From Mars by Friz (ig) and NRMN (ig), ?RAZER? , hands by emic (ig)
in the carpark: trio of NOYS, ?Razer?, Wee Nuls; fish by Verz (ig), “When life gives you lemons” by Zippy (ig);
on St Patrick’s Avenue: Friz, Kieron Black (ig), fighting birds by ?

See previously: street art for Down Time 2019 | Magnus Barelegs.

The Future Of Football

2023-02-242024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

When this mural of Northern Ireland players from Killyleagh was originally painted in 2006 it featured only three players:

– Hugh Davey, from Shrigley, five caps for “Ireland” (that is, for the IFA team) from “1925-1928” (NI Football)

– Terry Cochrane, 26 caps for Nothern Ireland from “1975-1984”; he played in the ’82 World Cup qualifiers but was injured for the tournament itself (NI Football)

– David Healy, 95 caps from “2000” to 2013; he scored the winning goal against England on 7th September, 2005 – the first victory over England since the 2-0 victory in 1927 that Hugh Davey played in – a feat memorialised in two Belfast murals: Our Wee Country | We’re Not Brazil, We’re Northern Ireland (NI Football)

A space and a question-mark were left at the bottom of the rainbow for future stars, in particular for then-seventeen-year-old up-and-comer Trevor Carson (Glasgow Times) who indeed went on to win his first (senior) cap in 2018 and currently has eight in total. He was added to the mural in 2021 (tw).

Braeside Gardens/Frederick Street, Killyleagh. Carson’s mother lives in the estate (Sunderland Echo).