children/youth

Forever 16

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Caitlin McLaughlin died suddenly on June 24th, 2023. She collapsed from a heart attack as she walked to the bus station in Belfast to return home from a music festival at which she had taken ecstasy (BBC). A requiem mass was held in Galliagh on the 28th (BelTel) and the mural shown here was launched in Brookdale Park on October 27th, 2023, which would have been Caitlin’s 17 birthday (Belfast Live).

“I saw you all, my family & friends/the day God took me home,/I smiled, I cried, I felt so proud/You didn’t let me go alone//To all my friends, please listen now/To what I have to say,/Please don’t leave your loved ones/the way I did that day//I’m with the angels in heaven now/and with our we[e] Kyle too,/But often I look down and sigh/For I’d rather be there with you//Forget me not/XO”

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Don’t Look Up

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Smile … you’re on CCTV. A “peace line” or “war wall” divides the CNR Newington and PUL Tiger’s Bay along the top of Hallidays Road, and ends with an abandoned building at the junction with the Limestone Road. In 2002, in response to persistent rioting, rather than closing off the road, five cameras were installed on the Limestone Road at the point where the two areas meet (BBC | Community Relations pdf). Once installed, the range and power of the cameras were pre-emptively demonstrated to local youths (Guardian).

According to Forss 2018 (p. 53), the concrete bases were painted by a local youth-group (pdf) circa 2015. These jaunty images, and the mural in the background of the fifth image (When Young People Are United), attempt to present a different vision of the interface to young children going to Currie Primary and the Sunshine play-group.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Divis Youth

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This mural in the lower Falls celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Frank Gillen Centre (Fb) and the 70th anniversary of Immaculata FC (Fb). The figure on the right is Cliftonville player Liam Boyce who grew up in the area and played for Immaculata as a youth. The team’s logo appears to the right of Boyce’s outstretched hand. (If you know the local player on the left, please leave a comment or send an e-mail.)

The piece was painted by Mickey Doherty and Lucas Quigley.

Albert Street, lower Falls, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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M-Space

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“I am … strong, focused, love, hope, caring, beautiful, body & mind.” M-Space is a project from Springboard Opportunities (web) providing intensive mental-health services for 115 young people.

This pair of utility boxes is on Royal Avenue, Belfast city centre. The backgrounds on the rear were perhaps painted during Culture Night.

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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On The Shoulders Of Giants

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Matt Talbot Youth Centre (Fb) provides activities and services for young people from New Barnsley and Moyard, including an afternoon club, trips during the summer months, and Halloween and Christmas parties.

The two murals are face-to-face in New Barnsley Gardens. Also included are some painted utility boxes in the area, including a hurler/camogie-player from Michael Davitt’s GAC (web).

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Space To Breathe

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“Sky is not [the] limit – it’s only the beginning” – this is new mental health art from the New Lodge Youth Centre (Fb | previously seen), at the war-wall that separates Lepper Street from Duncairn Avenue, next to the (long-empty) Corner House, suggesting that young people can transcend their earthly bonds and actualise themselves in space.

Lepper Street, New Lodge, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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C’Mon On In

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This is a colourful new mural painted by Cha Cha (Carla Hodgson) (ig) and local children at the Bankmore end of Maryville Street (BBC). Local landmarks (from left to right) include Nuala With The Hula (a.k.a. Beacon Of Hope), Broadcasting House, Samson and Goliath, the Albert clock, and the Big Fish, all in a garden of grass and flowers.

Maryville Street, Donegall Pass, south Belfast

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Do You Care?

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James “Jim” Doherty was six years old when he was shot while playing in the front garden of his Turf Lodge home in 1972. Relatives For Justice and the family launched the board shown above at the entrance to the estate ten years ago – in October 2015 – in order to push for an inquiry into the death due to the insufficiency of the original investigation and the disappearance of the bullet taken from the body. (Belfast Media Group)

Monagh Road, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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