community – Page 13 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Between The Bridges

2024-03-302024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Landmarks of Enniskillen and Lough Erne are depicted in this “Enniskillen” mural by Danni Simpson (ig) and Karl Fenz (ig) for Experience Enniskillen (web).

Clockwise from the peaked roofs in the bottom left: Lough Erne resort, Enniskillen courthouse, Cole’s Monument, the Cuilcagh Boardwalk (which is featured in Stairway To Heaven), Enniskillen town hall, the bandstand at Cole’s Monument, the Butter Market, Enniskillen Castle, the red heart “selfie frame” in the Broadmeadow (Impartial Reporter), with Marble Arch Caves and fishing on Lough Erne (see also Pike Fishing In E nniskillen) at the bottom.

The piece is in East Street Bridge, on the side wall of Fermanagh Cottage Industries in front of the Presbyterian Church.

Also by the same pair in Cavehill, Belfast: Fowl Play (Swan) | Outfoxed | Squirrelled Away.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04342c T04343cr T04341

Auld Cobblers

2024-03-292024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This new three-storey mural by Dee Craig (Fb) is at the city end of Newtownards Road and so serves as a highly-visible introduction to east Belfast. People arriving in the area are now greeted with a vintage image of a smiling bearded man in a cloth cap, surrounded by occupations from the industrial era: “Cobbler, rag’n’bone man, fish monger, welder, builder, sweep, carpenter, window cleaner, butcher”, capped off by an inspirational “Be your best”, with yellow highlights that match the colour of the shipyard cranes Samson and Goliath.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04272 T04300 T04301r [T04262] [T04263]

Back On The Streets

2024-03-242024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This shelf of cassette tapes is a new mural by Blaze FX (web) at Portallo Street on the Woodstock Road, east Belfast, part of the wave of street art being along the avenue (see previously: Down The Woodstock | Up The Cregagh).

Van Morrison (who was with Them before going solo), Gary Moore, David Holmes, and members of Rudi (Spit) and The Defects (Spit), grew up in east Belfast, as did Thin Lizzy’s guitarist Eric Bell. (Comment/Get in touch if you know of any SLF connection to east Belfast.)

The odd tape out here is the Cut La Roc/David Holmes ‘Stars X2’ live recording from Coventry’s ‘Eclipse’ nightclub, which is from 1999 (Old Skool Anthems) while the rest are from the sixties and seventies.

The “Cregagh-Woodstock Traders” (Fb) pencil (on the right) is presumably for re-spooling the tape after you pull it out and fix the tangle.

See also: Morrison, Moore, Holmes and Bell are all included in the Luminaries And Legends mural at Connswater.

For the Belfast punk scene of the late 1970s and early 80s, see also Belfast Has The Reason.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04276 [T04275]

Time Of Our Lives

2024-03-092024-11-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This piece shows children and young people playing and relaxing in safety, joined together in a series of cogs. It is perhaps related to the former Streetreach mural.

Pearl Street, in the Willowfield area of east Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04151 T04152 T04153

Woodstock Rocks

2024-03-092024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

As a tribute to “the influence the local record shops had on the Belfast hip-hop and breakdancing scenes of the 80s” FGB (ig) and Katriona Designs (ig) have painted track-suited pensioners with a dual turntable setup (“Spin-A-Disc” (Technic?) and “Pensioneer” (Pioneer) brands) in Ardgowan Street at the Woodstock Road.

The documentary Bombin’, Beats And B-Boys is available on youtube. Here is an Irish Times look back at Belfast City Breakers.

See also the shelf of tapes at Portallo Street: Back On The Streets. The other new pieces in the current beautification project are: Up The Cregagh and Down The Woodstock | Up The Cregagh | Heron.

Also included below are two small pieces in Glendower Street, of a ‘Dolphin Lamp Standard’ lamp-post (such as can be seen on the Queen’s Bridge) and a fox.

Down The Woodstock

2024-03-092024-09-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Down the Woodstock” and “Up the Cregagh”. The two roads run into each other, heading north-south between Albert Bridge and Lisnabreeny in east Belfast. The Woodstock Road shops are getting a number of new streetart pieces thanks to a consortium of local businesses, including the two shown here.

The racing trap is by Visual Waste (ig) ((with support from Decowell Restoration (web), Bethany Fruit (web) and Astrl Fibres (ig)) in Willowfield Gardens and the (painted) signage by unknown artists in Oberon Street.

There is already a large mural reading “Up The Cregagh” on the road.

Ormeau Bridge At Night

2024-03-092024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Ormeau bridge (Street View) is a stone arch bridge between the Ormeau and Stranmillis embankments of the Lagan river, designed by Charles Lanyon and opened in 1863.

This mural of the bridge is by London artist DanK (ig), commissioned by the Lower Ormeau Traders’ Association using a Vibrant Business Destinations grant from the Council, funded by the Department For Communities ‘Revitalisation’ programme (of these, only Vibrant Businesses (web) appears to have an on-line presence). The mural will be officially launched today (Saturday March 16th) as part of a Spring Festival between noon and three. (Belfast Media)

In University Street, south Belfast, looking away from the bridge.