community

Kragfargus Cultural Corner

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the second (at least) iteration of an installation along Taylor’s Avenue, Carrickfergus, showcasing the Ulster-Scots heritage of Carrickfergus and its later contributions to the United Kingdom.

The wall is 60 metres/200 feet in length and can be divided into about ten distinct panels – notes on the different panels are given below, following the order of presentation of images, which show the entire wall moving from left to right.

The original, as seen on Street View, included boards showing the Pretani Isles/British Isles, QEII, and Tom Moore. As seen here, there are now boards to King Charles III, a vintage postage stamp, ‘The Siege Of Carrickfergus’ in 1689, and ‘The Barn Mills Fallen’ of WWI.

Fair Fa’ Ye (or “fair faa ye”) is an (Ulster-)Scots blessing, “fair fall you”, meaning roughly “good luck” (Bloggin Fae The ‘Burn | r/scots | Nelson McCausland).

The stained-glass is called the Dalaradia Window. For images and explanation, see Picts Exiled From Alba.

For Dalaradia, see Kingdom Of The Pretani and the Visual History page on Cú Chulaınn.

James Orr, the ‘Bard Of Ballycarry’, was a contemporary of Robert Burns and a United Irishman. It does not appear that he wrote a poem with the line “I wish I was in Carrickfergus”.

Daniel Cambridge won his VC for service in the Crimean War (WP) and James Crichton for service in WWI (WP).

CarrickfergusHistory includes “the oldest know map of Carrickfergus” from 1560, employing the spelling “Kragfargus”.

The 2/6 postage stamp featuring Carrickfergus Castle was one of four in a “Castle series” in 1955 (WP).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03527 T03526 T03525 T03524 T03523 T03521 T03522 T03520c T03519 T03518

Linenopolis

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A celebration and exploration of Belfast’s most famous textile, the “linen biennale”, runs until October (web). The Linen Hall library also runs a tour of the “linen quarter” on Thursdays.

Visual Waste’s (ig) Great Victoria Street mural includes various linen quarter buildings: the Grand Opera House, the Europa hotel, and Inst., alongside the H&W cranes and the Titanic museum.

Nomad Clan’s mural in east Belfast also went by the same name.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03472 T03473

Ballybeen Makes Winners

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Which direction will you go in? To the negative west of the compass of “choice” lie “Alcohol, paramilitaries, drugs”; to the positive east are “Education, employment, life. On the side panel, youngsters are encouraged to study English, math(s), social media and Google.

And further down Brooklands Drive, “Ballybeen makes winners” in sports: soccer, boxing, and motorcycle racing. The boxer is John Lowey, who represented Ireland at the 1988 Olympics; he is also featured in Boxing Through The Generations and Ballybeen Dream which last also includes three local footballers.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03416 T03417 T03418

Nook Of The Ferns

Extramural 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

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
Department Of Communities Causeway Coast & Glens Housing Executive
T03238
T03244 [T03239] [T03242]
T03243
T03245
T03339 [T03258] [T03259]
T03260 [T03261]
T03270
T03337
T03336
T03340
T03343 [T03342]

Born Upon The Tide

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Ballycastle harbour is home to the Rathlin Island ferry and a memorial plaque to Marconi for an 1898 transmission between the town and Rathlin, and Morton’s Fresh Fish and Fish ‘n’ Chips. The mural above includes Ballycastle fishermen Sean Morton Snr, Phillip Morton, Jack Coyles, Will Henry, and Jimmy Black.

The mural is by Oliver McParland (web).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03328

The Struggle With Space And Time

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Local children painted portraits of four “Great Communicators” for the BT building at the corner of Main Street and Dundarave Road in Bushmills (NALIL). The set of less colourful boards, which also contain quotes, might be by adults.

Alexander Bell, 1847-1922: “Ideas do not reach perfection in a day, no matter how much study is put upon them.” “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

Michael Faraday, 1791-1867: “All this is a dream, still examine it by a few experiments.” “Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistant [sic] with the laws of Nature.”

Samuel Morse, 1791-1872: “To God be all the glory. Not what hath man, but what hath God wrought.” “God has permitted me to do something for the help and comfort of my fellows.”

Guglielmo Marconi, 1874-1937: “Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with space and time.” “Have I done the world good, or have I added a menance.” Marconi is well-known in Ballycastle for an 1898 transmission between the town and Rathlin.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03308 T03309 T03310 T03306 [T03307]