“High above the city on a tall column stood the statue of the happy prince.” These are the opening words of Oscar Wilde’s short story ‘The Happy Prince’, first published in 1888 which describes the selfless acts of a statue and a swallow. This mural by Karl Fenton (ig) and Jordan Shaw (ig) in Water Street was designed to fit with the “Flight Of The Little Golden Swallow” walking trail (Experience Enniskillen | Fermanagh Lakelands) in Enniskillen (Impartial Reporter).
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Images from the west side of the Strand underpass in Holywood, including a parade of dogs by Verz (ig). There is a separate post for the east side of the tunnel.
See also: images from the Priory Park tunnel.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Street art by Alana McDowell (ig) in Lower Cross Street, Larne, next to #LoveLarne. With support from Daisy Chain and Mid & East Antrim council.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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“This mosaic depicts the history of the narrow gauge railway from Larne harbour to Ballymena which ran through this site.” The railway from Larne to Ballymena operated from 1878 to 1933 (WP). In Ireland, the narrow gauge railway was 3ft in width (compared with the modern standard of 5′ 3″).
Narrow Gauge Road, Larne.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Here is a gallery of the new pieces from Hit The North 2023 on the south side of Kent Street (there is a separate post for the north side and there is a separate post for Kent Street above Union Street).
From left to right (top to bottom in this post), the art is by:
Friz (ig)
Annatomix (ig)
Cha Cha (ig)
CYD Noble (ig)
Ali-P (ig)
Kerrie Hannah (ig)
Saul Art (ig)
MWAK (ig)
Carly Wright (ig) + Sam McAleese (ig)
Kilian (ig)
Claire Prouvost (ig)
Holly Peirera (ig)
Myfanwynia (ig)
Leo Boyd (ig)
Novice (ig)
Codo (ig)
Danni Simpson (ig)
Chroma Chameleons (ig) + Sweetheart Streetart (ig)
FGB (ig)
HM Constance (ig)
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
[T02603] T02607 T02631 [T02632] X14017 X14016 courtesy of Extramural Activity
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The Lagan river between Belfast and Lisburn was made navigable in 1763 after seven years of work. The remaining distance between there and Lough Neagh (and the coalfields of east Tyrone, which were connected to Lough Neagh and then Portadown and Newry) required a canal, which finally opened on January 1st, 1794. The were 27 locks on the route between Belfast and the lough, and horses walking on the tow-parth would pull the barges up river (WP | Lagan Valley | Lagan Navigation has photographs of horses at work). Horsey Hill was perhaps the site of stables in south Belfast; it is now the name of the alley that continues on towards the river from the Ukraine sunflower mural off Harrow Street in the Holylands.
Forward South Partnership/Connor McKernan’s video about the history of the Holylands, including Horsey Hill, can be seen on youtube.
Painted by Daniela Balmaverde (ig) and DMC. At the bottom of Horsey Hill, along the embankment, are Animals Two By Two.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Con O’Neill bridge crosses the Knock river just before it meets the Loop river to form the Connswater, which used to be Con’s water, and provided a way for “men, horses and livestock to cross the river” (Con O’Neill).
The mural depicting such a crossing, by Friz (ig), is on a gable wall in the car park next to the bridge; the area is now known as The Hollow, as in “Hey, where did we go?/Days when the rains came/Down in the hollow/Playin’ a new game.” (For an image of bridge partially submerged and impassable in 2012, see Geograph | more images at Google Maps Places.)
Con lived c. 1600 but the bridge might well pre-date that time. It was refurbished as part of the Connswater Greenway project in ?2014?.
Abetta Parade, east Belfast
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Paddy Duffy Collection 