community – Page 24 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Night Taxi

2022-09-182025-10-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Free-hand sprayer Dan Kitchener’s (web | tw) latest mural in Belfast (in Enfield Street in the Woodvale) places a black taxi – a mainstay of transportation in West Belfast – in the streets of Tokyo. To our knowledge, this is the first piece of street art in PUL West Belfast other than on the “peace” line; it will be interesting to see how well it survives compared to both sectarian murals and street art in the city centre.

“The title of the piece is ‘You can go Anywhere’ to show that with hard work and determination, you can explore the world. The mural is Sponsored by local Butchers shop Hugh Linton Butchers and R City youth group which are an award-winning organization helping Communities Integrate Through Youth. With the help of Jonathan Hodge local community volunteer. The taxi’s number plate HWL 1970 is a nudge towards the establishment founder Hugh Linton” (Belfast Walking Tours Fb).

Dan released a video of the mural in progress. Previously by Dan for Culture Night: The Dream | Blurry Eyed.

Funded by Communities In Transition with support from Greater Shankill Partnership and youth group R-City (tw) whose ‘footprint’ logo appears in the top left of the first image, above.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Only In The Movies

2022-09-182024-07-22Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Young people from the Lower Shankill pose in the style of a movie poster: “You must have dreams and goals if you are ever going to achieve anything in this world.” The info panel (shown below) incorrectly states that the board replaces a loyalist H-Block mural (of which there were two versions: yellow (M02473) | orange) and, before that, a UDU-UFF-UDA mural; these were on different walls and this board replaces only the Maze mural.

This is the second of five pieces of re-imaging in the lower Shankill. The first was I Am Not Resilient.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Belfast Taxis Community Interest Company

2022-09-132024-07-20Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Serving the community for over fifty years.” BTCIC is the current name for what was previously the West Belfast Taxi Association. Black taxis have been running up and down the Falls since 1970, providing an alternative form of transportation to local people during the Troubles when buses were cancelled or, as in this picture, burnt out and used as barricades. They now, in addition, provide tours of the murals (such as the Bobby Sands mural in Sevastopol Street) and Belfast city. Taxi Trax has a web site but here provides a phone number for those already at the International Wall, where there has been a black taxi mural since 2003. There are other WBTA murals in Beechmount and Ardoyne. The painters have signed the mural: Doherty’s Coal Merchant and Lyons Tea.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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The Blind Piper

2010-01-012026-04-30Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

If you’re willing to pay the piper, he will perhaps summon a taxi that will take you and yours out of town. This is the centre segment of a large board adorning the front of the West Belfast Taxi Terminal (next to Castle Court), copying The Limerick Piper by John Patrick Haverty (1794-1854) and this Ardoyne mural, which placed the piper under Cave Hill. In this version, the attending girl is smiling. In all three versions, the piper has no visible means of support. On each side are Jim-Fitzpatrick-style Celtic heroes – Nuada on the left (though perhaps meant to be Fıonn Mac Cumhaıll and the salmon of knowledge) and Sadb on the right, though a fawn blocks the view of her shorter-than-short skirt.

King Street/Francis Street, Belfast

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Copyright © 2010 Paddy Duffy
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Malvern Street Arch

2008-01-012025-12-05Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This mural shows Orange Order marchers in front of a banner depicting previous gatherings in Malvern St. The text on the side wall reads “This mural depicts Malvern St arch which was where the local community gathered to celebrate the traditional 12th of July commemoration.”

By Blaze FX in Hopewell Crescent, lower Shankill, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2008 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
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Free Derry Corner

2007-01-012025-11-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Since 2004, this size and style of lettering has been used on Free Derry Corner. The wall is sometimes painted in other colours and other designs. For a history, see the Visual History page for the front of the wall; there is also a page for the rear.

In the background, to the right, is The Petrol Bomber.

Lecky Road, Derry

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Copyright © 2007 Paddy Duffy
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Sandy Row Parade

2000-01-012025-11-12Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here (in three parts) is a wide community mural replacing the POW mural in Linfield Road, in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast, depicting a parade marching along Sandy Row past a lot of landmarks (not all in appearing as they actually do along the road).

From left to right, the buildings shown are: the Carnegie Library on Donegall Road, Weaver’s Court (which is at the end of the road that the mural is on), the Royal Bar (Hamilton’s), Gilpin’s shoe shop, Orange Hall, Murray’s tobacco factory, the Belfast & Ulster Brewery building (the courtyard of which was used as a drilling ground by the Ulster Volunteers), Sandy Row District No 5 (Fb) arch.

1998 Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoıl

1998-08-012025-10-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Sean Doran’s art for the cover of the programme for the 1998 Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoıl (Fb) was also produced on a large board in Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast.

Peace With Justice

1997-07-012025-10-23Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Peace with justice”, “Fáılte go dtí Bóthar Garbh Achaıdh”, “Re-route sectarian marches”.

Three murals were painted by three Belfast artists (DD, Marty Lyons, Mo Chara Kelly) in 1997 in Hurson Park (renamed from Churchill Park), Portadown, along the route of the Orange Order parade to and from Drumcree, in order to support the local residents who were attempting to block the march through the CNR Garvaghy Road.

In 1996, an initial decision to block the parade was overturned at the last minute, and 1,200 Orangemen marched down Garvaghy Road. The 1997 march also went ahead and “sit-down” protesters were physically removed from the road. (Here is 90 minutes of news footage from 1997 (youtube). There are brief clips of the muralists at work, at 20m44s, 28m48s, 35m16s, 37m32s, 43m26s, 53m23s, and 58m44s. The images of protestors being removed begin at 1h02m)

Féıle An Phobaıl

1996-09-012025-10-01Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Some of the programme from the 1996 festival is available in the ‘Extraordinary Women’ collection at the Linenhall Library. 1996 was also the first year of Féıle FM (“Triple FM”) (The Can).

Painted by Margaret McCann in Hawthorn Street, west Belfast