cultural – Page 34 – Paddy Duffy Collection

From The Boyne To Afghanistan

2012-07-122026-08-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are two murals from the Times Bar in York Road, north Belfast.

First (above), a mural celebrating the Northern Ireland football team with the slogan “our wee country”. George Best is on the left and David Healy on the right.

Second, under the title “Faugh-A-Ballagh”, the motto of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (and more recently of the Royal Irish Regiment), a mural commemorating Irish and Northern Irish service in the British military. Robert Blair “Paddy” Mayne is featured on the left (WP). A plaque in the middle reads: In memory of Pte. F.G. Dolloghan, Parachute Regt. Killed at the Nijmegan Bridges, Holland, Sept. 1944. (WWII’s Operation Market Garden (WP))

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Copyright © 2009/2010/2011/2012 Paddy Duffy
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Midland Boxing Club

2012-07-112026-08-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Carl ‘The Jackal’ Frampton is featured here in the apex of the ‘Midland Boxing Club’ board, alongside his Irish featherweight title. Frampton is managed and promoted by Barry McGuigan. Here is a 2013 video profile of Frampton by The Guardian. As he mentions in the video, Frampton (who is Protestant) married a Catholic, while McGuigan (who is Catholic, from Clones) married a Protestant.

The board is unusual in that it is tailored to the full size of the gable wall.

Cultra Street, Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast

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We Support Our Troops

2012-07-062026-08-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The photograph of a stretchered soldier giving a ‘thumbs up’ (shown below) was set up and photographed by Captain Ed Hodges of the King’s Royal Hussars in Basra, Iraq, in 2007 (Daily Mail). In silhouette (as shown here) it has become the icon of the Help For Heroes charity raising money for British forces.

Moltke Street, Village, south Belfast

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Copyright © 2011/2012 Paddy Duffy
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Persistence Of Belfast Memory

2012-01-242026-08-10Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Time becomes distorted under the influence of Guinness and Salvador Dali and his Persistence of Memory in the entry that leads from Donegall Street to the Duke Of York. (The supports/tripods are from “Sleep”; the horse is from “The Temptation of St. Anthony”) Dali’s original is only 9.5 x 13 inches. This is the centre part of a larger mural; there are also three images of Dali in the windows above the archway. (The Spaniard bar in Skipper Street, one block south of the Duke Of York, also featured Dali on its sign.)

Also in the entry is BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, in both young and old appearances. Peel is famous in Northern Ireland for his love of the song “Teenage Kicks” by Derry group The Undertones (WP). Peel died in 2004 (WP) and a line from the song – “Teenage dreams so hard to beat” – was used in a tribute mural under the M3 on-ramp in east Belfast.

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Copyright © 2012 Paddy Duffy
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Imagine

2012-01-132026-08-01Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of new murals on the International Wall in Divis Street and Northumberland Street – compare to 2010. The ‘Imagine’ piece is between the security gates.

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Copyright © 2012 Paddy Duffy
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Fáılte Go Dtí West Belfast

2012-01-122026-08-01Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Welcome to west Belfast”. West Belfast is portrayed as a place of music, sport, and dancing, whose landmark buildings and streets are under the watchful eye (and sword) of the goddess Érıu.

The image of the little boy with the “I [heart] Belfast” stickers and a bag of sweets, standing in the waste ground of Divis flats, is a photograph from the early days of Féıle An Phobaıl/West Belfast Festival.

On the Divis Street side, characters in the style of cartoonist Cormac (see e.g. Notes) are “Promoting west Belfast tourism” for “Fáılte Feırste Thıar”, “www.visitwestbelfast.com“. The attractions touted are: “Bop at the August “fleadh”. “Craıc agus ceol” (for Robert Ballagh’s dove coming out of the concrete block, see Féile An Phobail 2008), “The only thing you have here is “choice”. Tar ısteach agus (lıg do scíth)”. “Baın sult as. Tá mé ag éısteacht le Raıdıó Fáilte 107.1 FM”, “For more ideas on things to do, visit Oıfıg Fáılte at An Chultúrlann. There’s really nice food there too! at Caıfe Feırste”, “If it’s history you want go on a cemetery tour “City or Milltown””, “Enjoy a walk on ‘Slıabh Dubh’ (The black … … mountain)”, “Make sure you visit the “Irish republican history museum” at Conway Mill” (with ‘Long Kesh University Of Freedom’ sweater; “Sinn Féin touts” is not a sweater but graffiti.)

Cumann Spóırt An Phobaıl

2012-01-102026-08-01Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This mural (partly on boards, partly on the wall) celebrates 125 years of the GAA, particularly local teams Cumman [sic] Spóırt An Phobaıl, Cardinal O’Donnell’s, Gort Na Móna, and Cumann Naomh Eoın.

Whiterock Road, west Belfast

Arising From The Troubles

2011-01-082026-07-31Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Tommy Sands records under his own name, as “the Sands Family” (with his siblings | web | Fb) and, as shown here, “with Moya & Fionán” (his children). This Northumberland Street mural was up towards the security gates just below Sean Garland.

Northumberland Street, west Belfast

Sean Maguire

2011-01-032026-07-31Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Ceol gan teoraınn” – “unlimited music” or “music without boundaries”. Belfast’s Sean Maguire (also McGuire) (1927-2005) was an All-Ireland fiddle champion and world-wide ambassador for traditional music (WP). The Short Strand artist’s signature can be seen in the bottom corner.

Iveagh Parade, middle Falls, west Belfast