political – Page 3 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Marching Mental Health

2025-03-082025-04-05Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The shutters of the Peppercorn café on the Woodstock Road were painted with a WWI theme back in 2015 (In Flanders Fields) and were re-painted in late 2020.

The first panel (above) shows “our wee country” – Northern Ireland, on the occasion of its centenary.

The second features the “Light Of Foot” (web) programme supporting the mental health of bandsmen in Scotland and Northern Ireland. “Marching mental health”, “It’s okay to talk”.

The final panel reproduces (in reverse direction) John Singer Sergeant’s painting Gassed – for a photographic version, also in east Belfast, see Observe The Sons Of Ulster. “Their sacrifice, our freedom.”

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Poblacht Na hÉıreann

2025-02-092025-03-10Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

On April 24th, 1916, Patrick Pearse stood on the steps of Dublin’s General Post Office and read out a proclamation declaring an Irish republic; the proclamation had been prepared by the military council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood – Thomas Clarke, Seán Mac Dıarmada, Patrick Pearse, James Connolly, Thomas MacDonagh, Eamonn Ceannt, Joseph Plunkett – and their (printed) signatures were included at its end.

Copies of the proclamation were handed out on O’Connell Street and perhaps as many as 2,500 were printed in total (NMI) but now only about fifty copies remain (Irish Central). This giant copy of the proclamation was mounted in Melvin Road, Strabane, for the centenary of the Rising, reproducing (as the note at the bottom says) “a reproduction of the poster”. (For a discussion of attempts to recreate the Proclamation, as well as images of originals, see Type Foundry.)

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Revolutionaries

2025-02-092025-03-01Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Bobby Sands and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, together in Fountain Street, Strabane. The image of Che is Jim Fitzpatrick’s iconic interpretation of Alberto Korda’s “Guerrillero Heroico” photograph of Che – see the Visual History page on The Influence Of Jim Fitzpatrick.

This mural has been in place since (at least) 2008 – see Bobby & Che in the Peter Moloney Collection.

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Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
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Winky Rea

2025-01-312025-02-13Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A portrait of Winston Winky/Winkie Rea has been added to the gallery above the Red Hand Commando board in the upper Shankill, taking the place of a pesudo-Mark Twain quote that has been reproduced in a horizontal format above the quartet. (See the previous iteration.)

Like the other three, Rea was a RHC (or UVF) member who then became a member of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP). On the basis of his interview with the Boston College project, he was charged with crimes including two murders and two attempted murders (BBC | BBC). The trial was still on-going when he died in December of 2023.

“With courage and vision you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity. – Mark Twain [Keshavan Nair].”

Glenwood Street, upper Shankill, west Belfast

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Our Community Transformation

2025-01-262025-02-23Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Ivan Davis was a DUP and then UUP politician who was a Lisburn borough councillor (and mayor 1991-1993) and member of the Assembly for Lagan Valley from 1998 to 2003, before being ousted in favour of the anti-Agreement Jeffrey Donaldson (BBC). He died in 2020 (BelTel). The stone in his memory is in the garden at the top of Old Warren: “In memory of Ivan Davis O.B.E. Freeman of the city of Lisburn, a dedicated honourable public servant who worked tirelessly for the entire community of Lisburn.”

The boards on the wall were seen previously in 2023’s Conflict To Peace – which includes a colour photograph of the old UDA mural – and 2024’s Faith, Blood, Service, Sacrifice.

Avonmore Park, Old Warren, Lisburn

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When It Blows Full Blast

2024-12-122024-12-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

In addition to taking out the top of the UVF mural in Mount Vernon (see Taken By Storm), Storm Darragh (on the night of Friday 6th/Saturday 7th) also knocked down part of the long wall on Northumberland Street (Visual History) between the two sets of security gates, taking with it most of the extended “Imagine” board (see Hope And History; the original portion was mounted for International Peace Day (“[2]1st September” visible in the final image) in 2011 – see Imagine).

The piece on the right, with the Seamus Heaney quote, is partly gone, revealing (in the image above) the old mural supporting (Manchester) United’s Big Lily.

For the art on the gates, see Ambassadors For Peace.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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The Memory Of Our Dead

2024-11-172024-11-30Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Beır bua – It is the responsibility of the living to keep alive the memory of the dead.” This is the second ‘Working Class Heroes’ piece in Ballymurphy. The other, from 2014, features Tommy “Toddler” Tolan, who appears here to the left of the phoenix.

The plaque on the right reads “This mural was unveiled by Johnny Doc and Maureen Tolan, 5th November, 2023.” There is video of the launch on Facebook, which contains a reading of the names of all the people pictured from the 1m 57s mark onwards.

Glenalina Crescent, Ballymurphy, west Belfast

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Courage, Dignity And Determination

2024-10-042024-10-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“They gave their lives for their comrades in the struggle for Irish freedom. They did so with courage, dignity and determination.”

The previous piece in this location – A Letter To The 22 – included ten dead hunger strikers from the before the Troubles; this new piece includes only the twelve Troubles-era strikers: Michael Gaughan from 1974 and Frank Stagg from 1976 (on the left and right in the image above) and the “ten men dead” from the 1981 strike: Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Ray McCreesh, Patsy O’Hara, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Tom McIlwee, Michael Devine, and – in pride of place – Joe McDonnell, who was raised on the Falls but lived as an adult in the nearby Lenadoon area.

“Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.”

Shaw’s Road, west Belfast.

Whitehead Temperance

2024-09-202025-06-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Benjamin West painted The Battle Of The Boyne in 1778 and his composition – with William moving from left to right on a white horse and Marshal Schomberg dying in the bottom-right corner – has become the standard representation in loyalist culture, perhaps due to versions of it appearing on the covers of songbooks for the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys soon after (Belinda Loftus 1982 Images In Conflict). It appears here on the wall of Whitehead Orange Hall, along with a board connecting service by Irish soldiers in British forces in WWI and Afghanistan (see previously: The Sacrifice Remains the Same in east Belfast).

Fare You Well – Your Suit Is Cold

2024-09-132024-10-07Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

According the Antrim & Newtownabbey Council press-release, the new statue of Queen Elizabeth (and two corgis) unveiled on September 6th next to last year’s statue of Prince Philip in Antrim Castle Gardens “captures Her Majesty in a dignified pose, reflecting her grace, steadfastness and lifelong service to public service”. Others are not so sure that it captures Elizabeth at all, including the A&N’s own councillor Vera McWilliam, who told the BBC that “it does not resemble the queen in any shape or form” (BBC); the controversy was reported on as far afield as Australia, India, and the US.

Both pieces were “sculptured” by Anto Brennan (NVTv profile), who also did the bust of Mary-Ann McCracken opposite Clifton House (seen in The World Affords No Enjoyment Equal To That Of Promoting The Happiness Of Others).

See also Artnet for this and other recent controversies over the paintings of UK royals.