The new ‘Listening Ear’ murals on the interior garden wall of the Dunanney Centre, Rathcoole, were launched at the start of November by David Healy and Roy McGivern of Linfield FC (Fb). The mental-health messages – “be kind to your mind”, “we are here to listen”, “mental health is a priority”, “#youmattertous” – join the existing ‘community garden’ mural (above) and there’s also a panel of blackboard paint for kids to write and draw on.
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Thrive Newtownabbey (Fb) Ace Spray Works NI
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” Work to clean up and beautify Devlin’s Lane in Whiteabbey began in 2020, with the large butterfly mural shown above (Belfast Live); 15 (16?) boards showing local history were put in place in August 2021 (NIWorld | Belfast Live). The text on the ‘White Abbey’ panel comes directly from WP.
The project was organised by Whiteabbey Residents’ Association, with funding from Translink – the alley (official name, Abbeyville Place) runs to Whiteabbey train station.
The ‘Justice4Noah’ and ‘Your best is good enough’ panels seem to have a different origin.
The panels are presented here from north to south, beginning with the western side:
The wall then switches to the eastern side of the alley:
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Castlemara Community Centre (Fb) got some new artwork to go with their signage from 2021 (Housing Executive). It’s mostly what you would expect for a kids’ centre – Mario and SpongeBob with anti-drugs and anti-bullying messages — but then there’s also the unfortunate black-and-orange logo on the right, suggesting a very different kind of hub – PornHub – “and chill”.
Initially discussed by r/nothernireland.
Prince Andrew Way, Carrickfergus.
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In Japanese mythology, cranes are symbols of longevity because they are reputed to live for a thousand years (KZN). These cranes, however, were painted on September 24th by HM Constance (ig) and Zippy (ig) at the junction of Donegall Pass and Botanic Ave for the Open Botanic festival, and they were still in place on October 1st when the first two photos shown here were taken, but by October 4th the front fencing (on the Botanic Avenue side) had been painted over, taking out the crane on the right.
According to this BelTel article, the fence below the billboard is property of the ad company (JC Decaux) and not the landlord (who had given permission for the art), and so Decaux painted it over, as a neutral surround is part of the ad presentation. As can be seen from the fourth image, below, the painting-over included some of the side fencing, though this was done fairly carefully – it removed the head and wing of the wrap-around crane without touching the other crane.
Artist HMC expressed her disappointment, though noted that “street art is never permanent, it’s meant to be painted over by future artists or graff writers” (ig). Adam Turkington, director of Seedhead Arts, likewise decried the obliteration to the Telegraph, saying, “Who controls the aesthetic of our city? … Are we not allowed to have some beautiful art that’s not trying to sell us things?”
The graffiti was added on the 5th or 6th and was still visible yesterday (8th): “Street art is 4 the people – support your local artists!” We would expect Decaux to paint out the graffiti, in keeping with their policy. And perhaps HMC will restore the red sun and artist’s signature to the side panel. If either happens, this page will be updated.
See previously: the crane as a symbol of peace on the Cupar Way “peace” line: Tsuru.
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An anti-drug-dealing message (see Peace Impact Programme) has been added below the (2nd battalion North Antrim & Londonderry) UDA emblem (seen previously in 2012) in Linden Avenue, Coleraine.
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Here is a survey of the UDA boards in Carnany estate, Ballymoney. Many of these have been seen before (in Ulster’s Past Defenders, Ulster’s Present Defenders, The Terror, Threats, And Dread, and Ballymoney UDA). The anti-drugs board in the final image is new (see previously the one in Londonderry: Peace Impact Programme) and the one shown above and immediately below is an updated version of the board shown in Past, Present, For All Time. The dates given in the earlier version were 1972 and 2016; in this one, for “50 years of service”, they are 1971 and 2021. 1971 is the typical date given for the formation (in Belfast) of the the UDA; the 1972 date might have been a specific reference to the North Antrim And Londonderry brigade or the beginning of the Londonderry UDA’s actions, with bomb attacks on a factory and a pub in Donegal in October and November, 1972 (WP).
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“The blood our comrades shed shall not have been in vain. We honour Ulster’s dead and staunch we will remain.” better to die on your knees than live in an Irish republic don’t let drugs destroy your community declaration of arbroath
14 year-old Noah Donohoe went missing on June 21st while cycling in the York Road area en route from his south Belfast home to the Cave Hill. His body was found in a north Belfast storm drain six days later and the postmortem showed death by drowning (Irish News). Many details of his last hours remain unknown, however, including how he came to drown in the drain. His mother, Fiona, started a campaign on August 11th on Facebook and Twitter to press for answers and signatures are being collected for a petition into the PSNI handling of the case.
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Ciaran Gallagher (web) chronicled the various contests for the leadership of the Conservative party involving Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and Boris Johnson. The panels originally appeared in Hill Street, outside The Friend At Hand, (e.g. Circling Sharks) but have now been moved to the courtyard of the Dark Horse, replacing the Klondyke Bar. This level of panels ends with Sweet Rockall.
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Paddy Duffy Collection 