social

Band Of Brothers

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This board has a dual purpose. On the one hand, it was part of celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain, which was waged from July to October in 1940. On the other, it is part of an anti-racism project, celebrating in particular the contributions to the Battle made by roughly 145 Polish aviators (WP) and especially the 303 squadron: “The Polish nation – part of us then, part of us now”. The 303 was later stationed in Northern Ireland for a time. (BBC-NI)

The artist is Ross Wilson. The colour version of the central photograph is available at the Housing Executive’s write-up of the project. Other reports: Belfast Live | NewsLetter

This is the second copy of this board – the first was damaged by an arson attack in 2018.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
[T01449] T01450

Ring Of Peace

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The speech balloons that were added to the Ring Of Peace mural in Waring Street to advertise office space are still there, seven years later.

The bubbles read “Forget it, Muriel. I’m moving my business to CQHQ without you!” “Oh Jeff … It’s too close to the City Centre! I want to be with nature …”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01398

Kent Street Street Art

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here is a gallery of the street art in Kent Street, starting, above, with Mr Cenz’s 2021 piece. In order, below, we have work by …

Curtis Hylton (2022)
ESTR (2019)
Leo Boyd (2022)
Alana McDowell (2022)
Glen Molloy (2022)
Conor McClure (2022)
NRMN (2022)
HMConstance (2022)
Kilian (2022)
Kerrie Hanna (2022)
Dan Leo (2016)
Bust (2022)
Conzo + Glöbel (2018)
… north side of the street …
ADW (2022)
JMK (2022)
emic (2016)

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01385 [T01383] T01384
T01356 T01357 T01358 T01362 T01363 T01364 T01365 T01366 T01367 T01372 T01369 T01371
T01360 [T01359] T01361 T01355

Same Story, Same Bigotry

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Londoner Stephen Lawrence was murdered by stabbing in 1993 and, although arrests were made, no charges were brought. A 1998 public inquiry found that the Metropolitan Police Service was “institutionally racist”. In 2012, two of the original suspects were found guilty of the murder (WP). Catholic Robert Hamill was beaten to death by loyalists in Portadown in 1997 while police in an RUC land-rover looked on (WP).

Brompton Park, Belfast. The same board (in slightly different colours) appeared in Artana Street, south Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01310

What Would Socrates Do?

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Holy Cross [Boys] Primary School [“HCPS”] distributes student into four “houses” within the school for motivational purposes but unlike the four houses of Hogwarts (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin) these are named for famous philosophers. Students in all seven years take one hour of philosophy a week – staff are trained by The Philosophy Foundation (HCPS Prospectus) – and they now have a mural just outside the school gates to encourage them in the four “R”s – “reflective, reasoned, responsive, re-evaluative”. The mural shows a student (Conor) sitting in the pose of Auguste Rodin’s Le Penseur/The Thinker, bringing to mind sayings of the four philosophers: (from left to right) “Quality is not an act, it is a habit” – Aristotle; “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think” – Socrates; “He who knows only his own side knows little” – JS Mill; “Philosophy begins in wonder” – Plato.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01165 [T01166]

Look After Each Other

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The former Ardoyne IRA memorial garden is now Ardoyne Youth Club’s ‘Garden Of Hope’, launched by Mayor John Finucane and actor Tim McGarry (‘Da’ from Give My Head Peace) on September 10th to coincide with World Suicide Prevention Day – see second image, below. (The celtic cross went to the new (2017+) memorial garden between Bulter Walk and Herbert Street; the plaque’s location – see final image – is unknown.)

“Be strong enough [to stand alone, smart enough] to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it” is a quote from financier Ziad Abdelnour (whose ‘strong’ promises of return on investment made him the subject of an investigation by the [US] Securities & Exchange Commission). It is used here in modified form in this anti-suicide mural encouraging Ardoyne youth (and others) to seek help for depression from Lifeline, PIPS, Samaritans, Lighthouse, Bridge Of Hope, Extern, Suicide Awareness And Support Group, .

The other quote – “I believe that the basic attribute of mankind is to look after each other” – is from Fred Hollows, New Zealand-born ophthalmologist, initially famous for treating trachoma in Aborigines.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01164

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The civic spirit of Bedfordshire’s Captain Tom Moore has been celebrated in murals across the UK, including this one by Blaze FX in Clonduff. Moore attempted to raise funds for the NHS during covid by doing laps around his garden with his walker in advance of his hundredth birthday. He originally aimed at raising 1,000 pounds but ended up raising 30 million after the effort went viral.

On the left is a tree cross-section (or “tree disk”) (on the left) that has been decorated with a hooded gunman and the insignia of the (east Belfast) UVF and YCV, along with a printed board with “The uniform may have changed but the cause remains the same. Ulster Volunteer Force” around the UVF emblem and “Fallen, not forgotten” below. There is a very close variant of this wording on a mural in Bowtown (Newtownards).

Tullyard Way, Castlereagh

Update, 2024: the mural has been – mostly – blacked out

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01050 [T01051]
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04030