painted wall – Paddy Duffy Collection

Fine Heads

2026-03-152026-03-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Belfast match-maker Maguire & Paterson made matches under the brands Buffalo, Swift, Bo-Peep, and City Hall (and perhaps others). The factory was on the Donegall Road, on what became, for a time, the site of West Side Stores (and is now a set of houses facing the Park Centre. Here is an aerial view (on Fb) of the factory in 1947, when Celtic Park was still standing.

This tribute to the Belfast match is by Leo Boyd (web) in Beechmount Avenue, west Belfast.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Óıge Na bhFál

2026-03-102026-03-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Our youth, out culture, our community, our future”. This mural was painted in 2014 but the future for one of the clubs featured – Seán Mac Dıarmada/Seán Sean McDermott’s in the yellow with green stripe – was short-lived, as the club folded later the same year. The other club, Michael Davitt’s in the green, white, and gold strip, still exists.

Painted by Lucas Quigley in Sultan Way/Ross Road, Divis, west Belfast.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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An Lon Dubh Ar An Bhalla Bınne

2026-03-082026-03-19Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The blackbird on the gable wall.” This piece of Peaball (web) art is on the side of the credit union in Main Street, Claudy, commissioned by Derry Credit Union to celebrate its sixty-fifth anniversary (ig).

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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If I Have Erred, It Was Only Through Too Much Love

2026-03-082026-03-13Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Finvola of the O’Cahans was such a beauty that she was called the “gem of the Roe” – the Roe being the river that runs through Dungiven on its way from the Sperrins to Lough Foyle. She married Angus McDonnell of Islay, who could not bear, as promised, to return with her body when she died. Her family travelled to the Hebrides to reclaim the corpse and return it to Dungiven (Library Ireland). Her life was immortalised in the song ‘Finvola, Gem Of The Roe’. (Here is a version by Anne And Francie Brolly on youtube).

In this mural, Finvola’s long red hair represents the river, which flows towards Benbradagh Mountain.

Painted by Sheila Byrne with youths from Benbradagh Community Support (Fb) in Main Street, Dungiven (Derry Now).

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Strabane Wildlife

2026-03-082026-03-15Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are a tiger from Jam2 (ig), a pair of toucans from Junk Graff (both from June 2025) and (on the other side of the street) seals and ?a largemouth bass? from HMC (web) in November 2025. None of the animals are native to the Strabane rivers or countryside, though there are sometimes seals in Lough Foyle.

Painted for Love Strabane (web) in Castle Place, Strabane.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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The Golden Apples Of Lough Erne

2026-03-062026-03-12Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

In the myth of the Golden Apples Of Lough Erne (Yeats), Conn-Eda is given a seemingly impossible quest by his step-mother: to bring back three golden apples, a horse, and a hound in the possession of the king of the Fir Bolg, who lives in Lough Erne.

Little does he know that the horse that accompanies him on his adventures is the king’s brother, who has been bewitched, but who is released by self-sacrifice and Conn-Eda’s compassion, thus securing his success with the king. Conn-Eda returns riding the steed, leading the dog, and carrying the three golden apples from the king’s crystal tree.

This interpretation of Conn-Eda’s triumphant return is by Kevin McHugh (web), with support from Enniskillen BID (web), in Forthill Street, Enniskillen.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Remind Me To Bring A Bit Of Rope Tomorrow

2026-03-062026-03-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Samuel Beckett falls prey to the eternal optimism of the instragrammed mind. The quote – “Tomorrow everything will be better” –is from Act 1 of Waiting For Godot.

Street art by Karl Fenz (web) in Wellington Road, Enniskillen; Beckett attended Portora Royal public school (WP).

See also: I Can’t Go On. I’ll Go On.

Inıs Ceıthleann

2026-03-062026-03-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The town of Enniskillen – “Inıs Ceıthleann” in Irish – is named, according to a (modern) myth, for the (ancient) Cethlenn of the Fomorians, who attempted to escape a battle by swimming the Erne and made it to the island in the middle.

This street-art interpretation is by emic (web) on the back of Magee’s Bar on East Bridge Street, Enniskillen. It is perhaps inspired by the epithet “chraos-fhıaclach” or “gap-toothed”.

Respect Our Community

2026-03-012026-03-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Fáılte” [Welcome] to Moyard. The trend in painting electrical boxes (see the Visual History page) has been taken up in west Belfast, though many of the pieces are not by street-artists, as they all are in other areas of the city.

Here are three painted boxes from Springfield Park along with an additional box (the ‘donate’ hearts – see X11524) on the other side of the Springfield Road in Divismore Way, which join those seen in Bóthar Chluanaí, Gaırdín Na hÉıreann, and Perennials.