painted wall

Sword Beach, June 6th 1944

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The plaque in the bottom-right corner reads, “Dedicated to Sergeant George Arthur Horner 27/03/1927 Royal Ulster Rifles 14464865 — “Carrickfergus’ Oldest Veteran” and to all other veterans who served in HM Armed Forces.” Horner turned 99 a few days after this mural of D-Day was unveiled (on March 22nd) and he was awarded the freedom of Mid- And East-Antrim Borough (web). He served in the second battalion of the Royal Ulster Rifles, and landed on Sword Beach during the D-Day landings in June 1944 (Fb).

Painted by DanK (web) in Carnhill Walk, Castlemara, Carrickfergus, replacing 100 Years Of The Covenant.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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All Gave Some

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This entry updates a similar entry from 2022 with images and close-ups of the now-faded red and orange paint in the mural on the back wall of the “36th (Ulster) Division Victoria Cross Memorial Garden”.

For close-ups of the board picturing the WWI VC winners, see The Dead We Honour Here. “‘Throughout the long years of struggle … the men of Ulster have proved how nobly they fight and die’ – King George V, 16th November, 1918”

St Leonard’s Crescent/old Newcastle Street, east Belfast

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Mercedes Gleitze

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Mercedes Gleitze was an open-water endurance swimmer who achieved various feats, including swimming the English Channel and the Straits Of Gibraltar. She also attempted to swim the North Channel eight times, starting on four occasions from Donaghadee (Brighton Museum), site of these drawings by artist Vanessa Daws (web | Swimming A Long Way Together) – herself an open-water swimmer – on a shelter on Commons Park.

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Show One’s Teeth

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Here are the results of a recent paint-jam in the Project 24 space near Bangor Marina. From top to bottom (left to right on the wall):

Nozzle-headed cats by ?Imogen Donegan (ig) and Ana Fish (ig)?,
a spooky sprayer by Critter (ig),
a toothsome skull by ANCO and (A)SEK (ig) of TMN,
a (painted and not in fact) sewn face by Codo (ig),
a cigarette smoker by Féoıl (ig),
a smiling shark by Keyto (ig), and
writing by TORE

2025-12 Twist The Sinews Of Thy Heart
2025-06 Love All Round Ye
2025-04 Shrunken Heads
2024-11 Zoom! (which includes Glen Molloy’s remaining JOHNDEN piece, which can be seen in the wide shot, below)
2024-04 How About This For Art?
2023-11 Stop Ruining Art
2023-04 Around Every Corner
2023-01 This Is Not The Same As Every Day

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Nature Does Not Hurry

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A “living mural” on and around the wall around the Ark Housing (web) in Millisle, Co Down, was announced last (2025) summer (Newtownards Chronicle) with art by Blaze FX (ig) complemented by planters. So far, it seems that only background colours and various line-drawings of wildlife have been completed.

With support from the Millisle And District Community Association (Fb) and Ulster Wildlife (Fb).

Ballymacruise Drive, Millisle

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Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
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Fine Heads

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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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Óıge Na bhFál

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“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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