painted wall – Page 35 – Paddy Duffy Collection

After We Are Gone

2024-08-032024-11-07Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Patsy O’Hara was born in 1957 Bishop Street, Derry, and joined Na Fıanna in 1970 and the local Sınn Féın cumann in 1971 and, in August was shot in the leg by British soldiers. In 1972 he joined the Republican Clubs and in 1975 the IRSP. He was imprisoned multiple times, the final time being in January 1979 for possession of a hand grenade (Bobby Sands Trust). He went on hunger strike 41 years ago tomorrow (March 22nd) and was the first of the three INLA hunger strikers to die in 1981. The long-standing mural in Bishop Street was repainted for the 40th anniversary of his death. (For the previous version, see Let The Fight Go On.)

“Óglach Patsy O’Hara, INLA Derry Brigade, Irish hunger striker, who died after 61 days on 21st May 1981, age 23. Last words ‘Let the fight go on’.”

“After we are gone, what will you say you were doing? Will you say you were with us in our struggle or where you conforming to very system that drove us to our deaths?” – these words also appeared in the 2013 mural to O’Hara on Shaws Road, west Belfast.

Bishop Street, Derry

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Conspicuous Gallantry

2024-08-032024-11-10Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Dedicated to the memory of the men and women who served with the UDR C.G.C (Conspicuous Gallantry Cross) under OPERATION BANNER during the Troubles. Lest we forget. Also in memory of local veteran Geoffrey Lindsay who passed away on the 12th November 2022.”

The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is shown (in the close-up below) at the top of the board; it was awarded to the UDR retroactively in 2006 for its role in ‘Operation Banner’, i.e. the deployment of British Army troops to Northern Ireland – the regiment had been folded into the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992. The mural is specifically to the 5th (Co. Londonderry) battalion – here is a list of the 11 battalions (and bases).

There is also a UDR information board (and an Ulster Volunteers board) in the green-space in front of this mural – see Leckagh Remembers The Fallen.

The memorial mural to the 36th (Ulster) Division on the end wall has also been completed since last (2023) year – in-progress images for both murals from last August are included below. For the previous murals on these walls, see C07766.

Two other pieces are included, below: the UVF mural was seen last year in Pause, Reflect, Remember; the ‘Ignite the fire’ board appears to be new.

Leckagh Drive, Magherafelt

August 27th green-washing of previous mural:

August 27th in-progress image of mural immediately above:

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Hit The Coast

2024-08-022024-09-03Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The pillars under the Harbour Highway at Bridge Street were repainted on July 28th in a jam called “Hit The Coast”. The wall along the back of the space was also painted, along with the large piece above on the back wall of Ruby’s, to give approximately 37 total pieces. Where known, the artist(s) is given in the caption.

These images were taken on August 2nd, after Wee Nuls repaired several pieces that were vandalised soon after painting (BelTel).

For images from the artists at work, see Grahame Morrison’s ig. For the previous (2022) paint jam, see Be The Change.

Shona Hardie (ig) + Zippy (ig) + Kerrie Hanna (ig)

Shane Ha (ig) + Niall OL (ig) + Ink Fun (ig)

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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pillars: T05097 T05100 T05099 T05101 [T05102] T05103 T05104 T05105 T05106 T05107 T05108 T05109 T05110 T05111 T05112 T05113 T05114 T05115 T05116 T05117 (wide T05139 [T05138] [T05140]) T05118 T05122 T05123 T05141 T05142

The Man Who Saved Barcelona

2024-07-302025-06-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Don Patricio/Patrick O’Connell mural at the bottom of the Whiterock Road has been refreshed for this year’s Féıle. The major change is in the middle of the mural, where Lionel Messi – who went to Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and then to Inter Miami in 2023 – has been replaced by current stars Aitana Bonmatí and Lamine Yamal. (A modern soccer-ball replaces the leather ball of the original mural, patches have been added to O’Connell’s jacket, and the FAI trophy and the large Cup Winner’s medal has been removed to make room for Bonmatí.) The new mural was relaunched on August 2nd with an address by the director of the FC Barcelona museum at Camp Nou (Belfast Media).

For more – on O’Connell’s career as a player and manager, the emblems in the stands, and the headlines on the newspaper – see Don Patricio.

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Everlasting

2024-07-272024-09-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Street and ceramic artist Malarko (ig | profile) replaced his own previous art on this wall on the side of the Sunflower bar (from 2013) – see No Topless Bathing.

July 25th:

July 24th:

Lucky Me, Lucky You

2024-07-272025-01-04Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This piece of street art by Zippy (web) was originally intended for Hit The North 2024 but she didn’t find time to paint it until later, as she was busy organising the event itself. At the time, the green frame was painted but then the gates were covered with yellow stickers – see All This Scratching Is Making Me Itch.

Library Street, Belfast city centre

Quoth The Raven, “Evermore”

2024-07-252024-08-01Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A new board was unveiled on July 1st 2024, by the 1st Raven Somme Society and The Loyal (Fb) at the Raven social club (Fb), putting together the Ulster Tower (see e.g. A Thought Is Not A Lot), JP Beadle’s painting of the 36th going ‘over the top’ (see The Trenches Have Vanished Under The Ploughs) and Wilfrid Spender’s famous quote about the first day of the Battle Of The Somme (see I Would Rather Be An Ulsterman).

This board takes the place of the King Charles board (seen previously in Long Live The King), which has been moved to the other side of Castlereagh Street and joined by the board that it replaced, to Queen Elizabeth (both on top of some old (2012) panels depicting east Belfast of yesteryear – see Shipyard Workers).

Say It With Flowers

2024-07-192024-08-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Verz’s (ig) Hindu man on the side of the Hospice Shop in Finaghy was paint-bombed back in December (2023) even before it had been completed (see Tilaka) and after subsequent vandalism was “removed following community engagement”. At a subsequent meeting, Nisha Tandon (CAP profile) of ArtsEkta (web) (whose grant is paying for this and other south Belfast murals) was subject to racist remarks (Belfast City Council’s South Belfast Area Working Group – pdf). At a June 5th meeting (Fb), however, this design by emic (web) – of a bunch flowers being offered from one person to another – was accepted.

The in-progress shot (final image) is from August 7th

Through The Middle Of Lidl

2024-07-192024-07-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The gates in the “peace” line at Kells Avenue, Stewartstown, are unlocked each morning at seven, allowing people to walk between to walk between Lenadoon and Blacks Road (the Lidl is on the Lenadoon side) until they are locked each evening at seven. The gates were painted by emic (ig) in December 2022, with PEACE IV funding (Belfast City Council).

The Stewartstown/Lenadoon side: