Woodstock Wader

The grey heron is common throughout Ireland (Ulster Wildlife) including the walls of the Cregagh Road (the side of Haus Of Hair, site of Glen Molloy’s tribute to Carrie Fisher).

The work is by Sheffield artist Peachzz (ig), organised by Cregagh-Woodstock Traders (Fb) with support from Belfast City Council (web).

Also in the Woodstock-Cregagh project: Down The Woodstock | Up The Cregagh | Back On The Streets

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Between The Bridges

Landmarks of Enniskillen and Lough Erne are depicted in this “Enniskillen” mural by Danni Simpson (ig) and Karl Fenz (ig) for Experience Enniskillen (web).

Clockwise from the peaked roofs in the bottom left: Lough Erne resort, Enniskillen courthouse, Cole’s Monument, the Cuilcagh Boardwalk (which is featured in Stairway To Heaven), Enniskillen town hall, the bandstand at Cole’s Monument, the Butter Market, Enniskillen Castle, the red heart “selfie frame” in the Broadmeadow (Impartial Reporter), with Marble Arch Caves and fishing on Lough Erne (see also Pike Fishing In Enniskillen) at the bottom.

The piece is in East Street Bridge, on the side wall of Fermanagh Cottage Industries in front of the Presbyterian Church.

Also by the same pair in Cavehill, Belfast: Fowl Play (Swan) | Outfoxed | Squirrelled Away.

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Róısín Dubh

“A Róısín, ná bíodh brón ort fé’r éırigh dhuıt”/Róısín, be not sad about what has happened to you”. The song ‘Róısín Dubh’ [usually translated as ‘Dark Rosaleen’] is a love song to Ireland, in which the infatuated singer recounts the lengths he would go to on her behalf (song (youtube): Muıreann Nıc Amhlaoıbh | Caıtlín Maude | poem/lyrics in English: Mangan | Kinsella at WP).

This new piece in the New Lodge, north Belfast, was painted (presumably) by emic (ig), (presumably) under the same auspices as, and as a thematic complement to, the project we reported on in Communities In Transition. The lack of explicitly nationalist or republican signifiers is perhaps necessary if the piece is to be funded by Communities In Transition, while the cultural reference is perhaps necessary if the art is to survive on what has for the past dozen years been an anti-Agreement wall – see Damn Your Concessions, England and Unbowed, Unbroken. Another emic piece, in Creggan, Derry, has been marked with republican graffiti – see Stand Up And Speak Out. This very skilful piece walks a very fine line very precisely.

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Gaırdín Thomáıs Uí Chléırıgh

Thomas Clarke/Tomás Ó Cléırıgh (b. 1858) has a long career in Irish fenianism, including fleeing to America after firing at police (at age 20) and 15 years of hard labour for an attempted bombing in London, beginning in 1883 (DIB). He is best known for his role, along with Sean Mac Dıarmada (The Mainspring), as architect of the Easter Rising. He is particularly honoured in Dungannon, where he grew up from the age of nine onward, the last posting of his British-Army–sergeant father. This statue in the Lisnahull area was unveiled (in this location) in late November 2021 (We Are Tyrone | NI World).

The circular placard is on O’Neill Park, across the street from the Garden.

The ‘East Tyrone Remembers’ board to IRA volunteers Sean Loughran, Patrick Carty, Patrick Quinn, Patrick McDonald, Kevin Murray, Paddy Kelly, Patrick Vincent – either this one exactly or a re-print of it – is mounted periodically. It first appeared in 2010 to be replaced by the Clonoe Martyrs. It was back again in 2013 and has been in place since 2017.

See previously from Lisnahull: Ireland’s Hunger Strike Martyrs

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New Lodge Volunteers

Twenty portraits in circular frames have replaced the twenty-one square portraits seen on the ‘Out Of The Ashes Of 1969’ mural in the New Lodge. From left to right, those portrayed are Michael P Neill, Seamus McCusker, Gerard Crossan, Colm Mulgrew, Francis Liggett, Brian Fox, John Kelly, Robert Allsopp, Louis Scullion, Billy Reid, Danny O’Hagan, Michael Kane, Sean McIlvenna, Jim O’Neill, Rosemary Bleakley, Martin McDonagh, James McCann, James Sloan, Dan McCann. Paddy McManus is no longer included, as compared with the earlier portraits.

For the mural without any portraits, at the time of its launch in 2012, see X00857.

See also the New Lodge IRA memorial garden.

New Lodge Road, north Belfast.

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North Down UVF

Each quadrant of Down (north, south, east, west) gave rise to a battalion of Ulster Volunteers, and North Down comprised 15 companies, almost doubling the typical British-Army size of eight companies (History Ireland; see also another History Ireland article on the initially sporadic development of the Volunteers out of Unionist Clubs).

Upon the outbreak of the Great War, the Down volunteers joined the 13th battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, which were assigned to the 108th brigade of the 36th Division of the British Army.

The mural shown in this entry is a recent repainting; the previous version was painted in 2017 (and originally c. 2007 – see M03697).

See also: Only A Few Minutes – a memorial mural to Bangor native James Samuel Davidson, of the 108th and a North Down volunteer.

Clandeboye Road, at the bottom of the Kilcooley estate.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Back On The Streets

This shelf of cassette tapes is a new mural by Blaze FX (web) at Portallo Street on the Woodstock Road, east Belfast, part of the wave of street art being along the avenue (see previously: Down The Woodstock | Up The Cregagh).

Van Morrison (who was with Them before going solo), Gary Moore, David Holmes, and members of Rudi (Spit) and The Defects (Spit), grew up in east Belfast, as did Thin Lizzy’s guitarist Eric Bell. (Comment/Get in touch if you know of any SLF connection to east Belfast.)

The odd tape out here is the Cut La Roc/David Holmes ‘Stars X2’ live recording from Coventry’s ‘Eclipse’ nightclub, which is from 1999 (Old Skool Anthems) while the rest are from the sixties and seventies.

The “Cregagh-Woodstock Traders” (Fb) pencil (on the right) is presumably for re-spooling the tape after you pull it out and fix the tangle.

See also: Morrison, Moore, Holmes and Bell are all included in the Luminaries And Legends mural at Connswater.

For the Belfast punk scene of the late 1970s and early 80s, see also Belfast Has The Reason.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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