Focused Intervention

The Executive Office’s Communities In Transition programme aims to tackle “residual paramilitary activity and associated criminality” in eight areas of Northern Ireland, including the Northland/Sunnylands area of Carrickfergus, which until now has not had any street art. (It does have some community art, also sponsored by Communities In Transition.) They have sponsored this piece of street art by Aches (ig) — reproducing in overlapping triplicate a photograph of a local girl (Fb) taken by Derry photographer Megan Doherty (web) — in Drumhoy Drive, next to the ‘residual paramilitarism’ shown below: a Red Hand Commando board.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03517 T03516

We Welcome The Chase

“Let others come after us – we welcome the chase.” The exterior wall of the Carrickfergus Rangers Supporters Club presents a gallery of the club’s managers from 1899 to 2018. In order they are William Wilton, Bill Struth, Scot Symon, David White, William Waddell, Jock Wallace, John Greig, Graeme Souness, Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish, Paul Le Guen, Ally McCoist, Stuart McCall, Mark Warburton, Pedro Caixinha, Graeme Murty, Steve Gerrard (and since then, there have been Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, and (currently) Philippe Clement).

Also from the Club: Club: commemorative murals to the 36th Division in A Name That Equals Any In History | to the UDR in Some Gave All | to the Highland Fusiliers.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03500 T03496 T03502 T03497 T03501 T03498 T03499 T03493c T03492 T03491

A Name That Equals Any In History

“In memory to all who fought and gave their lives.” This is the tribute to the Ulster Division at the Carrickfergus Rangers Supporters’ Club, citing the words of Wilfrid Spender “I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday, the First of July [1916], as I followed their amazing attack, I felt that I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world.” (For more of Spender’s tribute to the 36th Division, see I Am Not An Ulsterman.)

For the names and information of the nine VC recipients, see Victoria Crosses or Repaying Their Memory.

Also from the Club: Club: a gallery of Rangers’ Managers in We Welcome The Chase | commemorative murals to the UDR in Some Gave All | to the Highland Fusiliers.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03488 T03490 [T03489] T03487

Some Gave All

“All gave some; some gave all.” During its twenty-two years of operation, 197 UDR soldiers were killed. The scroll on the left gives the dates of the regiment’s operation: 1970 (April 1) was the year it replaced the Special Constabulary, and 1992 (May 31) was the year seven of the nine battalions were amalgamated with the Royal Irish Rangers’ two battalions to form the (modern) Royal Irish Regiment (WP) – the piper in the top right is carrying a flag of the Royal Irish Regiment.

The inscription on the plaque reads: “Ulster Defence Regiment mural, dedicated on the 19th March 2016 by Chairman Roy Burton, Carrickfergus Glasgow Rangers Supporters Club [and] Chairman Stephen Weir, Carrickfergus Ulster Defence Regiment Association CGC. Lest we forget.”

The mural is at the Carrickfergus Rangers Supporters Club (Fb). Also from the Club: Club: a gallery of Rangers’ Managers in We Welcome The Chase | commemorative murals to the 36th Division in A Name That Equals Any In History | and to the Highland Fusiliers.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03494

Highland Fusiliers

March 10th was the 52nd anniversary of the killings of three Highland Fusiliers, Dougald McCaughey and teen-aged brothers Joseph and John McCaig, who were drinking in a city centre pub and lured to their deaths in north Belfast at the hands of the (Provisional) IRA. The killings led to the resignation of NI prime minister James Chichester-Clark and an increase, to 18, in the minimum age for service (WP).

There is a monument in Ballysillan and a stone to the three in Ligoniel near the spot where they were executed, and a mural in Rathcoole.

This mural is at the Rangers Supporters’ Club in Carrickfergus. Also from the Club: a gallery of Rangers’ Managers in We Welcome The Chase | commemorative murals to the 36th Division in A Name That Equals Any In History | to the UDR in Some Gave All.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T03495

The Hub

Castlemara Community Centre (Fb) got some new artwork to go with their signage from 2021 (Housing Executive). It’s mostly what you would expect for a kids’ centre – Mario and SpongeBob with anti-drugs and anti-bullying messages — but then there’s also the unfortunate black-and-orange logo on the right, suggesting a very different kind of hub – PornHub – “and chill”.

Initially discussed by r/nothernireland.

Prince Andrew Way, Carrickfergus.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03513 [T03512] [T03511]

100 Years Of The Covenant

The mural above uses the text of the Ulster Covenant, signed in September, 1912, as a backdrop to a composite of two photographs from 1914, showing Edward Carson speaking and a row of Ulster Volunteers, which were formed in January 1913.

Alain Miossec/Murals Irlande Du Nord has an image of the previous printed version, which is almost identical, apart from Stormont as a backdrop rather than the text of the Covenant.

Painted by Dee Craig (Fb) in Carnhill Walk, Castlemara, Carrickfergus.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03507 T03508

Free Palestine

The “occupied Palestinian territories” include the West Bank (including East or Arab Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, which, although governed by Palestinians since 2005, is still considered occupied due to Israel’s blockade and control of Gaza’s borders and seas (UN).

This new mural on Ascaıll Ard Na bhFeá/Beechmount Avenue/RPG Avenue in Belfast is prompted by the current attacks on, and siege of, Gaza by Israel in response to the attacks by Hamas that left more than 1,300 Israelis dead (Jerusalem Post). The mural perhaps uses the same stencil as in Springhill in 2014, reproducing a Carlos Latuff (Xitter) cartoon.

See also three posts from Derry: Free Palestine | Victory To Gaza | Ireland Supports Palestinian Resistance

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T03484