painted wall

How Nobly They Fight And Die

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Soldiers from the 36th (Ulster) division in the trenches of WWI prepare to go ‘over the top’. One waits for the precise moment according to his watch, ready to fire a shot, while the other prepares to blow a whistle and launch a flare.

There is no definitive source for the quotation, and many sources are at odds, but all agree on the basic wording and that the words belong to George V: “Throughout the long years of struggle, [which now so gloriously ended,] the men of Ulster have proved [on many fields] how nobly they fight and die.” The date is given as ‘November 16’ or as ‘December’ 1918, and possibly come from a note sent to Edward Carson. The quote also appears on the Ulster Tower in Thiepval (Ulster Tower) and on the Cenotaph in Belfast (WP).

Included below is a “Booked UVF” on an adjacent wall. Queens Avenue, Glengormley.

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South East Antrim Remembers

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“Dedicated to the officers & volunteers of 2nd battalion.” This 2017 South East Antrim 2nd battalion UDA/UFF mural in Glengormley lists the battalion’s areas: Rathcoole, Monkstown, Whitewell, Greenisland, Rathfern, Shore Rd, Glengormley, Carrickfergus, Larne, Braidside [Ballymena], Whitehead, Ballymena, Antrim, Ballycarry, Ballyclare, Newtownards.

Replaces They Live With Us in Queen’s Avenue, Glengormley, Newtownabbey

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Sailortown Dockers

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This is a mural of a painting of a mural of a mural. The original is the piece by Terry Bradley (web) and Friz (web) at the Titanic museum’s pub (see Dockers’ Rest), which was then reproduced in a different colour for the opening montage of the Kenneth Branagh film Belfast. The success of the film prompted the Department Of Justice to commission Bradley for a painting that could be turned into a mural and he reproduced the film version (BelTel). The mural that enlarges that painting was painted by DMC on Lanark Way, just above the security gates (Belfast Live).

“The dockers who feature in the painting are inspired by real characters and men Terry remembers walking home from the shipyard when he was a child. These hardworking men from Sailortown, Belfast, show a glimpse into the past of the shipyard pubs, where the men congregated after a hard day’s work.”

With support from R-City (web).

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S Company, C Company

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Joe Coggle and Paul McClelland were arrested as they sat with weapons in a car on the Falls Road in 1991; they were jailed for 18 years (Independent) but released under the Agreement. The Sunday World also report that the pair were involved in the killing of David Braniff in 1989. Both UVF men are said to be deceased; Coggle died in September.

Coggle had previously served 18 months for running over and killing Elizabeth Masterson in Beechmount in 1986 and her descendants objected to the mural (Irish News | BBC).

S Company was a predecessor to C Company; it existed from 1969 to 1974, when C Company was formed (see M08105 for an older S Coy – C Coy mural in Ballygomartin). A previous UVF uzi can be seen in M01186.

For the mural of five volunteers to the right (in the wide shot), see C Coy Street.

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Donegall Street Street Art

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Here are five in a row on Donegall Street, in Belfast city centre, plus one from the other side of the street. Above is a 2018 piece by Alice Pasquini called ‘Glide’. The others are by …
Bust (2022)
Glen Molloy (2017)
Glen Molloy (2020?)
Lobster Robin (2022)
StarFighterA (2015)

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Respect

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On the left, singer Aretha Franklin is quoted as saying, “We all require and want respect, man or woman, black or white. It’s our basic human right.”

Before he died (in 2005), Belfast-born soccer-player George Best (on the right) asked that people “remember me for my football” and the phrase became the title of a Best retrospective.

Glen Molly (ig) street art in Hill Street.

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