sculpture/carving – Paddy Duffy Collection

The Shipyard Church

2026-10-112026-10-12Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Welcome to Titanic People, a celebration of the intelligence, creativity and courage of people who define this legendary Belfast neighbourhood. The spot where you’re standing may seem like a rather unremarkable part of Belfast, but it’s the epicentre of some of the city’s most remarkable citizens and their fascinating life stories. Some famous, other relatively unknown, but each born or employed within the sound of the shipyards’ riveters’ hammers and all with compelling personal histories that continue to reverberate locally and internationally. Westbourne Presbyterian Church whose grounds play host to this exhibition, is known locally as the Shipyard Church due to its proximity to Belfast’s famous docks and the home of the world-famous ship builders, Harland & Wolff. Opened in 1880, many of the workers who helped to build RMS Titanic would have brought their families here each week for Sunday Worship. It still serves a local congregation today and the pews inside haven’t changed. When you’ve finished reading about Titanic People, you are more than welcome to come inside and take the same seats occupied by those shipyard workers more than a century ago.”

Among those profiled are James Ellis, Marie Jones, Rev. John Redmond, St John Greer Ervine, Brian Desmond Hurst, and Henry Pottinger.

The installation surrounds the front entrance of Westbourne Presbyterian, the “Shipyard Church”, which was built in 1877 (Stone Database). To the right is a new WWII memorial (City Council planning application), shown last below.

The German Luftwaffe blitzed Belfast on four occasions in April and May of 1941, targeting especially the industrial yards of east Belfast, including H&W shipbuilding and Short Brothers. Nearby streets were hit in the attacks (see Belfast Blitz), and some suffered very heavy damage, including Thistle, Tower, and Westbourne streets. Westbourne Presbyterian church was hit during the war, but survived.

Newtownards Road, east Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T09637 T09638 T09639 T09640
T09636

The Friends’ Goodwill

2026-10-092026-10-16Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A four-day festival was held in in May, 2017, (News Letter) to mark the three-hundredth anniversary of the departure of the ship the Friends’ Goodwill, which is thought to be the first ship to take emigrants to North America. The voyage took four months – see the Ulster Scots Agency for a description of the challenges it faced and the kind of reception the emigrants might have received in Boston. As part of the festivities, an information panel was added to the memorial, designed by Ed Barton (tumblr), that had stood in Curran Park, since 1992.

“This memorial, unveiled on 16th May 1992 by Professor Bobby Moss PhD of South Carolina, is dedicated to the memory of those first Ulster emigrants who sailed from Larne in May 1717 upon the “Friends’ Goodwill”, bound for Boston. They were to be the first of many. “There is no other race in the United States that can produce a roll of honour so long and so shining with distinction and who shall deny our claim to have done more, much more than any others to make the United States.”

“On the 300th anniversary of the departure of Friends’ Goodwill, we honour the Ulster-Scots who left their homeland to forge new lives in America. Through resilience and courage, their character helped shape a nation revered for freedom and opportunity. To this day, we extend the hand of friendship to our kin in the United States Of America.”

Curran Park, Curran Road, Larne

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T09920 T09919 T09921 T09923 T09922

John Mitchel

2026-03-282026-04-14Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“John Mitchel 1815 – 1875 After twenty years in exile for the sake of Ireland he returned with honour to die among his own people and he rests with his parents in the 1st Presbyterian old meeting house green at Newry.”

Mitchel graduated from Trinity at 19 and became an attorney in Newry and Banbridge before becoming a writer and editor for The Nation (the phrase “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity” comes from an 1845 article) and then The United Irishman. After 16 editions, he was arrested and convicted of treason and sent to penal colonies in Bermuda and Tasmania. He escaped to the USA, where he was an ardent supporter of slavery. When slavery was abolished, he again took up the cause of Ireland, returned to Ireland, won the Westminster seat for Tipperary but was barred, as a felon, from taking it, and died unexpectedly at age 59 (WP).

John Mitchel Place, Newry, in front of St Colman’s Park.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08703 T08704

We Are Not Amused

2026-03-012026-03-02Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Belfast Royal Hospital was renamed in honour of Queen Victoria in 1899 (two years before her death) and a bronze statue by J. Wenlock Rollins (Public Statues) was installed in 1903 at the entrance to the hospital in its new Grosvenor Road location.

Activists from Lasaır Dhearg (web) poured red paint over what it called a “symbol of empire” on Friday (February 27th) (News Letter | MSN’s copy of the Irish News story). Paint remained on Sunday, despite an earlier attempt to wash it off (Independent).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08525 T08524

Glóıre/Glory

2025-10-052025-11-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the republican memorial in the centre of Crossmaglen (in Cearnóg An Chaırdıneıl Ó Fıaıch). The monument was produced by Yann Goulet (1979), the same sculptor who did the memorial at Ballyseedy (1959), and like that work, this one depicts a young man striding forward in anger and anguish, though in this case he arises from a phoenix.

“Glóıre daoıḃse a laoċra uṁla cróga a d’ḟulaıng le fonn ar ṁéad ḃur ngrá fıal ar Ṡaoırse na hÉıreann.” “Glory to you all praised and humble heroes who have willingly suffered for your unselfish and passionate love of Irish freedom.”

To the right of the statue (in the corner of the car-park) is a plaque marking “the spot where the rosary was said each night during the 1981 hunger strike”, “unveiled by formed hunger striker Paddy Quinn on 6th May 2006”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07796 T07797 T07814 T07815

It’s The Man Himself

2025-09-052025-09-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are three pieces (two boards and a statue) celebrating Willie Maley, who was born in Newry barracks in 1868 – his father was a sergeant in the 21st Regiment Of Foot. The following year the family moved to Scotland. Maley played in midfield for Celtic and made two international appearances for Scotland. He became manager in 1897 at the age of 29 and steered the club to sixteen league championships and fourteen Scottish Cups.

The board (above) in Mourne View Park (Mourne View is built on the site of the infantry barracks – the old walls are still standing): “The man who made Celtic – Willie Maley – founder member & player 1888, Celtic manager 1897-1940.” “It’s not the creed nor his nationality that counts. It’s the man himself.” “A man must be a Celt on & off the field, otherwise he is no value to this Club.”

The board is at the bottom of Mourne View Park in Erskine Street, on the south side of the barracks: “The Celtic vision was born here. William Patrick Maley born here 25th April 1868, the military barracks, Newry, died 2nd April, 1958, Glasgow.” “My love for Celtic has been a craze, without it my experience would be empty indeed.”

The statue is at the junction of Camlough Road and Monaghan Row and was launched in 2023 (Newry.ie): “”Mr. Celtic” William Patrick Maley. 43 years as Glasgow Celtic’s first ever manager, winning 19 league titles & over 40 other trophies as player/manager. “It’s not the creed nor his nationality that counts. It’s the man himself.” Born in Newry 25th April 1868. Glasgow Celtic fans will always fondly remember Mr Willie Maley.”

Victory In Ireland Day

2025-08-212025-08-24Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This image of King Billy crossing the Boyne in 1690 is on the No Surrender lodge (LOL 241) in Donaghadee. King William III’s victory in Ireland is celebrated annually on July 12th, with parades and gatherings of fraternal lodges and flute bands.

William’s victory is joined here by a number of small boards commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory In Europe, on May 8th, 1945, “remembered with pride” by Orange lodges 241 and 836 (Brother Henry Ferguson Memorial), Royal Black Preceptory 768 (Ulster), and Flutes And Drums Donaghadee (Fb).

Manor Street, Donaghadee, replacing two Platinum Jubilee boards.