“When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less!” In Through The Looking Glass, Humpty Dumpty explains that un-birthday presents are better than birthday presents because there are 364 days in a year to receive them. “There’s glory for you”, he says, by which he means “a knock-down argument”, as he is a master of words, even prideful verbs (archive.org).
This is a new mural by DMC with children from Sunnylands Nursery School and support from the Communities In Transition project. The characters portrayed are (from left to right) the Red Queen, the White Rabbit, the Hatter, the Caterpillar, Humpty Dumpty, Alice, the Cheshire Cat.
Riddel’s warehouse in Ann Street is the site of a new installation by Nerve Centre (web) called Outpouring, which features the large piece (shown here) by Joe Caslin (ig) in the atrium of the building, with a cinema space and a gallery of art and poetry by young people (Belfast Media). The four-storey building is a former iron warehouse, originally built in 1867 and currently being restored (Plan Belfast). Belfast Live has a gallery of images | Tom McClean took a tour of the building in 2025 on European Heritage day (youtube).
The installation is open from 11 to 4, Thursday to Sunday, until July 5th.
“”Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic”, “Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell”, “A new evil has arisen”. Churchill was right in 1899, Enoch Powell was right in 1968, Pastor McConnell was right in 2014.”
The quotations above the AI-generated image come from a sermon by Pastor James McConnell in May, 2014, at the Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle on the Shore Road. The sermon was alleged to be “grossly offensive” and McConnell was charged. The key portion of the sermon read, “Today we see powerful evidence that more and more Moslems are putting the Koran’s hatred of Christians and Jews alike into practice. Now, people say there are good Moslems in Britain; that may be so but I don’t trust them, Enoch Powell was right and he lost his career because of it; Enoch Powell was a prophet and he told us that blood would flow in the streets and it has happened. … Islam’s ideas about God about humanity, about salvation, are vastly different from the teaching of the Holy Scriptures. Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell.”
In the penultimate paragraph of the ruling (pdf), Judge McNally concluded, “Having considered all these matters and the particular facts of this case I have come to the conclusion that the words upon which the charges are based, whilst offensive, do not reach the high threshold required of being “grossly offensive”. I find myself in agreement with Lord Justice Laws in the “Chambers” case when he said that the courts need to be very careful not to criminalise speech which, however contemptible, is no more than offensive. It is not the task of the criminal law to censor offensive utterances. Accordingly I find Pastor McConnell not guilty of both charges.” (In the ultimate paragraph, the judge cited the poet Rumi: “Silence is the language of God; all else is poor translation”.) A small board has been added to the fence below which presenting this judgment.
The reference to “Churchill in 1899” is probably to volume 2 of The River War, in which Churchill wrote, “Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen – all know how to die – but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.
The reference to “Powell in 1968” is to Powell’s infamous “Rivers of blood” speech (pdf) against immigration to the UK from the Commonwealth. As McConnell notes, Powell was dismissed from Ted Heath’s shadow cabinet the following day.
The PSNI is investigating the display as a “hate incident” rather than a “hate crime”, as there is no underlying crime if the home-owner agrees to the board being mounted. The relevant statute deems it a crime “to use, or to display in writing, words that are threatening, abusive or insulting, where the intention or likely effect is to stir up hatred or arouse fear”. (Slugger)
The piece is at the highly-visible junction of O’Neill Road and Knocknenagh Avenue, Rathfern, Newtownabbey, and part of the fence has been cut away in order to afford a better view.
“In eternal memory, UVF Volunteer Jimmy Fee.” This entry updates 2023’s Pass Not This Spot In Sorrow, which showed a painted UVF flag in memory of Jimmy Fee. This has been replaced by a printed board which contains a photographic portrait of Fee. As reported in that earlier entry, there is no information readily available about Fee, who perhaps died around 2016, when the original mural was painted. The two upper boards (in the shape of gravestones) have been retained from the earlier work, while the “north Antrim/Londonderry battalion, south Antrim brigade – remember them with pride” board is new.
Parkhall Road, Steeple, Antrim. The WWII banner is in the nearby Steeple Park.
Society of United Irishmen was formed at the Crown Tavern in 1791, with founder members including Thomas Russell, William Drennan, Samuel Neilson (also host to Olaudah Equiano), Henry Joy McCracken, and Wolfe Tone. The building – now called Crown House – is visible upon entering Crown Entry from High Street. These painted windows are on the side of the building, as one proceeds towards Ann Street.
The first pair are by JMK, the second pair by Wee Nuls (ig), painted in 2020, at which time FGB also painted pair that have now faded.
Crown Entry, Belfast. See also the Visual History page on The Belfast Entries.
The hobby/carousel horse on a spring carries only a pair of boots. This is work by London-based artist SATR (ig) in Crown Entry, Belfast, for Hit The North 2026.
From top to bottom (west to east, on the street), the pieces are by Artz (ig) + EPOM (ig), Rob Hilken (web), Erin Bradley Scott (Glasgow) (ig), NOYS (ig), Noodle (ig), KVLR (web), JAM (ig).
The red squirrel is in a battle for survival on the island with the grey squirrel, which out-breeds it and is unaffected by the pox which kills red squirrels (DAERA). This red squirrel has broken through the pyramids and stone-work painted by previous artists and has metaphorically burst through the west Belfast “peace” line, though in fact on the other side is the CNR area of Clonard.
Below are two in-progress shots, of the artist flying low under the radar by painting early on a Sunday morning and using the transportation as a ladder.
Cupar Way section of the west Belfast “peace” line (Visual History)
Paddy Duffy Collection 