A statue to Winifred Carney was unveiled, along with another to Mary Ann McCracken, in the grounds of Belfast City Hall on Friday, March 8th (BCC). At her left hand is a typewriter. Carney was a qualified secretary and typist, and became secretary of the Irish Textile Workers’ Union in 1912, in which position she met James Connolly, who was secretary of the Belfast branch of the ITGWU. The 1913 manifesto addressed ‘To The Linen Slaves Of Belfast’ (marxists.org), exhorting “our toiling sisters” in the mills to join the organisation, was signed by Carney, Connolly, and Ellen Gordon.

Her uniform, and the amorphous pistol (or holster?) in her right hand, refer to her membership of Cumann Na mBan and participation in the Easter Rising of 1916. Carney was in the GPO when it was taken over and was among those who surrendered at the end; during the occupation she typed up dispatches from the Moore Street headquarters. A News Letter editorial described the statue as smuggling terrorists onto the grounds of city hall.

(DIB | Ulster Biography | A Century Of Women | BBC | WP)

“Winifred Carney, born in Bangor, was a suffragist and a committed trade unionist. She was an organiser in the Irish Textile Workers’ Union and became James Connolly’s personal secretary, political confidante and friend. In 1913, She and Connolly wrote the Irish Textile Workers’ Union manifesto entitled ‘To the Linen Slaves of Belfast’. It was a time when Belfast workers, mostly women and children, were working long hours in horrific conditions, barefoot and hungry. “D’oıbrıgh Winnie ar son oıbrıthe Bhéal Feırste, go háırıthe ar son na mban agus na bpáıstí a bhíodh ag obaır sna muılte ar fud na cathrach. “Many Belfast mills are slaughterhouses for the women and penitentiaries for the children.” Chomh maıth leıs an obaır a rınne sí ar son na gceardchumann, ba Phoblachtánach í Winnie a bhí ına ball de Chumann na mBan agus d’Arm Cathartha na hÉıreann. As an officer in the Irish Citizen Army, Winnie was present with Connolly in the Dublin General Post Office during the 1916 Easter Rising and has since become known as ‘the typist with the Webley’. Carney stood as a Sınn Féın candidate in the 1918 elections, but in an ‘unwinnable’ seat. She retained her commitment to socialism and in 1924, Winifred joined the Northern Ireland Labour Party. Here she met her future husband, George McBride, like her a committed socialist. George was a Protestant from Shankill Road who fought at The Battle of the Somme with the 36th (Ulster) Division. Tá Winnie curtha ı Reılıg Bhaıle an Mhuılınn ar Bhóthar na bhFál ın ıarthar Bhéal Feırste.”

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Here is a selection of art from the Cupar Way section of the west Belfast “peace” line. Some of the artists were visitors who were in town for Hit The North 2025 (Roo, Philth, Sky High – all of which were immediately blacked out). We also see work by Ohhi Ohno, SNAK, NOTA, KAYOS, Junk Graff, and others.

There is also a gallery of art on the wall at about the same time in 2024.

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The painting of electrical boxes began in earnest in Belfast in 2019 with the Belfast Canvas Project. The idea was also taken up in CNR west Belfast, though without the support of the Belfast Canvas Project.

The five shown here are in North Howard Link, Glen Road, Glen Road, Edenmore Drive, and Springhill Drive and the latter three reflect the ‘community’ theme that the boxes have had in CNR west Belfast – “deeds not words” is the motto of St Teresa’s primary, the second is from De La Salle secondary, and the last is of falling-down buildings (perhaps) inspired by the bombing of Gaza.

The first two (above – artist unknown – and immediately below – by Perla Mansour (web)), however, don’t fit with this theme and are more akin to the ape on Broadway and the abstract lines/clouds in Iveagh St.

For more on the painting of boxes in Belfast, see the Visual History page.

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