King Rat

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Loyalist martyr King Rat 1960-1997”. Billy Wright broke with the UVF over the ceasefire in 1994 and after being expelled (and the Mid-Ulster brigade disbanded) in the summer of 1996, formed the LVF (WP). Wright was killed in the Maze in December 1987 by members of the INLA (neither the INLA or LVF were on ceasefire). Johnny Adair of the UDA’s west Belfast C company was an admirer and supported of Wright and this is one of the murals he had painted in the lower Shankill estate.

Hopewell Crescent, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01179

Spike Chases Adams

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Spike (the dog from Tom & Jerry) wears a Union Flag t-shirt and brandishes an assault rifle as he chases Sınn Féın’s Gerry Adams, wearing a Celtic top, out of Belfast and towards Dublin, in front of the UDA murals at (D00971) and behind (D00969) the KFC.

This is one of the murals painted in the era of Johnny Adair’s C company.

Hopewell Crescent, lower Shankill, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01190

Sandy Row Parade

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here (in three parts) is a wide community mural replacing the POW mural in Linfield Road, in the Sandy Row area of south Belfast, depicting a parade marching along Sandy Row past a lot of landmarks (not all in appearing as they actually do along the road).

From left to right, the buildings shown are: the Carnegie Library on Donegall Road, Weaver’s Court (which is at the end of the road that the mural is on), the Royal Bar (Hamilton’s), Gilpin’s shoe shop, Orange Hall, Murray’s tobacco factory, the Belfast & Ulster Brewery building (the courtyard of which was used as a drilling ground by the Ulster Volunteers), Sandy Row District No 5 (Fb) arch.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01199 T01200 T01201

William & Schomberg

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

King Billy crossing the Boyne, with Schomberg dying in the foreground, making this a crude reproduction of Benjamin West’s 1780 painting ‘Battle Of The Boyne’. Second-in-command Schomberg had crossed the Boyne first and met his fate at the hands of Jacobite cavalry. Schomberg’s helper is perhaps George Walker, governor of Derry during the siege, who was shot and killed (reportedly) while attending to Schomberg – see George Walker.

Shankill Parade, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01183

Free Our Prisoners

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Free our prisoners o[f] w[ar]”, specifically prisoners from the South Belfast UFF/UDA. This pair of smaller murals is in the garden next to St Alban’s, and the gable mural is across the road.

Blythe Street, south Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01177 T01186 T01185

Shankill Rd Supports Drumcree

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“We demand the right to march”, “Portadown District LOL No 1 [Fb]”, “Here we stand – we can do no other”.

This mural in the lower Shankill estate is about the disputed Orange Order parade (WP entry, including a map of the route) to Drumcree Church (in Portadown, shown in the mural) part of which goes along the Catholic Garvaghy Road. After many contentious years (beginning in 1995), the re-routing of the marches in 2000 led to some rioting, but was the last year of notable conflict over the parade (CAIN).

N Boundary Street, lower Shankill, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
T00452

Diana, Queen Of Hearts

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Diana Spencer (“1961-1997”) became Princess Of Wales upon marrying Prince Charles in 1981 but they divorced in 1996, a year before she died in a Paris car-crash. She is presented has an English rose in front of a large Union Flag in the shape of a heart.

This is one of the murals painted in the lower Shankill estate under Johnny Adair.

Hopewell Crescent, lower Shankill, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01182

4,000 Years Of Ulster Scots

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“4,000 years of Ulster-Scots history and heritage. Ulster & Scotland – shared language, shared literature, shared culture.” 400 years takes us back to the plantation; 4,000 years suggests an even deeper connection.

Ulster-Scots was included in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (pdf) under the principle of support for “linguistic diversity”. This mural celebrating Ulster-Scots and ties between Northern Ireland and Scotland dates to 1999, with the crests of St Andrew and St Patrick on the left, and an Ulster Banner and Scottish lion rampant on the right.

“Dinnae houl yer wheest, houl yer ain!” [Don’t hold your tongue, hold your own!]

See also the Visual History page about Ulster-Scots murals.

Templemore Street, east Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
T00448 [T00449]

Ulster’s Defenders

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Ulster’s defenders, past and present, from Cuchulainn “Ancient defender of Ulster from Gael attacks”, via the 1893 UDU and WWI soldiers memorialised in the towers at Messines and Thiepval, to the modern UDA/UFF: “In memory of the officers and volunteers of A. Coy. [“Glencairn, Highfield, Springmartin”] UDA/UFF West Belfast Brigade who unselfishly dedicated their lives in defence of their country.”

High Green, Highfield, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
T00267