(1) A map/database of the wall-paintings in Northern Ireland/north-east Ireland, especially Belfast and Derry. There is one map showing all the wall-paintings ever, and another showing only those that are currently visible in Belfast.
(2) A set of “Visual Histories“, that is, pages describing and illustrating the history, trends, and common motifs in muraling and street art, e.g. Cú Chulaınn murals, the Bobby Jackson murals, Free Derry Corner, the International Wall, murals with Iron Maiden’s Eddie The Trooper, etc., etc.
The mural-image collections of the following photographers are curated by Extramural Activity:
The Seosamh Mac Coılle collection is housed at this site. This collection is searchable using the tools in the side-bar on the right. You can also scroll through the entries below.
If you want a feed of the latest art, “follow” the Seosamh Mac Coılle collection and the Paddy Duffy collection, using the links in the side-bar of each site — a new entry is added to one of those two collections (almost) every day. A vintage image is added to the Peter Moloney collection (almost) every day.
The German Reichskriegsflagge of 1935 to 1945 placed the Nazi swastika in the circle of the imperial German war flag, replacing the Prussian eagle which stood at the circular junction of a black Nordic (St Olaf’s) Cross (Pete Loeser). The flag is illegal to fly in Germany. The flag shown above changes the swastika to a Star Of David and the background colour to blue (and removes the Iron Cross from the canton).
Seen in Northern Ireland, we might at first suppose it to be a criticism of Israel but in fact – flying in loyalist Rathcoole – it appears to be an unabashed (though bizarre) endorsement of Israel’s invasion of Gaza. More typical is the scene in the second image – though without the Elvis statue – the Israeli national flag flying alongside Union Flags. (To be clear, Elvis did not cover “Singing The Blues”; it was a hit for Guy Mitchell.)
The third image shows the flag of the United States flying below an Ulster Banner. Until now, whenever the United States has been placed along side the UK or Israeli flags, is has been in the form of some sort of Confederate Flag (2014 | 2016 | 2025). This has indicated that the contemporary USA as a whole has not been perceived as a supporter of (Northern Irish) loyalism or in a similar position to loyalists, but that the spirit of the Confederate South is akin to that of loyalism: a once-dominant ethnos, which held its position by institutionalised violence, besieged by the forces of expanded suffrage and mediocrity (as they would see it). (See the Visual History page on Ulster-Scots murals.)
Donald Trump’s rhetoric and agenda has found favour with Northern Irish loyalists, and a few Trump flags and graffiti were seen previously – see Take America Back for an example and further references. Trump’s victory in November, 2024, gave him a second term as President of the United States Of America. Freeing himself from anyone associated with the conservative/neoliberal Republican party that restrained him in his first term and instead installing (Trump) loyalists in the cabinet and other key positions, Trump has been able to erode the USA’s character as a liberal democracy and move it instead towards authoritarianism (Guardian). The shift has been sufficiently profound that the USA is now seen as simpatico with (NI) loyalism, and the Flag Of The United States – not a Trump flag or a Confederate flag – now flies alongside the flags of the United Kingdom and Israel.
For the US and Israeli flags flying together, see Old Glory in the Paddy Duffy Collection.
(first and third) Belmore Gardens/Barna Square, Rathcoole, Newtownabbey, and (second) O’Neill Road, Rathfern, Newtownabbey
“Celebrating our heritage, inspiring tomorrow.” This year’s Greater Shankill Community Festival began on June 30th with the launch of Ulster’s American Connection and will end with a Siege Of Derry re-enactment on July 11th – the full programme can be found on Fb.
The United States Of America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its adoption of the Declaration Of Independence today, July 4th, 2026. In the Declaration, delegates from the thirteen (former) colonies set out their reasons for voting to overthrow British rule on July 2nd, noting twenty-seven grievances against the reigning monarch, George III of Great Britain And Ireland. At the time, the American Revolution was ongoing, and the Continental Congress meeting this time in Philadelphia was soon compelled to move to Baltimore, Maryland; the permanent Congress was not established until 1781.
On the left of the board, various symbols of the eventual United States Of America – John Trumbull’s painting ‘Declaration Of Independence’ (image at WP) and a bald eagle upon a Stars And Stripes formed by an outline of the eastern sea-board (which for an unknown reason lists New Castle (not “Newcastle”) alongside Philadelphia), the Liberty Bell, an “America 250 years” pin, the Seal, the Declaration, and a trapper or frontiersman who represents the westward expansion of European Americans – including the Scotch-Irish (Ulster Sails West) – across the continent.
The “liberty and law” emblem, with the red hand against the stars and stripes, surrounded by a garland of thistle and shamrock, is unknown.
The seated gentleman is James Hoban, a Catholic from Co Kilkenny, who studied architecture in Dublin and (after emigrating in 1878) designed the White House – a three-storey model (later reduced to two) is on the desk behind his quill – and (in the framed picture behind him) the Charleston (South Carolina) court-house.
In the centre is a quote attributed to James Buchanan, “My Ulster blood is my most priceless heritage”; for confusion over the quote see James Buchanan. Buchanan is also pictured (next to the word “Donegal”). The Great Seal was designed by Charles Thomson, originally from Maghera. He was also a signatory to the Declaration.
The crown above the red hand is probably the Tudor Crown, destroyed in 1649 (WP). A bed of shamrock supports the title banner.
The Ulster-Scots lineage of seventeen presidents (plus vice-president Andrew Calhoun) is presented along the bottom between the mottos “E pluribus unum” and “In God we trust”. (The Ulster-Scots Agency has a pdf of the Presidents.)
On the right, the poster marked “Eagle’s Wings”, under the Buchanan quote, also appears to come from the Ulster-Scots Agency. It is actually about the Eagle Wing, the ship pictured to the poster’s left (as imagined by water-colour painter Dan Parsons) that undertook the first voyage of Scots-Irish to North America in 1636. The journey was not a success: the roughly 140 dissenters returned to Ireland and some went to Scotland to avoid continued persecution (Presbyterian History.)
The ‘Blue Plaques’ of various notable figures are superimposed upon a period map: John Wallace Crawford, Francis Makemie, James McGregor, Charles Thomson, John Dunlap, Ezekiel Donnell, James Buchanan, Oliver Pollock, Thomas J ‘Stonewall’ Jackson, Robert Adrain, James Holmes. The portraits are of James Buchanan, Teddy Roosevelt (above Andrew Jackson’s ancestral cottage in Carrickfergus), Davey Crockett, and an unknown female figure (comment/get in touch if you can identify her).
The gravestone is to the Rev William Martin, a Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) minister, who led a contingent of 1,000 people in five ships in 1772 to Charlestown, South Carolina (Reformation History | History Ireland). The flag is the flag of the Covenanters (WP).
“Open gates. Open borders. Open season. Your sheep. Their feast.” Politicians from Sınn Féın, the SDLP, Alliance, and People Before Profit are shown opening the gates for masked and armed men who are coming from the sea and bidding them to enter a sheepfold of “our constituents”.
The PSNI are investigating the banner as a “hate incident” (rather than a “hate crime” – see A New Evil for the difference) (BelTel). On July first, it was reported that the banner had been removed and replaced with Union Flags and an Ulster Banner (Belfast Media | News Letter). Belfast City Council denied that it was involved in the removal (BelTel) – Loughside Park is council property. And as these pictures show, by July third it had been reinstated and the removal was only “temporary” and “tactical” (BelTel | Fb).
Shore Crescent prepares for Eleventh Night with a bonfire and a large sign explaining the positive impact of the tradition:
“Shore Crescent bonfire – a proud loyalist tradition. Standing firm in our heritage, our loyalty & our values. Faith – loyalty – respect – heritage. [The bonfire …] Celebrates our heritage – honours our history, culture and the sacrifices made by those who went before us; strengthens our community – brings families, friends and neighbours together, building unity, pride and a sense of belonging; affirms our loyalty – a clear and proud expression of our loyalty to the Crown and the United Kingdom; educates & remembers – teaches future generations the importance of our traditions and the true meaning behind them; promotes respect & pride – shows respect for our values and beliefs and promotes pride in being Loyalist; supports local [groups] & raises funds – helps support local groups, charities and initiatives that make a real difference; secures our future – by standing together today, we protect our identity, freedom and way of life for tomorrow. One tradition. One community. One loyal people. Shore Crescent loyal.”
Next to Loughside Playground, Shore Road, north Belfast
Eddie The Trooper makes an appearance as a Coleraine FC (“the pride of Ulster”) supporter, stomping on the grave of rival clubs Cliftonville (left) and Ballymena (right).
Text above: “Sir Edward Carson 1854 – 1935 “Uncrowned King of Ulster” Founding member and leader of the Ulster Volunteers. Carson led Ulster Unionist resistance to the British Government’s attempts to introduce Home Rule for the whole of Ireland.”
The epithet “uncrowned King” seems to be generally used of Carson and not attributable to any one source. Here is a September 1912 newspaper article that calls Carson the “uncrowned King of the North” and relays criticisms of a Carson reception in Portadown as “a parody upon a royal reception” and “an insult to the King”. A May 1914 review of (the book) The Reign Of Edward Carson refers to “King Carson”. (Here is a postcard depicting Carson as a king upon a throne – Postcards Ireland. And a cartoon showing “The Ulster King-At-Arms“.)
The phrase is an echo of and response to the phrase “uncrowned king of Ireland”, which was used of both O’Connell and Parnell. Here is an 1847 article describing both O’Connell and the Napoleonic Governor-General of Algeria (WP) as “uncrowned monarch[s]”. According to WP, the epithet was first applied to Parnell in 1880, because he was so popular during a tour of the United States and Canada. At the end of James Joyce’s story ‘Ivy Day In The Committee Room’ a character recites a poem about Parnell, beginning “He is dead. Our uncrowned king is dead” (archive.com).
The wording “the British government’s attempts to introduce Home Rule” is more forthright than we are used to. Typically the resistance is simply to “Home Rule”. This wording makes clear that the Ulster Volunteers were a private militia preparing for the possibility of fighting the regular British Army and Navy. By being so explicit, this wording suggests that we are currently living through a time in which loyalists consider the “British government” to be insufficiently British, just as was the case in 1912.
Text below: “Sir Edward Carson being escorted by members of the Ulster Special Service Force on the Newtownards Road passing the Belvoir Bar in the company of Captain James Craig and the Officer Commanding of the Ulster Volunteer Force Sir George Richardson.”
According to a Regimental Band Fb post, “Sir Edward Carson was speaking at the Reform Club in Royal Avenue. There was an opinion that the British Government were going to try and arrest him so he was escorted to the safety of Craigavon House [shown on the right of the mural]. This photo was taken on the 20th March, 1914.” This October 1913 article, in addition to calling Carson “Ulster’s Uncrowned King”, notes that he travelled with a detective and carried a revolver.
By Dee Craig (Fb), presumably, replacing his hooded gunmen mural The Right To Defend Yourself, on the Newtownards Road at (the former) Bright Street.
The UVF boards at the junction of London and My Lady’s roads in east Belfast have been completely replaced (compared to 2022). The hooded gunmen on the short side have been replaced by “Joy, peace, love” while a tribute to David Ervine now replaces the lettering reading “East Belfast Ulster Volunteer Force”. (For more about Ervine, and the UVF roll of honour, see the parallel entry in the Paddy Duffy Collection.)
The largest panel remains a tribute to the dead of WWI, specifically now the “3rd battalion (Mountpottinger)” of the East Belfast regiment of the Ulster Volunteers who “marched to the old town hall in Victoria Street accompanied by the Duke Of York Pipe Band and around 270 members volunteered”. The long text explains the negotiation between Kitchener and Craig over the formation of the 36th Division, that the East Belfast volunteers joined the 8th Battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles, and that “training took place at Ballykinlar in County Down and the Battalion became known as “Ballymacarret’s Own”.”
The final image shows the trio of photographs of the UVF flute band. The middle photograph has been changed since the launch, as it was of the band marching past the site of the 1992 Sean Graham bookies massacre to which family-members of the victims objected (Crime World) – again, see the parallel entry in the Paddy Duffy Collection. The photograph now in its place is of the band outside the Longfellow bar, which still stands in My Lady’s Road, facing these boards.
The full (and uncorrected) text of the central information board reads as follows: “Recruitment of the East Belfast Volunteers to the 36th (Ulster) Division Association began on Monday 7th September 1914. The 3rd Battalion (Mountpottinger) marched to the old town hall in Victoria Street accompanied by the Duke of York Pipe Band and around 270 members volunteered. By Monday 14th September 1044 men from the East Belfast Volunteers enlisted in the 8th Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles. This number represented slightly over 10% of the East Belfast’s UVF strength. There were reasons why all the East Belfast Volunteers did not enlist in 8 RIR. Many UVF men were Reservists, therefore when war was declared they were called back to their original units. By the 3rd October there was 15 officers and 1065 other ranks. [We] cannot mention the 8th Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment in 1914 without mentioning th[e East] Belfast Regiment of the Ulster Volunteer Force. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) was formed in January 1913 in response to the threat of Home Rule by the government in Westminster. The Unionist leadership at the time of the Home Rule Crises was led by Edward Carson and James Craig and it was they along with others who established the UVF. The East Belfast Regiment consisted of 6 battalions:– Willowfield, Avoniel, Mountpottinger, Victoria, Strandtown & Knock, Newtownbreda and Ballynafeigh. In May 1914 the Regiments strength as 7100 by the Royal Irish Constabulary. The volunteers consisted of mainly working-class men employed in the shipyards and other industries that fed the industrial revolution. On 6th August 1914, Lord Kitchener, issued a blunt request to Colonel T.E. Hickman (President of the British League for the Defence of Ulster and an Inspector General of the UVF): “I want the Ulster Volunteers”. Hickman suggested Kitchener negotiate with James Craig and Edward Carson. Thus began a month of meetings and horse trading between these men, before the Ulster Division was established. Initially Carson wanted guarantees. The Home Rule issue was to be sorted before he committed the volunteers. He insisted if the UVF joined, then they should be kept as a single division and not spread piecemeal throughout the army. He further demanded this division should have the title “Ulster” attached to it. Kitchener initially opposed these requests, believing the UVF should simply enlist. Once he accepted a single division would be created, he tried to prevent the title Ulster being used, noting other locally recruited units did not enjoy this privilege. Meetings continued throughout August, and near the end of the month a deal was struck: the Home Rule Bill would be passed on 18th September, but would be immediately suspended; permission was given to form a division; the Ulster prefix was deemed acceptable; and Hickman and Craig were appointed chief recruiting officers. The 8th Battalion Royal Irish Rifled was formed, mainly but not exclusively from the East Belfast Volunteers. Training took place at Ballykinlar in County Down and the Battalion became know as “Ballymacarrets Own”. It took part in the 36th (Ulster) Division Review which saw thousands of members of the 36th marching past Belfast City Hall in front of tens of thousands of families and friends before departing to England were training would take place before they sailed for France. They moved into the trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 11 October 1915. As they were new to the fron line, each company of the battalion was attached to other serving regiments for instruction. The first casualty was recorded in the trenches at Mailly-Maillet on 15th October 1915. Second Lieutenant RME Pettigrew was shot through the face later sent back to England. Pettigrew was the first officer from the 8th Battalion to be wounded on active service. He never recovered from his wounds and died on 10th June 1916. The Battle of the Somme commenced on the 1st July 1916 and ended on the 18th November 1916. However it was the first two days on the horrendous battle that saw the 36th (Ulster) Division achieve it’s goals but due to the failure on it’s flanks by other Divisions the land gained was lost as the Ulstermen suffered huge casualties and left the frontline on the 2nd July. Some 5000 men from the Division died or where injured on the 1st July. Their contribution drew priase from many including the King and to this day their sacrifice not just at the Somme but in Flanders Fields, Belgium is remembered with pride and dignity throughout the province of Ulster. The fields of the Somme and Flanders contain grave after grave after grave of our forefathers who never came home and lie in foreign fields. Their sacrifice should never be forgotten.”
“RIP Henry Nowak – east Belfast remembers”. Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed in Southampton, England, in December 2025 and his attacker, Vickrum Digwa, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2026. The case was controversial because Digwa used a knife that is legal to carry as a Sikh and because the police who attended the scene handcuffed Nowak when Digwa told them that Nowak had been the aggressor. The case was taken up by right-wing politicians and activists: Nigel Farage alleged “anti-White prejudice” (Reform UK), Elon Musk demanded the officers involved be fired (BBC), and JD Vance attributed Nowak’s death to a “mass invasion of immigrants” (NYTimes); however, both Nowak and Digwa are Britons, Nowak of Polish heritage (and who also had Polish citizenship) and Digwa of Indian heritage. The “Polish plumber” stereotype, formed in response to migration from Poland after it joined the EU in 2004, was one of the factors that fueled the success of the Brexit campaign (Independent).
This banner shows two portraits of Nowak against a background of a Union Flag.
Bonfires will be lit across Northern Ireland on “Eleventh Night” (July 11th) and builders will be working until then in order to build the pyres high. The one shown here is in the Ravenhill Road area of east Belfast, constructed out of shipping palettes (see Commonwealth Handling Equipment). As an alternative, Belfast City Council will fund the construction of much smaller beacons. (The programme was previously called the “Bonfire Management” programme and is now the “Bonfire And Cultural Expression” programme.) The Ravenhill builders, both this year and last, consider this a sell-out. (See previously, Culture Before Cash (2014) | Real Loyalists Will Never Be Bought).
The flag on the bonfire shows a hooded volunteer with an RPG (taken from an old mural in the Shankill), with the lettering “RYL” (“Ravenhill Young Loyalists”) and “CRT” (“Clonduff Rocket Team”).
Extramural Activity 