Belfast west

Fernhill House, 2012

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Fernhill House, which features in various loyalist murals/boards, in its present state. In 1996 it was opened as a museum, but has since been shuttered and is gradually falling into disrepair. The house is located off the modern-day Ballygomartin Road, in Glencairn Park.

Info boards below …

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00743 X00741 X00742 Glencairn was the former home of the Cunningham family, whose estate in north west belfast covered over 100 acres of land in the shadow of divis mountain the cunninghams were of scottish descent their forbear thomas left scotland during the troubles of 16?? and settled in the parish of killead co. antrim the family was involved in the west indian trade and barber cunningham a great-grandson  established himself as a tobacco manufacturer and importer in belfast barber’s son josias 1819-1895 founded the stockbroking firm of & co in 1843  in 1856 josias purchased 50 acres of land at ballygomartin and named it glencairn after the family’s ancestral home in scotland the following year he purchased a large mansion called house at its height the estate contained three imposing houses glendivis each was known for its distinctive features for its manicured lawns and wrought iron fence for its rolling pastures and stables and for its lawn tennis courts today on remains this elegant victorian villa was built around 184 by john smith a wealthy belfast butter merchant the architect is unknown but the perfect symmetry of its front and the general restraint of its lines epitomise the classical style of architecture the house symbolises a period in belfast’s history when the growing wealth and social aspirations of its middle class merchants led them to build fine homes on the outskirts of the city. were prominent unionists the ulster volunteer force paraded in the estate in 1914 and stored guns and ammunition in the stable yard beside they were well known throughout the shankill district for their work in politics the orange order the church and in education as well as for their social work during both world wars. when the three estate houses were at their peak the family employed as many as 90 local people in positions ranging from gamekeepers and grooms to household staff and drivers lived on until 1962 when the property was acquired by the corporation it has since be re-opened as a public park today visitors can wander through its 70 acres of impressive landscaped parklands and enjoy its extensive lawns and mature trees set against the backdrop of divis mountain welcome center organised walks and tours

Say It With Guinness

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Biographical plaques have been added to the Covenant board on N Howard St (Argyle Centre).

For a straight-on shot of the board, without plaques, see We Perish If We Yield.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00737 N Howard St

Passchendaele Court

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A mural commemorating the Battle of the Somme on the locally-named “Passchendaele Court” (a.k.a. Conway Walk, off Conway St.). See also Thiepval Street. Replaces the Tombo Kinner mural. With support from the Govan Somme Association, Grapes Bar, Glasgow.

The images below of the previous mural blacked out are from September, 2011. For the mural in its prime, see M05506.

x05199-2012-11-07-passchendaele-grapes

X13955 2011-09-23 No 5 Kinner d+

X13956 2011-09-23 No 5 Kinner+

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Copyright © 2011 Extramural Activity
X00738 X05199 govan somme association grapes bar glasgow 1914 1918 1916 1st shankill 36th ulster division

Interment

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A plaque in the old Shankill graveyard. “Watch-House: This wall once formed part of a small building known as the “Watch-House” which was erected about the year 1830 by Mr. William Sayers and Mr. Israel Milliken, following the Burke and Hare sensation in Edinburgh. In it, relatives of the newly-buried kept watch to protect their dead from the unwelcome attention of body-snatchers who disinterred corpes [corpses] and sold them for medical research, or in the hope of securing articles of value which might have been buried with them.”

Wider scene below …

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Thiepval St.

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The nameplate on the lower corner of Northland Street now reads “Thiepval Street” and the Thiepval board above adorns the end wall (replacing an earlier mural to UVF A Company 5th platoon; the stone shown below, although not present in 2006, perhaps belongs to the era of the previous mural). On the other side of Conway Street is/was North Howard Walk where a plate now reads “Passchendaele Court“. It’s not clear whether the names have been changed officially or not. The names are unofficial (as of November 15th, 2012). In the New Lodge earlier this year (April-May, 2012), Fishers Court became McGurk’s Way (U.tv | BBC-NI).

Close-ups of the board and the stones below …

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00731 X00734 X00732 X00736 u.v.f. when the last war is waged and the last post is played when the last boy is laid and the last prayer is said when the last mother cries and the last tear drop dries when the son is gone we’ll now remember the somme. this stone is dedicated to the memory of the fallen volunteers of no. 5 platoon, a company 1st belfast battalion, ulster volunteer force, as poppy petals gently fall remember us who gave our all not in the mud of foreign lands nor buried in the desert sands, in ulster field and farm and town fermanagh’s lanes and drumlin’d down we died that violent death should cease and ulstermen might live in peace; for god and ulster, lest we forget, “I am not an ulsterman but yesterday 1st. july as I followed their amazing attack i felt that i would rather be an ulsterman than anything else in the world” captian [captain] wilfred [wilfrid] spender – the somme, in proud and loving memory of our fallen charge from thiepval wood 1916, sir edward carson, 36th ulster division

A Dialogue On The Nature Of Art

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A tag seems to have drawn the comment “There is a difference between art and grafetti” [graffiti] which in turn drew the response “No there’s not”.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00721 Cupar Way

Somme Memorial

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All of these images are of different parts of the Somme memorial next to the Shankill graveyard. There is an opening in the graveyard boundary wall which leads into the Somme memorial garden. The Mountainview Tavern, which featured several times during the troubles, can be seen behind the memorial, as well as the spire of St. Matthew’s Church.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00716 X00725 X00717 X00718 1st shankill somme 36th ulster division this memorial was erected by the office bearers and members of the 1st shankill somme association it is dedicated in solemn but glorious memory to those brave and gallant men from the greater shankill who served with the 36th (ulster) division and were immortalised on the fields of france and flanders during the great war 1914-1918, lest we forget, 1st july 1916, it stands also as a tribute to the men and women of the greater shankill, who in the many conflicts which followed the great war, fought with courage and defiance for crown and country and made the ultimate sacrifice ‘at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them;

oh you who sleep in flanders fields sleep sweet to rise anew we caught the torch you threw and holding high we keep the faith with all who died, we cherish too the poppy red that grows on fields were valour led, it seems to signal to the skies that blood of heroes never dies but lends a lustre to the red of the flower that blooms above the dead in flanders fields, and now the torch and poppy red we wear in honour of our dead fear not that ye have died for naught we’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought in flanders fields carson inspects local volunteers at fernhill house glencairn 36th ulster division, ulster volunteer force, the 2nd west belfast battalion

At The Pictures

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A depiction in Iveagh Drive of the old Broadway picture house (long gone) which was located on the main Falls road nearby.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00722 cinema

Queen Of Ireland, Empress Of India

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From the old Shankill Graveyard. The statue of Queen Victoria was carved by John Cassidy from Slane, Co. Meath in 1897 to mark Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee – she was 78 years of age at the time. She is depicted wearing Nottingham lace. Victoria was Queen Of Ireland 1837 – 1901 and Empress of India 1876 – 1901.

Wide shot below, with the antenna on Tennent St. police station in view …

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Heritage

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An Ulster-Scots-American president and a Turkish-Northern-Irish kebab shop. On Ainsworth St. and Shankill Rd. Here is a straight-on shot of the mural from 2004.

See also: the Visual History page on Ulster-Scots Murals.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00708 from pioneers to presidents, my ulster blood is my most priceless heritage, james buchanan 15th US president 1857-1861