The Harland & Wolff cranes are called Samson and Goliath after two biblical giants. This miniature was spotted in a window in Castlereagh Place.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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David & Goliath
sculpture/carving
Que Sera Sera
Ross Wilson’s statue ‘Mother – Daughter – Sister’ was launched in 2015 (Art Council NI), two years after his King William mural which towers over it (see final image). “This sculpture celebrates the female cultural identity of Sandy Row and the generational contribution women have made to this community both in the family and workplace.” With a verse from the Doris Day song ‘Que Sera Sera’ from Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Our Ma Says
“Ourma says if you stick t’herown diet of landandairy prod you’ll be firmanna an’trim down” – a saying in which the names of all six Northern Irish counties are (phonetically) included. Above it are a variety of vintage advertisements from the late 1800s and early 1900s: Mew’s brewery (Isle of Wight), Lloyd & Yorath’s stout (Newport, Wales), Hall’s paints (Hull), Batey’s ginger beer (London), Campbell & Menzies’s shipments of Oporto wines, Gilbey’s wines, Gold Flake tobacco (in both English and Irish: Sásuíonn sıad!).
For images of the piece being produced (and in its original location), see Ciaran Gallagher’s web site. For the pieces just visible below, see Conflict Tourism and Game Of Throats.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04131 Alderman James McKinney, high sheriff of Belfast in 1930 gerry fitt
One In Design And Intention
Religion and military might are one in this giant (see the wide shot, below) cross in Belfast’s City Cemetery, which commemorates the dead of World War I. The base (shown below) reads: The cross of sacrifice is one in design and intention with those which have been set up in France and Belgium and other places throughout the world where our dead of this great war are laid to rest. Their name liveth for ever more.” There is a similar memorial in Dundonald Cemetery. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, “There are now 296 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-1918 war and 274 of the 1939-1945 war commemorated here.”
Previously from the City Cemetery: The Depths Of Sectarianism
Previously on the same theme: And A Sword In The Other
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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Conor’s Corner
William Connor (later William Conor) was born in the Old Lodge area of Belfast (in 1881) close to the location of the new bronze statue shown in today’s images, which is at the corner of Northumberland Street and Shankill Road, replacing the UVF/Shankill Protestant Boys (see M02457). The info board (shown below) describes his methods in capturing the Belfast street scenes for which he is most famous: “Conor was developing a spontaneous drawing technique by recording quick impressions, and it soon became a habit for him to go out into the streets with a newspaper, which contained loose leaves from his sketchbook. When he saw anything of interest he leant against a lap post or wall, took out his newspaper as though he were simply reading the sports results and sketched away.”
For more info, see the project’s web site. For images of many of Conor’s paintings, see ArtNet. For images of the sculpture in progress, see Lönze’s site and the project’s Facebook page.
Officially launched 2015-09-26
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03026 X02954 X02955 X02956 X02957 X02958 Painter William Conor PRUA RHA ROI OBE (1881-1968) was born in Fortingale Street and developed many of his renowned paintings in this area known as Conor’s Corner. J. Wilson Conor’s work on display: Going to the Mills (1914, Crumlin Road, Belfast), Riveting, Lamp-post Swinging (1957, Belfast), The Twelfth (1918, Wellington Place, Belfast), Two Men Watching Lambeg Drummers, Digging. Sculpture & Concept: Holger C. Lönze, Cork. Architectural Design: Robert Morrow, Belfast. All images by William Conor collection ulster folk and transport museum
Pot-House Lane
“Hill Street was originally called Pot-House Lane after pottery works located here in the late 17th century. By the 1790’s it was known as Foundry Lane, after Stewart Hadski’s iron foundry, the first of its kind in Belfast.” The original of the tin-glazed earthenware tankard shown can be seen in this lot from Christie’s (worth 10,000 pounds). The words “Queen Anne 1720” are inscribed on the tankard, a memorial to the queen who reigned from 1702-1714.
See previously: Old Foundary 1767
Here is some information about excavations in the area, and below is a brief video on the history of Hill St:
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01972 belfast city council queen anne artist’s initials “KN”
Art In The Eastside
At the same time that the new David Ervine board was put in place, the existing board next to it, which dates to 2008, was spruced up. The image above is a wide shot of both boards, while the image below shows the commemorative casting in front. For the original board, see David Ervine; for explanations of the sculpture, including its pipe, prayer-book, ticket, and boots, see Memory Chair.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bill & Ben, The Loyalist Men
The original ‘Flower Pot Men’ was a radio show in 1951 and then a television series in December 1952; it featured the adventures/mishaps of two flower pot men, ending – because they were identical – with the question ‘Which of those two flower pot men – was it Bill or was it Ben?” The few (10? IMDb) episodes produced were repeated until 1970. “Bill” and “Ben” were the names of the younger brothers of creator Hilda Brabban and ‘Little Weed’ was based on her younger sister, Phyllis (Toonhound | Daze Of Our Lives). The characters were revived in 2001 and given a new look; the garden ornaments above from in a yard in Monkstown are based on the modern pair, though painted in red, white, and blue.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A Watery Welcome
Below is a general view of Nos. 1 – 19 Royal Avenue, that is, Corry House, built in 1881 for John Robb and now a listed building. At No 13 one of the original door-cases remains, the top of which is shown above: a fork-bearded gentleman and a lady with an empty pail on either side of a cartouche. (Planning NI and Historical Belfast – A Historical Gazetteer by Marcus Patton)
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Art & Literature
The Falls Road library is a ‘Carnegie Library’ (WP) – built with almost 4,000 pounds donated by Scotland-born American Andrew Carnegie. It opened on January 2nd, 1908, the second of three such libraries in Belfast, alongside Oldpark and Donegall Road. Its doors feature these two pieces by Holywood artist Rosamund Praeger: Art, seen here holding an artist’s palette – and Literature, seen below reading a folio. Art and Literature also take the form of angels, along with a third muse, Science, in the stonework above the doors.
Video history of the library from Northern Visions.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 