Is Ceıst Deacaır É Sın

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Edward Daly is most famous for waving a white handkerchief on Bloody Sunday, as a dying Jackie Duddy was carried away, but his devotion to the city of Derry spans decades: was a curate and then bishop in Derry from 1962 until 1993 (WP). ‘That’s a difficult question’ was his favourite saying (Derry Journal). The stone was erected after his death in 2016 (see The People’s Priest) and has now been incorporated into a garden of reflection.

“This garden of reflection has been dedicated in honour of the late Bishop of Derry (Emeritus) Dr Edward Daly in heartfelt gratitude and thanksgiving for the wonderful work for the people of Derry and beyond. Rest in peace. ‘To love means loving the unlovable; to forgive means forgiving the unforgivable; faith means believing the unbelievable; hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.’ Is ceıst deacaır é sın [that is a difficult question]” “Opened by the Most Reverend Jude Thaddeus Okolo, papal nuncio to Ireland, on 5th February 2018. Also John Hume, Ivan Cooper, Vinny Coyle, Chief Stewart [sic] of Civil Rights march and all those who campaigned for Civil Rights.”

For the mural, see Civil Rights.

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Meetinghouse Of Styles

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Here is a complete set, from bottom to top, of the street art produced during last (2021) October’s jam in Meetinghouse Lane, Newtownards (though the Glen Molloy pre-dates the jam. Work by Annatomix (ig) (the squirrel’s name is Derek), Friz (ig), NRMN (Gerry Norman ig), RAZER (Fb) & NOYS (ig), Rob Hilken (ig), FGB (ig), KVLR (ig), Irony (ig), ?kairos?, Carla Hodgson (ig), Danni Simpson (ig), Matthew Knight (ig), Zippy (ig), Mr Fenz (ig), Kerri Hanna (ig), Emic (ig), Laura Nelson/Szu Szu (ig), Alana McDowell (ig), Glen Molloy (ig).

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Girls Of Great Britain And Ireland

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This mural in Kilcooley estate, Bangor, celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee, 70 years from 1952-2022. The portrait seems to be a flipped, horizontally-stretched, and colourised version of the first official portrait, taken on February 26th, 1952, with Elizabeth wearing the ‘Queen Mary’s Girls Of Great Britain and Ireland’ tiara (Crown Chronicles).

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Belfast Deco

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Here is a final selection of pieces from HTN2022, with work by Kitsune (ig) in Queen St (official title When You Weren’t Looking), Andy Council (ig) in Patterson’s Place, Asbestos (ig), Iota (ig) (who also did a piece in Larne – Shaped By Sea And Stone) and KMG (ig) in North St/Union St, and Sophie Mess (ig) in Linenhall St (official title “Shaping Ideas” (Linen Quarter BID)).

For the other HTN 2022 pieces see:

Union St (w) Love, Loss, And Beyond
Union St (e) A Burning World
Kent St (w) Vagabonds Of The Western World | Red Heads
Kent St (e) Evoke
Kent St (n) The Children Of Gear

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Northern Ireland Centennial

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Here is a 12-part history of Northern Ireland (and specifically Londonderry) along the length of Sperrin Park in the Caw. After the title panel, the topics are: King George V opens Norther Ireland Parliament, 22nd June, 1921; Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic & lands in Londonderry 21st May, 1932; Operation Deadlight: surrender of German U-boats at Lisahally 14th May, 1945; Queen Elizabeth II visits Guildhall Sq. Londonderry 3rd July, 1951; opening of Altnagelvin hospital 1st February, 1960; the exodus of people from Londonderry’s Cityside 1970s; Northern Ireland reach the World Cup finals in Spain 1982; first Maiden City Festival takes place August, 1998; end of ‘Operation Banner’ 31st July, 2007; Londonderry named first UK City Of Culture 2013; Prince Philip the Duke Of Edinburgh 1921-2021.

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No Matter, Try Again

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Glen Molloy’s Samuel Beckett mural in the Dundela area of east Belfast was largely whitewashed the day after it was finished – see the second image, below. (This was only a few weeks after the Maya Angelou mural across the street was painted and graffitied.) (Belfast Live) The portrait was restored last year, with blue sparkling blue eyes, and the quotation was added again this summer.

(The Angelou mural was partially repaired at the time, and support for Ukraine added this year – see We May Encounter Many Defeats.)

The quotation is from Worstward Ho! (not “Westword Ho!” as written on the wall): “Say for be said. Missaid. From now say for missaid. Say a body. Where none. No mind. Where none. That at least. A place. Where none. For the body. To be in. Move in. Out of. Back into. No. No out. No back. Only in. Stay in. On in. Still. All of old. Nothing else ever. Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

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Upward

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The new arch at Denmark Street and Carlisle Circus, next to the Clifton Street Orange Hall, was a year in the planning, both technical and financial (News Letter). There are seven windows and four flag-holders built into the arch. On the Denmark Street side, we see the emblem of the Association Of Loyal Orangewomen Of Ireland, the breaking of the boom (to end the Siege Of Derry), National Memorial (in the arboretum in Staffordshire), Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee (crown and Bible over rose, thistle, shamrock, daffodil, New Zealand silver fern, and Canadian maple leaf), City Of Belfast Loyal Orange Widows Fund, Orange Order symbols. On the Carlisle Circus side, we see the shutting of the gates (to start the Siege Of Derry), William Johnston (WP), the stained-glass window in Schomberg House to murdered OO members, Pietro Annigonni’s 1995 portrait of Queen Elizabeth on garter day (WP), Wehle’s portrait of Martin Luther, and the 36th Division going over the top.

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When Young People Are United …

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“… they can never be divided.” The two parts of this slogan are found at the end and the beginning of two murals and symbolically join together PUL Tiger’s Bay (with a mural at the end of the “peace” line on Hallidays Road, shown in the first three images) and CNR Newington (with a mural on Limestone Road, shown in subsequent images). Youths from both communities worked on the murals (Belfast Live).

The Hallidays Road wall previously had a similar ‘Welcome’ mural on it – see The Bigger Picture.

Presumably these are Blaze FX (web) productions. The murals were started back in May but were only completed last week. The muralists are perhaps busy with another job …

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North Down First Flute

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“Those we love don’t go away/They walk beside us every day”. The images in this post show Upper Greenwell Street in the Movilla of Newtownards, in the summer of 2022. The small boards are not new (see North Down West Belfast and North Down Ulster Young Militants) but the NHS/keyworkers and the North Down First Flute (Fb) murals have not been seen before.

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The Scales Of Justice

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The giant mural around the offices of Russell & Co solicitors in Newtownards combines legal imagery with famous north Down sites and people.

There are two main parts, in High Street and in Lower Mary Street. In High Street, we see Blair “Paddy” Mayne; the Jordan ‘Hissing Sid’ Formula 1 race-car (Eddie Irvine, who is from Newtownards, drove for Jordan until 1996); a weaver working a loom (the image is from Waringstown, but is perhaps meant to represent local mills such as Walker’s or Ards & Webb); an image of the Ards TT.

In Lower Mary Street, from behind Scrabo Hill, Lady Justice weighs scales each containing Rodin’s statue The Thinker. We also see a modern agricultural tractor, as designed by Harry Ferguson; a portrait of James Russell who founded the solicitors’ firm in 1948; a Cessna light aircraft, presumably at Newtownarrds airport, the first purpose-built airport on the island (Ulster Flying Club); the former Ards Maltings; a sack of Comber Earlies.

Acting as a joining motif on both sides of the building are roses from Dickson Nurseries.

The mural was painted by Mark Ervine. The partially-completed mural was featured in the Financial Times all the way back in November 2018; it was eventually finished in 2021 and given an anti-graffiti coating this (2022) summer.

With thanks to Colin Haddick of Russell & Co.

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