The last major weekend of marching season occurs this weekend with marches by the Royal Black (web) lodges. These signs from earlier in the season — “Single drumbeat only beyond this point”, “Single drumbeat ends” — were posted along Shore Road at the stretch in front ot St Mary’s Star Of The Sea Catholic church. “Respect – Heritage – Culture” signs are then posted down as far as the Whitehouse Workingmen’s Club. You can check the Parades Commission for times and routes of parades.
The North Down and East Belfast branches of the UVF come within a stone’s throw at the top end of the Bowtown (Newtownards) estate. Above and immediately below, North Down signage; below that, three of the East Belfast installation on the fence across the Movilla Road.
Both portraits on the fence are of Dennis Hutchings, the former British Army soldier who died this year while on trial for the killing of John Pat Cunningham in 1974 (BBC).
The tarp is against the ‘Irish Sea border’, in the style seen in the image at the top of this Irish Times article about checks at ports.
The “erosion of our identity” board on the right can also be seen in east Belfast.
These UVF and UDA board are side-by-side at the entrance to the Glen estate, Newtownards; above and directly below, a North Down UVF and graffiti, while directly above it (final image) two UDA hooded gunmen take aim at the viewer on the pavement.
“The Parachute Regiment betrayed by the government to satisfy IRA Army Council demands.” The charges of murder and attempted murder against Soldier F were originally lodged (CNN) and pursued in 2019 (Guardian) but in 2021 the PPS decided to drop the charges. Five months ago that decision was quashed (BelTel | Guardian). The charges against Soldier F concerned two specific victims, William McKinney and James Wray, though witness testimony involves F in at least four of the deaths (Irish Central | Village). In response to the original charges, the Movilla UDA added the framed tarp shown here to their ‘hooded gunmen’ board in Georges Street, Newtownards.
This is new, more extensive display from The First Newtownards Somme & Historical Society (Fb) (replacing The Pride Of Ulster). There are seven panels about the Ulster Volunteers and the 36th Division, plus an eighth panel on the Ulster Special Constabulary. The formation of the Ulster Volunteers (anti-Home Rule poster | anti-Home Rule postcard), formation of the 36th (Ulster) Division, the 13 battalions of the division, the Battle Of The Somme, JP Beadle’s Attack Of The Ulster Division (Royal Irish), the Ulster Tower, the USC (B Specials), the Victoria Cross.
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).
“Through the years the uniforms may change, but our cause will always remain the same.” On the left (of the main panel) are the Ulster Volunteers drilling in 1914 (photograph at the Library of Congress) and a UVF show of strength on Newtownards Road (seen previously in East Belfast UVF On Parade).
On a wall along Abbot Drive (Newtownards) with purple and orange coping stones.
“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.
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.
Hooded gunmen from the UYM (North Down battalion) look down over the Glen estate over a variety of other organisations’ boards: Lifeline, Samaritans, Glen Community Church, suicide awareness group, ‘Beyond The Battlefield‘ – a programme from the Veterans Foundation – and an inspirational quote: “At the end of the day, all you need is hope and strength … hope that it will get better and strength to hold on until it does.”
Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 