LORAG [Lower Ormeau Residents Action Group Fb | web] is a community development organisation based in the Shaftesbury rec centre. They organise various sport and fitness activities (including the Ormeau parkrun) and a programme for youth. In the boards shown here, local youngsters draw what’s on their mind, including Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back (“I’m your da”) and Attack Of The Clones “Truly wonderful the mind of a child is”!
The boards are in Balfour Avenue, former site of the #Gaza mural.
This is the Keyworkers mural in front of the Shaftesbury recreation centre (web), created in August 2020 (Fb), in the first few months of the Coronavirus pandemic. A child wearing a mask is watering the rainbow of drivers, NHS, nurses, doctors, social care, community workers, volunteers, and shop workers that arches over the shops and buildings on the Ormeau Road along the Lagan and in front of the City hospital and City Hall.
It became part of the logo of the Orange Order in 2007 – see Design Research Group – and there was an attempt to re-brand the Twelfth as “Orangefest” (Irish Times). It is used in this centenary celebration board to make it clear that Northern Ireland was created as a Protestant and unionist state.
“Talents have been robbed by addiction, suicide, mental illness” – the shoes of the dead form part of an installation on Stewart Street, around the perimeter of the Markets. The RNU banner off to the right contains the numbers for Pieta House, PIPS, Samaritans, Teen Line, Lifeline, and Breathing Space.
“I am here – a son, daughter, father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, partner, lover, cousin, friend, grandfather, family. Why, why, why??? Are you okay? Our love[d] ones. Every day in some small way memories of you come our way. Through [sic] absent you are ever near, still missed, still loved, and ever dear.”
“The families[‘] pain continues!! They continue to struggle in silence: each loss has had a ripple effect throughout our community! Through the travel of time the pain remains the same!!!”
“It’s OK not to be OK – mental health illness is an invisible illness – breathing space – open up when you’re feeling down”
Below the shoes: “Dream big – smile – be thoughtful – respect – caring – love – be you – support – family”
The final image is from the nearby Friendly Street: Believe in yourself – Be kind – Something inside so strong – Positive mental well-being
Ashling Murphy, the County Offaly schoolteacher who was killed while jogging, was a member of Ceoltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, playing fiddle and concertina (Ceoltas). Her death provoked an outpouring of grief and anger across the island, and beyond, including in the Markets, where she was remembered as a fellow Gael. The verse is a popular one from cards and social media – A silent grief that’s in our hearts, no human eye can trace. For many a broken heart is hidden beneath a smiling face – modified slightly to read “hidden and alone“.
Ballynafeigh is the neighborhood just across Ormeau bridge, containing Annadale flats and surrounding streets – home to Ormeau Road UDA/UFF and Ballynafeigh Apprentice Boys flute band (Fb). The mural shown above was painted by Daniela Balmaverde (web) with help from local volunteers and presents imagery from non-Western cultures along with slogans on tree-trunks: “Cultural dialogue”, “Celebrate identities”, Shared neighbourhood”, “Community development”, “Tolerance”, and “Respect cultural diversity”. Welcome to Ballynafeigh.
The mural is at the southern Ormeau Road entrance to Ormeau park opposite Candahar Street. The Brigada Ramona Para mural was previously in this spot.
‘Peace Players’ is an organisation that runs cross-community sporting events, including the basketball “interface league” that Noah Donohoe took part in – he is pictured here wearing his Peace Players shirt. It renamed one of its annual awards as the ‘Noah Donohoe Spirit Award’ (tw). He also played U-14 basketball at Belfast Phoenix (Fb) and the club created a scholarship in his name (Belfast Media).
The mural is at the Shaftesbury rec centre in lower Ormeau.
Martin O’Neill took Celtic – and about 80,000 fans (ESPN) – to the UEFA Cup in 2003, losing in extra time to FC Porto of Portugal. This mural off Friendly Street in the Markets – which shows the Champions Cup rather than the UEFA Cup – is still rolling in 2022. Peter Moloney took a picture of it in 2006.
Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 