The Belfast Murals

[trailertrash]

The Belfast Murals are wall paintings which adorn the city of Belfast. They vary in content and style but are worth a look. I went back [having served there in the 70's] on a bus tour and managed to get some shots thro the coach windows.

Warning:Anyone with strong religious or political views re the situation in Northern/Southern Ireland should not view this presentation.

22.5 meg

5mins:02secs

30 slides.

http://www.trailertrashaudiovisual.com/murals.htm

[please download from this page which carries a final warning]

Edit: 30/11/2010 - The stills from this show can be viewed here:

http://gallery.trailertrashaudiovisual.com/#home

[David Porter]

Hi Andrew,

Well I did know they had wall murals in Belfast but was astonished and the artistic quality of them. I was also impressed by the vibrancy of them, so guess they must be "tarted" every so often. Thank you for the education and for doing such a good job stuck in a bus seat. It might have been nice to have enabled keyboard control so I could spend a bit more time reading the wording. What I did read gives an explanation why the problems there have been so difficult to resolve.

Mickp

[Ken Cox]

ANDREW - manual control is missing so i could not study your work

ken

[trailertrash]

Hi Andrew,

Well I did know they had wall murals in Belfast but was astonished and the artistic quality of them. I was also impressed by the vibrancy of them, so guess they must be "tarted" every so often. Thank you for the education and for doing such a good job stuck in a bus seat. It might have been nice to have enabled keyboard control so I could spend a bit more time reading the wording. What I did read gives an explanation why the problems there have been so difficult to resolve.

Mickp

Glad you enjoyed it Mick. The driver was very co-operative and tried to get us into the best position for pictures.Many of them have changed since my day [70 - 71 - 74] and it was great to see it all again.

Andrew

The attachment was the very last stop, so a fond farewell from Belfast. He got a cheer from the bus tho.

[trailertrash]

ANDREW - manual control is missing so i could not study your work

ken

Ken, it isnt missing, I turned it off. I still cant make up my mind about KB control [whether I like it or not]

In the meantime...just watch it again.....

Andrew

[Ken Cox]

A

cant read fast enough -- your day will come then we will hear your whine

ken

[rick235]

Hi Andrew,

Great show especially enjoyed it as i visited N.I. to visit relatives wile the troubles were at their height a few years ago, once again thank you it was a great idea to show the murals to the rest of the world.

[fh1805]

Ken,

Do you continually harass your TV stations to provide keyboard control so you can stop a programme to study the image in more detail? In an AV sequence, the images are not intended to be viewed statically, as if in a photo album.

I cannot speak for other members, but when I create a sequence, the flow of images in relation to the soundtrack is at the very heart of the experience that I am trying to create. I wouldn't want anyone to interrupt that flow, even if I have left the option open to them. I think it is entirely right that anyone should choose to deny the viewer that pause capability.

regards,

Peter

P.S. Andrew, sorry I have hijacked your thread.

[Ken Cox]

PETER

get into the present century -- the cable companies are pushing dvr's so you record on line movies etc so people can view at one's pleasure

ken

[David Porter]

Hi Andrew,

Of course I defend your right to produce the show exactly as you want. However, when the content is of such interest it would be nice to have the opportunity of studying the photos on another platform - if not thro' the keyboard then your website for instance. I have the same conversation with Lakelandlass who I regard as the best amateur landscape photographer I know. She does not allow keyboard control but does not show her work on any other platform (as far as I know). I think it is a great shame.

[trailertrash]

I've created an album containing the stills from this show. They are slightly smaller than the originals but they are clear and good quality.

Hope you can find the time to stop bye and have a look.

http://gallery.trailertrashaudiovisual.com/#home

Andrew

[Ken Cox]

THKS

ken

[David Porter]

Thanks Andrew for putting them on your website - a potted history of the Irish "Troubles" in 25 photos. Well done.

[trailertrash]

Glad to help Mick. I just had to sort out the gallery feature of my web space.

[Almark]

Andrew, may I offer some feedback?

I know you placed a warning notice about if you have strong political /religious views, but I have neither. What I do have is local knowledge and I think it is right and proper to offer you some detailed information, (which you may wish to include in your AV). I was born in Belfast in 1959; and as a teenager lived I through some of the worst times of the 'troubles' of Northern Ireland. I worked for 30 years throughout NI and during that time I had many work colleagues / relatives killed, maimed and very seriously injured as a result of terrorism*. I am now retired and still live in Belfast. So I think I have a very solid foundation to offer you feedback.

This AV is worthy for historical reasons, as it clearly illustrates the differences between the two tribes, when times were very bad. Almost all of the murals (you have shown) have been replaced with more community based historical events, like the launching of the Titanic an so on. The money for these new murals came from Government in the form of community based grants.

Why? Simply because the (old) murals celebrated people and organisations that were involved in terrorism: murder, extortion, punishment beatings (a bullet through the knee if you were lucky, a Black and Decker drill through the knee if you weren't.) It was a blanket form of social oppression and intimidation. These murals offered a reminder to the locals (brainwashing) of what they should be thinking. Despite the fact that the thugs and murderers had only a few people actively supporting them, these murals were designed to keep the ordinary decent folk in their box! Clearly; who would complain about the side of their house being painted over when the organisation behind it, could have you shot if you said anything!

As a Belfast resident and keen amateur photographer, I never was tempted to photograph these murals. To me, and many other NI photographers, they were a shrine to murder, death and destruction and therefore should not be reproduced/supported in any way. However; many visitors, especially those from the Republic of Ireland and the US, were able to see things in the way you did, that locals like me didn't!

*Terrorism: I mentioned this earlier, and I must stress that all organisations behind most of the murals (purporting to represent 'their' community) were fronts for terrorists/murderers. Just to make it very clear, the so called 'Loyalist' and 'Republican' murals both celebrated dominance and the suppression of 'the other side' by force, by way of threats of murder. BTW: The penny finally dropped after 9/11 when the US suddenly realised what 'terrorism' actually meant. (That so called Irish freedom fighters were actually terrorists/murderers, and as a result the public funding of such org's dried up. This was one of the many pieces of the jigsaw that created peace in Northern Ireland.)

I hope and trust that you accept this info as unbiased and accurate.

[trailertrash]

Mark, Thank you for the kind remarks and the real life view. I too walked those streets but as a young soldier armed to the teeth. Later my own son done the same. I am deeply sorry for those who were injuired or lost their lives during that time. I'm also glad to hear the murals have been replaced with new art and that things are better for everyone.

I was stationed for a time in a small village called Castlederg in the local police station and later moved into Omagh and later Andersonstown. Our duty was mainly border patrol but we supported the police [b Specials] when needed. I have a picture which appeared in the local paper of me at the gate post surrounded by the local kids. I never understood why the US allowed the type of fundraising they did for years. As you say the penny finally dropped on 9/11. Thanks for the update Mark.

Andrew