More Loyalist Wall Murals in Belfast and Northern Ireland

Very large versions of the following photos are available for sale. All pictures were taken with a nikon digital SLR camera. They will be expertly printed, poster-sized and be a massive 18inches x 12 inches. The small pictures below, obviously do not do justice to the large photos. Each photograph is printed on proper photo paper and is approximately 3008 x 2000 pixels. Photos will be delivered carefully rolled, in a securely sealed hard cardboard postal tube from the UK / Ireland printer. The text that follows each small picture below describes a little bit of context about the mural.

Cuchulainn, famed Irish legendary hero and warrior, is claimed by both sides in Northern Ireland as a representative. Loyalsits on Belfast's Shankill Road see him as a leader of the Northern Ulster people against Southern Celtic tribes. The imagery is set in ancient tribal times of pictish clans and barren landscapes.

An Ulster Defence Association mural on Belfast's Newtownards Road, showing typical figures from the group as it spanned a generation of violence. The crest of the group and motto is also on display. The site of this mural is known locally as Freedom Corner, perhaps a play on Free Derry Corner, which is so revered by Republicans.

This piece is dedicated to the disbanded legal military groups who once had a role to play in Northern Ireland. The Ulster Special Constabulary or B Specials were a controversial section of the Police Force, who were disbanded early in the modern troubles. The Ulster Defence Regiment were later merged with another regiment of the British Army in 1992, a decision which incensed Unionists and was broadly welcomed by Nationalists.

The clenched fist of the red hand of Ulster is a symbol used by the Ulster Freedom Fighters in Northern Ireland. The group styles itself as the military wing of the UDA, which was once a legal group. This image featuring a masked gunman was once very common on both sides of the Irish divide. Masks, guns, red hands, uniforms, flags, scrolls have been a very common theme over the years, particularly among violent Loyalism. Recently things have been changing, and many of the more extreme murals have been redesigned or removed.

 A dramatic greyscale mural, features the emblems of a Loyalist group who have established a stronghold North of Belfast. All the groups previously engaged in conflict are involved in a process of disengagement from violence, which has not always been smooth or well managed.

Quis separabit (Who will separate us) is the motto of the Ulster Defence Association, is the motto of the Royal Ulster Rifles, and also appears on the crest of Northern Ireland. This mural is rather timid compared to the threatening warlike image of masked Loyalists which it replaced this year, on Belfast's Shankill Road. Many of the more offensive paintings have been remodelled in cooperation with community leaders and local government.

A vibrant cocktail of Loyalist imagery, festoons the gable wall of a home in a council estate in Bangor, a few miles from Belfast. The UVF who are honoured in the piece, seek to trace their roots to the 36th Ulster Division. The emblem of the 36th plays a central role here.

A more traditional image of the 36th Ulster Division, as they climb out of the trenches during the Battle of the Somme, and advance towards German positions. The men were cut down in their thousands, and the red poppies of the mural symbolise the loss of blood by so many. Poppies thrived as a result of the shelling of the muddy trenches. The Orange lillies have long been symbolic of the Unionists of Ulster.

A mural by the Ulster Scots society, which promotes greater understanding of the historic links between Ulster and Scotland. It also seeks to raise awareness of the contribution made to the early history of USA. Many of the first presidents and other celebrated notables had direct links to the Ulster Scots, and many were born in the Northern part of Ireland, of Protestant stock.

The unique Unionist tradition of arch building was once very common throughout Northern Ireland, but in a modern changing world is becoming less so. The raising of arches in Loyalist areas is still common in Portadown, the site of the above arch. The arches consist of metal frames with wooden panels, painted with Loyalist imagery and symbols and flags.