Welcome To Extramural Activity

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Maps | Visual Histories | Collections: Peter Moloney | Paddy Duffy | Seosamh Mac Coılle

Thank you for visiting! Extramural Activity is …

(1) A map/database of the wall-paintings in Northern Ireland/north-east Ireland, especially Belfast and Derry. There is one map showing all the wall-paintings ever, and another showing only those that are currently visible in Belfast.

(2) A set of “Visual Histories“, that is, pages describing and illustrating the history, trends, and common motifs in muraling and street art, e.g. Cú Chulaınn murals, the Bobby Jackson murals, Free Derry Corner, the International Wall, murals with Iron Maiden’s Eddie The Trooper, etc., etc.

The mural-image collections of the following photographers are curated by Extramural Activity:

The Seosamh Mac Coılle collection is housed at this site. This collection is searchable using the tools in the side-bar on the right. You can also scroll through the entries below.

The maps and Visual Histories draw on all of the available collections of images of murals.

If you want a feed of the latest art, “follow” the Seosamh Mac Coılle collection and the Paddy Duffy collection, using the links in the side-bar of each site — a new entry is added to one of those two collections (almost) every day. A vintage image is added to the Peter Moloney collection (almost) every day.

Stand Up To Racism

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Or, in Arabic, “قف ضد العنصرية”. Michelangelo’s ‘The Creation Of Adam‘ is re-imagined as an act of solidarity between Palestinians and Irish people.

Cliftonpark Avenue, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Caıbıdıl Nua/A New Chapter

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Here are three pieces together at the top of the Limestone Road in north Belfast, each one looking ahead to a notable transition:

Above left: Cliftonville Integrated primary (web) has nursery and P1 students space for September 2026

Above right: the play ‘Maggie’s Menopause’ (web) plays in the Opera House in February 2026

On the railings in the foreground: Sınn Féın (web) placards suggesting “a united Ireland”/”Éıre aontaıthe” as “a new chapter”/”caıbıdıl nua” for Ireland – date undetermined.

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Tiger’s Bay Loyal

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“Welcome to the homeland of Tiger’s Bay Loyal flute band. “He is our God, and we are the people.”” Tiger’s Bay Loyal [Fb] is a new flute band, formed in 2025.

Ten local streets are named around the central tiger: Robina Street, Edlingham Street, Mervue Street, Upper Mervue Street, Hallidays Road, Mackey Street, Cosgrave Heights, North Queen Street, Canning Street, Hogarth Street.

The banner itself is in Mervue Street. The Tiger’s Bay First Flute mural remains.

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Typist With The Webley

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“The typist with the Webley: Winifred Carney – socialist, republican, freedom fighter, Irish Citizen Army, Cumann Na mBan, suffragist, trade unionist, revolutionary.”

Winifred Carney was a qualified secretary and typist, and became secretary of the Irish Textile Workers’ Union in 1912, in which position she met James Connolly, who was secretary of the Belfast branch of the ITGWU. She was a member of Cumann Na mBan and participated in the Easter Rising of 1916. Carney was in the GPO when it was taken over and was among those who surrendered at the end; during the occupation she typed up dispatches from the Moore Street headquarters – this is how she was portrayed in the the 1916 Centenary mural.

(DIB | Ulster Biography | A Century Of Women | BBC | WP)

Stencil from Lasaır Dhearg (web) in Glenveagh Drive, Lenadoon, west Belfast, replacing the simple graffiti Ní Saoırse Go Saoırse Na mBan.

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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This Is Our Israel

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“This is our Israel and this we shall defend.” “This” is Northern Ireland.

This is a vintage sticker (dating back to 2021) on the Shankill Road at Lawnbrook Avenue.

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Occupied Territories

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Here are three pairs of photos – courtesy of Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pics – from the Buncrana Road between Coshquin and Bridge End, at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

On the Republic side of the border, two boards are propped up on small trailers. The first reads “Israel/USA kill a classroom of kids every day” with a small drawing of a dove. Prior to the current (nominal) ceasefire, Palestinian children were killed at a rate of one every hour (Save The Children).

The second reads ,”US warplanes out of Shannon” illustrated by a bomber-plane and drops of blood. “Shannon Watch” is a web-site dedicated to tracking miltary activity at Shannon airport. According to RTÉ, 978 US planes used Shannon in the three years of 2022-2023-2024. The government maintains that such visits are not a violation of Ireland’s policy of military neutrality (WP).

From the road-sign just on the Northern Ireland side, “Welcome to Northern Occupied Ireland”.

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Copyright © 2025 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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LWF

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For Remembrance Sunday, rows of hand-painted wooden medallions were attached to the railings at West Kirk Presbyterian to pay homage to the dead of the British armed forces.

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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To All The Women Of The Shankill

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“She hasn’t a sword and she hasn’t a gun. But she’s doing her duty now fighting’s begun.” This entry updates the 2016 entry with details from the board – now almost a decade old – dedicated “To all the women of the Shankill” and highlighting the roles played by women during WWI as nurses and welders and in the Land Army.

The troops in the upper-middle part of the board are shown gathered outside the West Belfast Orange Hall, on the Shankill at Brookmount Street.

outside the Ulster Rangers Supporters Club (Fb) on the Shankill Road

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Sua Sponte

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The 1st Ranger Battalion was formed in 1942 as the United States Army’s equivalent to the British Army’s Commandos and – after training at a camp in Carrickfergus – it saw action in France (at Dieppe (SOF History), resulting in the first US casualties of the war – WP), Algeria, Tunisia, and Italy. (There are four information panels at the Sunnylands shops about the formation and training of the unit.)

The insignia shown – which is here placed on top of the beret patch – is the insignia of the modern (75th Regiment) Rangers, with the lightning-bolt indicating the unit’s quick-strike abilities (SOF History); these are also alluded to by the motto “sua sponte”, meaning “of its/their own accord”.

This new art is by Dan Kitchener (web) in Victoria Parade, Carrickfergus, just outside the train station, produced in co-operation with Wonder Arts, the Communities In Transition programme from the Executive Office (web) and Carrickfergus Alternatives’ Peace Impact Programme (Fb).

It has been criticized by street-artist Wee Nuls (web) as glorifying conflict (ig), a charge the artist rejects, saying that it was produced in co-operation with locals and has been well received by them (MSN). (See also the reactions on the Let’s Talk Loyalism Fb page.)

The tank might be the M4 Sherman “Fury”. The tank appeared in the 2014 film of the same name (Bovington Tank Museum) used by the 66th Armor Regiment under the command of Brad Pitt; the film is perhaps the inspiration for the image (e.g. the scene in which the town of Kirchohsen is captured – youtube).

“Great love hath no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends – John 15:13”

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Those Who Gave Their Lives

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Wreaths were laid for Remembrance Sunday at the base of the stone on Maritime Drive in Carrickfergus, “erected in A.D. 1972 as a memorial to those citizens of the borough who gave their lives in two World Wars, 1914-1918, 1939-1945 and in subsequent conflicts.”

Among those laying wreaths were Mid- And East-Antrim Borough Council, UDR Veterans’ Association, RBP 17, PSNI, Woodburn junior LOL 258, Retired Police Officers’ Association, Ulidia Integrated College, DUP, PUP, UUP, ABOD, Royal Arch Purple, and others.

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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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