Postcards Of Belfast (Early 1900s)

I've found that the postcard posts have thus far been my most popular so here's a selection of postcards depicting Edwardian Belfast. They show the city's oft-lauded industrial might, its grand architecture, its commerce, and scenic spots. These postcards bring to mind the fascinating photographs in the book Made In Belfast by Trevor Parkhill and Vivienne Pollock which describes the industrial and commercial vibrancy of Belfast at the time. I found the book somewhat of a revelation. I had been so used to seeing Ireland at the time, north and south, depicted as agrarian, bucolic or just plain primitive.

This post card shows Belfast Castle looking slightly eerie.

This grand looking building, completed in 1906, was the home of Belfast Tech, aka the Black Man Tech, until 2011. If you'd like to find out more about this educational institution here's a documentary I found that goes into its history.

I have no idea if the charming looking building still stands, perhaps a local reader can enlighten me, but I can safely say that the people enjoying themselves in the boat are long gone unless one of them happens to be Highlander.

This colourful postcard shows the Palm House in Belfast's lovely Botanic Gardens. It looks pretty much the same today, social media notwithstanding.

Belfast City Hall took 8 years to construct and was completed in 1906. It's a beautiful building and to this day serves as a fantastic focal point for Belfast. When I sat outside it a few years ago eating lunch a man offered to sell me a volume of Marvel comics that he produced from under his shirt.

Harland and Wolff's famous shipyards, what can I say that hasn't already been said? They're still a point of pride amongst many in Belfast. At the time depicted they were a if not the major employer in Belfast. Its most famous ship was of course the Titanic, which some contemporary visitors to Belfast expect to see there. Thankfully now their disappointment can be allayed by the recently constructed Titanic Museum. Other famous ships to come from the yards include the Titanic's sister ship, the Olympic, and the HMS Belfast which under the pretense of being a museum ship protects London from Cybermen and Daleks.

High Street, Belfast, with Belfast's answer to Big Ben or the Leaning Tower Of Pisa, the Albert Memorial Clock, in the background.

Queen's University in 1910. I can't think of anything else to write other than my dad attended the university roughly 50 years later and he and his pals used to congregate in the Student Union in order to huddle around a television to watch the Flintstones.

 Queen's Bridge around 1900 showing some of  the city's industrial activity at the time.

This postcard shows Belfast's main shopping thoroughfare, Royal Avenue. All the shops shown are now KFCs, McDonald's and Carroll's tricolour inflatable hammer dealers. The trams are in tram heaven.

Shaw's Bridge still stands, although it has long since been superceded by a snazzier more modern affair nearby. Here's the bridge from another angle.

Political Murals of Northern Ireland (1970s - 2010)

This is a modified version of a post I did on a messageboard in 2010. It was written primarily for people from outside Ireland. The images used were gleaned from various sources online.

Political Murals of Northern Ireland

There is a rich tradition in Northern Ireland of painting political murals. As far as I am aware, prior the Troubles, some murals did exist, usually depicting William of Orange (e). However since 1969 their popularity has increased and there have been several thousand painted by artists on both sides of the community. These murals are generally, though not exclusively on the gable ends of houses, in working class areas of the main cities. Although murals can be seen elsewhere the majority exist in these locales. They deal with a variety of themes, generally related to the sociopolitical identity of the local community. Some commemorate fallen comrades (a), some celebrate paramilitary factions (b), others mark historic events, others still, especially in more recent years celebrate the local culture in non-divisive ways by emphasising mythology, community progress etc.

a)


b)


The murals typically include some of the iconography associated with one or other of the communities but also sometimes incorporate pop cultural references. Murals have been documented that have incorporated Eddie the Iron Maiden mascot, Bart Simpson and other cartoon characters(d).

d) 

One of the main differences between Loyalist/Unionist murals and Republican/Nationalist ones is that the latter are often willfully multicultural, depicting solidarity with other national struggles throughout the world (d). This internationalist approach is a legacy of Irish radical Republicanism's traditional left wing ethos and international support base. Murals have been painted that include statements of support for Palestine, the Basque Country, FARC in Colombia, Cuba, and other left-wing national struggles. In recent years, as the violence has subsided more and more of these murals display political commentary on the international scene. Those Loyalist/Unionist murals that look abroad tend to look to the Ulster-Scots elsewhere, in Scotland or America (e). For example, a number of murals portray American Presidents of Ulster-Scots heritage, of which there are quite a few.

d)


e) 


Talking purely about aesthetics some are beautifully done, using either graphic design style work or just a nice attention to detail (f). While many seem the competent work of trained or practiced painters others are quite folksy are badly drawn. Some are cartoonish or kitsch in an unintended way (g). The menace or gravitas of some murals is deflated by the amateurishness of the rendition.

f)

g)

Some murals are done with humorous intent albeit a political underpinning and are often blackly comic (g). Indeed some subvert the ideas and ideals of the communities for other purposes in a humorous way (h).

g)

h)

For obvious reasons, there are a number of murals that lionise convicted murderers, in the mural below (i) "His only crime was loyalty" would more accurately read "His only crime was murdering people at a funeral."

i) 

Not all murals are overtly divisive in a political sense. Many, especially recent ones describe events in Northern Irish and wider world history such as the Titanic (j)which was constructed in the Belfast shipyards. Some murals convey commentary on contemporary international events such as the Iraq invasion of 2003 (k).

j)

k)


These type of murals by and large don't exist in the Republic of Ireland, nor to the best of my knowledge in Britain. I have heard that in some Irish communities like South Boston in the US you can see some of these murals. There is a mini-industry in Northern Ireland currently of mural tourism. You can get a taxi tour or view them from a tour bus. I recommend such a tour to a visitor to Belfast or Derry as the drivers can provide stories and context for the murals.

To view more murals and find out more information please visit this site: http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/mccormick/