Aspects of Belfast (Pt. 2)

Many of the the murals and artwork in and around Belfast and Northern Ireland are generally historical and political.

As you can see above, once more we have a mural depicting the Titanic—the ill fated ocean liner—which can be found in East Belfast where the Harland and Wolff Shipyard is located and the massive cranes Samson and Goliath can be seen far and wide.

Part one of my murals and street art posts has already revealed the famous, or infamous, fate of the Titanic and unless you live on the Moon, or in the middle of the Amazon rain forest hidden from the rest of Earth, then you must have heard or seen the many stories of the Titanic.

Even my grandsons Daniel and Zac, nine and four years old, respectively, know the story of the Titanic and they can go into minute detail about her when no school or teacher taught them.

They taught themselves about her.

World War I

The next few murals of art are about the Great War, World War 1, and with the 100 year anniversary of that war coming up then I share these murals of art in memory of my grandfathers and uncles—all of whom fought in the first and second World Wars.

When I take photos of any murals or pieces of street art, I do not look at them through religious or political eyes, but eyes without judgement or hate. To me they are beautiful works of art, be they murals or street art, and all have a story to tell from the hands of talented artists.

Around 15 to 19 million died in the First World War, but with numbers too much to record, the final tally has never been fully realized by the nations who took part in it because many men were buried in unmarked graves.

Over the Top

As I have already written, my grandfathers Stewart and Lyttle fought in the First World War, as did many great-uncles from mixed religions.

All were young men sent to fight a war on foreign soil for the cause of freedom.

The Angels of Mons

The mural of art above depicts the Angles of Mons—even though there is just one in this mural, but the story goes, as the Battle for Mons was at its height, Angels appeared to protect the British soldiers from harm at the beginning of World War I.

The British forces were heavily outnumbered as the German soldiers advanced and many casualties had fallen, but miraculously the British forces were able to retreat to fight another day, which the soldiers and their relatives back home deemed that their forces could defeat the Germans; as history records they did.

Once more, it is the artwork that captured my eyes and the story behind it that I have now revealed to you if you did not know it before.

The First World War was meant to be the war to end all wars, but alas it was not.

The Market Seller

Some murals and street art are so simply done, and though this is true, they still stand out when seen through the eyes of the searcher and photographer. Although you need to be patient as you search and photograph.

Belfast and Northern Ireland generally have many gems of murals and street art, and though many are hidden from the normal tourist tours, exploring on your own or with your travel companions is a must for many are the streets and backstreets of Belfast. The more you explore them then the more the murals and street art will appear in front of you.

The Stables

These pieces of art can be found in Smithfield Market, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and depict days gone by, when life was simple and the pace of life slower.

Once more you can see the beauty within this mural or street art which is so effective to the eyes.

Market Day

Where possible, I will let you know where you can find each mural or piece of street art, so if you are visiting Belfast, or Northern Ireland, then you will have a guide through my posts to where to go to get your photos of the hidden beauty of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Best Wishes,

Aunidan