The Waterside

ian: 18th Nov 2005 - 15:02 GMT

It has eerie similarities with the "The South Will Rise Again" culture you see in parts of the US -- confederate battle flags on the backs of pick-up trucks, automatic distrust and hatred towards cities and their citizens, reactionary right-wing politics, and, of course, point-blank racism. I'd like to put them all in a blender. Make biodiesel.

hottie: 18th Nov 2005 - 16:34 GMT

the pics re so gay i can find better ones !!! f**k all ya

elaine: 18th Nov 2005 - 16:36 GMT

gosh, you're all about making the world a better place, aren't you 'hottie'?

Jamie: 18th Nov 2005 - 16:49 GMT

In reply to ian though, automatic hatred and distrust is a very very eloquent way of putting it. In a nutshell so to speak. And naturally, such narrowmindedness goes hand in hand with point-blank racism. Intolerance breeds intolerance whatever it's roots.

Peter: 18th Nov 2005 - 17:41 GMT

for those of you who dont know, ian is referring to this sort of thing (which you would have to be ver ystupid to display, nowadays):

jack: 18th Nov 2005 - 18:54 GMT

have you great britainers heard of the group, bristol fashion. its played on the bbc radio. yes, the south will rise again and madonna will be the new presodent. by the way have you seen her lately. isnt there a time limit on some of these aging, no voice singers.

Peter: 21st Nov 2005 - 15:29 GMT

oh yeah, i forgot to mention that... the image is "eddie the head" from the cover of iron maiden's "the trooper"...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_the_Head

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maiden

gaz: 21st Nov 2005 - 15:41 GMT

it's interesting to see how these pieces haven't been got over AT ALL. No tags, no bombs, no nothing.

Peter: 21st Nov 2005 - 15:42 GMT

i cant help but notice that it was painted to look like the top corners were peeling off. strange, that.

jeeff: 21st Nov 2005 - 20:06 GMT

i have a feeling that if the wrong people saw you tagging or bombing overtop of those loyalist murals you'd probably get your throat slit. i think that's a pretty good incentive to leave them alone.

Peter: 21st Nov 2005 - 20:10 GMT

that and im sure most people in that area agree with what the mural is conveying... and ergo probably wouldnt go over it.

though if a mural like that popped up here in brooklyn, id give it merely hours before someone painted a funny face on the skeleton or put thought-bubbles around his head filled with lewdness and lasciviousness.

Andrew: 22nd Mar 2007 - 06:39 GMT

stop bashing the South - if you think we're a bunch of hicks and hate us then leave us alone. You Yankees got your own problems to dish out (like invading other countries 24/7 and trigger happy cops).

Joe: 27th Mar 2008 - 06:14 GMT

Saw this mural firsthand. Its curious how the loyalists depict themselves as some sort of skeleton soldier. My Catholic friend was giving me a tour of the area and he was scared to get out of the car. Just goes to show how deep the conflict is.

Eamonn: 5th May 2008 - 21:39 GMT

Holy crap, how can you hate Eddie like that, hottie? (fair few years ago, but still dishonorable). Also, it's not really the loyalists depicting themselves as a skeletal soldier. Iron Maiden are one of the most famous British bands, and the front cover of 'The Trooper' single epitomises it with the invincible zombie Eddie at the charge of the light brigade. If not for the British flag, saber and uniform, then the loyalists wouldn't have used it. Zombie-mummy-mascots have nothing to do with it.

American Male: 24th Nov 2008 - 17:26 GMT

Huh, racist? Protestants and Catholics are a race? Also, I've been to N. Ireland, and the same sort of thing is in the Nationalist areas, what with the PLO/IRA one struggle mural. Honestly, saying one side is good and the other bad, that's ridiculous. Their paramilitaries, Nationalist and Loyalist, have destroyed so many lives, even their own peoples. That said, as a Catholic in Carrickfergus, surrounded by Protestants, I never felt in danger, and I have found most people in N. Ireland don't talk about their politics or religion and are actually very friendly.

scorch: 21st Apr 2009 - 13:43 GMT

you guys dont really get this at all...

I am from derry/londonderry and both communities have art work like this. Its got a lot to do with pride in the local community, "tribal" identity and historical recognition of events and tragides.

I am a protestant and have a lot of catholic mates, am happy to walk around in areas of both communities which have ART WORK like this. People in Ireland like to express themselves through art, and as such, that is just what these are, art.

they are not thrown up over night. this mural was painted by an group of artist called "ATTITUDE". they are a loyalist artist group... but the nationalist community has its group, "the bogside artists", who paint murals in the nationalist areas too.

jack : 9th Aug 2009 - 11:13 GMT

i am irish i hate the british they shudent of took over derry

David - Bond Street, Londonderry: 16th Aug 2009 - 21:37 GMT

The "Trooper" mural on Bond Street in Londonderry is one of a series of murals in the area by "Attitude". Artists Dee Logan and Marty Edwards took the Trooper influence because of the feeling in the Loyalist community in Londonderry that they were heavily outnumbered by their Nationalist/Republican neighbour (The City is roughly 75% Nationalist) and the Trooper represented the never say die attitude the Loyalist community felt. What no - one has commented on is the Half destroyed "Free Derry Wall" on the right hand side of the Mural that symbolises the past battles between the two traditions in the City during the conflict and the UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighter) insignia on the left sleeve. Above the mural is a message that says "There must be no retirement, with our backs against the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end. We determine the Guilty - We decide the punishment." Bruce Dickinson came to the Waterside about 6 years ago and was photographed in front of the mural with the artists. The South Belfast Estate of Taughmonagh had a similar mural but with the Grim Reaper and there is another copy of this mural in North Antrim, but this mural will always be regarded as the original and the best.

David - Bond Street, Londonderry: 16th Aug 2009 - 21:40 GMT

To Jack - If you were truly Irish, You would know that the British did not "Take over Derry" Its this attitude and ignorance that was the cause of 38 years of murder and thankfully - nearly part of the past!

NEIL: 26th Aug 2009 - 01:50 GMT

My grandfather was born at number 40 Bonds street!

Jason: 28th Oct 2009 - 11:40 GMT

I know Marty Edwards (one of the artists) from years ago - very friendly guy who mixed very well in both communities. Very talented street artist as well. PS - -I am a catholic

Jason: 28th Oct 2009 - 11:49 GMT

Quote from one of the artists -
I’m Marty Edwards and I work for Attitude Mural Artists. We’re based in the Waterside, Londonderry and we paint predominantly Protestant paintings. We would usually paint paramilitary paintings for UDA people, UVF people in their own estates. You know, sort of to mark their territory bounds like, you know, stuff like that. Usually we’re left to our own devices, to come up with something that’s really intimidating, will antagonise Catholics. But this project I’ve been involved with two groups from both sides of the community, four schools. What’s been positive about this project is me and Tom Kelly from the Bogside Artists actually working together and the young people seeing us, being from two totally different backgrounds, bringing sort of a project like this together. Maybe in years to come they’ll have no inhibitions of working alongside each other, Catholic and Protestant. Tom has a lot of the Protestants working with him, and I have a lot of Catholics working with me which is good. There’s a young boy working in my group, he actually lives across the street from me, he can’t walk the Derry side at all. Being from the Waterside he’s very apprehensive, very scared. It’s just a stigma comes with being a Protestant going over the Derry side, you know when you’re that age, 16/17 year old. But the last four days he’s been walking around the town with me, as free as he wanted, you know, and nobody said ‘boo’ to him, so he sort of knows now, so that’s sort of the advantage of it. It’s the same, I took one of the girls over yesterday in the van, we were collecting some timber to put the boards together, and I showed her round my own murals. It’s an estate she would never have thought of going into, but now that she knows, she’s seen the place, she knows the people, we met some of the people, she wouldn’t feel that alienated going into it.