Colouring the Past was a community engagement programme led by the Linen Hall Library as part of the Making the Future project. The programme set out to create a community produced colouring book of stories from across the region through its landmarks, events, people and lifestyles. Following workshops from journalist and writer Malachi O’Doherty, photographer Christopher Barr and broadcaster and comedian Tim McGarry, a group of participants were tasked to submit photographs of places and things that hold a significance to them or to their past. Submitted images were then transformed into line drawings to create this unique publication. Photographs are accompanied by short reflections on the meaning behind the moments captured - touching on aspects of politics, coronavirus, the environment and our more turbulent history. As part of the project, participants were also sent some blank line drawings from the archives at Belfast Exposed Gallery. Depicting murals, peace walls, 12th of July revellers and St Patrick’s day celebrations, our participants’ responses brought a fresh approach to the memory and representation of our past. You can also see some of those artistic creations in this book. This publication is a credit to all those who took part and contributed. I hope it will inspire us to remember and reflect on our past, while looking forward to the great wealth of positivity that exists within our communities – and always with a touch of our unique humour.
Lesley Cherry Making the Future Community Engagement Officer at Linen Hall Library
In partnership with
Making the Future is a project supported by the European Union’s PEACE IV Programme, managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
ANNE MURRAY
Beacon Of Hope ‘Nuala with the Hula’. ‘The Thing with the Ring’. Some of the nicknames given to this piece of public art at Belfast’s Thanksgiving Square. At 19.5 meters tall, she spirals to the sky, representing the universal philosophy of peace, harmony and thanksgiving. I took this photo in the summer of 2013, when it felt like Belfast was bursting into life around me. Nuala, gleaming in the sun, seemed to magically hold the clouds in the Ring of Thanksgiving. My heart sung with hope and gratitude as I felt connected to everything she symbolised. Belfast was no longer the sad and battered city it had been for most of my life.
Thank You Sarah I took this photo from inside the John Hewitt bar, Belfast. Who is Sarah, I wondered? It was March 2013 and the ‘Save the Cathedral Quarter’ campaign was ongoing. Years later I discovered Sarah was a journalist who’d written a supportive piece related to the campaign. Terri Hooley, one of Belfast’s famous musical sons, had painted these words for her. It’s now 2021. The graffiti has changed but the campaign goes on. #saveCQ.
conrad kirkwood
Present Exchange at Bells Theorem Crescent, Titanic Several families seemed to gather beside the Belfast Met on Christmas Eve to exchange presents. It was perhaps one of the few examples of an extended family observing the guidelines properly and avoiding a large indoor gathering on Christmas Day.
Social Distancing at Titanic This photo was taken on the edge of the Abercorn Basin at Titanic. It looked as if even the seagulls were socially distancing and they were less than impressed by the pigeon which had flown in from another area.
Show Some Love This photo was taken in Rosemary Street, Belfast from beside the Fresh Garbage shop. The stencil has appeared all over the city centre but looked distinctly unloved in this location. Why the phrase has appeared is not known to me. In some context it is used in a relationship when someone wants some attention. I chose to see it as you should show love to another person as a hug, a kiss or a handshake – difficult in the pandemic though!
ginny wren
This Virus This picture was taken in Fountain Street, Belfast, November 2020 and was a hand-written sign in the window of the British Heart Foundation shop. Due to the pandemic, they were struggling for donations and this was part of an appeal to the public. It struck me that we were all in this together against a common, invisible enemy and everyone had been affected by it. I liked that it rhymed, as it kept the message light-hearted yet effective. Keep on Going Taken on Royal Avenue, Belfast in November 2020, I saw this as a positive piece of street art at a time when we need reminded of our resilience. In the past, as during the pandemic, we just need to ‘keep on going’...there is nothing else for it!
The Europa Famously, once the most bombed hotel not only in Europe but the world, the Europa still stands tall and proud. Between 1970 and 1994 it was damaged by explosions 33 times - although it didn’t open its doors until 1971! It wears its past like a badge of honour. And for withstanding so much it is an inspiring success story.
Eilish Owens
Belfast City Centre On my way from the art college to the Holylands in 2012, there was a protest taking place in front of the City Hall. I can’t remember what it was for. I took this photo and surrounding me were the riot vans and police. I wondered would students in other cities experience this?
Street in Belfast This photo was taken in a loyalist area in 2010. I think the houses were being knocked down for redevelopment. I like how the area looked rough, but the bright colours of these houses stand out. I think about the past life of this street and these houses, the residents, and the colourful lives they lived. I thought the colourful houses represent optimism for making way for the new.
Sun Man at Climate Change Rally The climate change rally in Belfast 2019 was so positive. Many young people were at the protest. During the speeches different political parties spoke and I noticed the young crowd boo-ed the well-known parties and cheered on smaller parties. To me, it felt like a change, with people caring less about green and orange and more about the environment. ‘Sun Man’ summed up the importance and positivity of the event.
frank britton
Our Beautiful Townhall, Enniskillen Notice the flag poles. They are bare and that is how they have been for 15+ years. No national flag. I remember that time and the sense of shock or relief, depending on political stance, that some people felt. Hardliners on both sides saw this as a sort of beginning of the end. In fact, the sky did not fall in and everyone still had to get up the next morning and go to work.
ERIC/EIRE Enthused by the workshops, I was inspired to find some overtly political imagery and I found this wall mural in one of the housing estates near where I live. I love it, not because of the politics, I hasten to add, but because of the ‘unfathomables’ in it. In my mind I keep thinking it’s a spelling mistake and maybe it is? The aerial also threw me. This building is no larger than a storeroom, but the aerial suggests a house where people live. Could this all be an absurdist installation - an Enniskillen Banksy?!
Cenotaph We all know about the terrible events that took place at the Cenotaph, Enniskillen in 1987. As a result, the Cenotaph changed and became part of our past in a way not intended. The most noticeable change is the addition of copper doves to represent those killed that day. Just barely visible through the palm fronds is the old Orange Hall, the home of an institution central to NI past. It has been repurposed and is now a media and technology centre, a pointer to our future?
heather von loggenberg
‘Orangemen Road’ and ‘We Can Do No Other’ On the first Sunday of every July, Orangemen paraded from Drumcree church via Garvaghy Road to the centre of Portadown. The last parade took place in 1997. The Catholic/ nationalist residents on Garvaghy Road objected to this parade and the Parades Commission upheld their complaint. The first parade in 1807 was to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne but after the First World War the parade commemorated The Battle of the Somme. The 36th (Ulster) Division (mostly Protestant) and 16th (Irish) Division (mostly Catholic) fought together at the Somme and at Messines where an Irish peace park now stands. I visited there a few years ago. Although they fought and died together - they exchanged one battleground for another when they returned to Ireland and old animosities were rekindled. The Parades Commission have not lifted this ban since then and there have been no significant riots in the area since the late 1990s.
Mural Replacement George Best – one the greatest and most charismatic players in the history of Northern Irish and world football. He was a force of nature as a footballer and as a man. He said, ‘They will forget all the rubbish when I’ve gone and remember only the football’. In those dark days of the troubles his football gave many great joy. This mural in Portadown is beside these satellite dishes which didn’t exist when George played. It replaced a mural of a loyalist terrorist (right).
malcolm johnston
Crumlin Road Gaol I’m always caught by the idea that there is ‘nothing new under the sun’ and that the old and the new often collide. The Gaol is a good example as it was built in the 1840s but used right up to the Troubles. It has a great mixture of the original Victorian architecture with modern high security additions, as in the image. When I was a teenager I remember watching the prisoners rioting on the roof in 1994 and naively thinking how childish it was to be throwing all the slates off!
Murlough Beach, Co Down I love the majestic profile of the Mournes and, Murlough is a place we have visited a lot before and particularly during the Coronavirus lockdown. Internationally, Northern Ireland is known for the divisions and violence of the past few decades but this scene makes me think how much it should have a draw as a place of great natural beauty with a fantastic range of outdoor activities instead.
Orange Parade, Maguiresbridge I remember accompanying my father to watch my uncle march in Maguiresbridge, Co. Fermanagh, when I was a bit older. I was struck by how much my uncle’s personality, as a very well-mannered, hard-working, calm gentleman, contrasted so starkly with some of the anger at Orange parades during the 1990s. What I saw on TV bore no relation to my experience of my uncle. The fact that he was also an Orangeman made my understanding of the disputes much more complex.
siobhan keegan
Noose Head A chance image, taken in Crumlin Road Gaol. This image was taken with my Olympus E-500 DSLR & kit lens. It was shot in very low light – I had to manipulate the RAW image substantially to pull out the detail. This is one of my images taken during a day trip to Belfast for a Conflict Resolution Tour on 2nd March 2013 which included visits to the Peace Line and Crumlin Road Gaol, along with other sites of interest. I will leave the viewer to read into the context of the image itself, taken in the execution cell of the gaol.
Today’s War Today Driving through Tandragee on New Year’s Eve – a day of ‘hope’ for the future, I noticed how the snow made the soldiers on the commemorative bench standout. The Tandragee War Memorial, made of Newry granite, marks the entrance to the famous Tandragee Castle, now ‘Tayto Castle’. I see lots of messages within this image: from the evocative Union Flag, the War Memorial & Commemorative Bench, to Tayto Castle and the very real and current threat of coronavirus. COVID-19, a war we are still fighting and stand united against.
Falls Fire Taken the night Lee Clegg was released from Prison, 4th July, 1995. It was the first night of ‘peace’ - which I found extremely ironic as the night was so noisy! Metal bin lids being banged up and down the street. Considering that everyone now had plastic wheelie bins it was amazing to see/hear how many metal bin lids were still in circulation. My future husband and I slept with our clothes on that night and had the bath filled with water. There were people with petrol bombs literally across the street from us. I thought, ‘This is Peace?’.
kathy jamison
Cone of Light The first thing you see when you enter Newcastle from the South is the Cone of Light tower. It has a gap in the centre through which you can see the sea and in the other direction, the Mourne Mountains. It is aesthetically pleasing – I love the mix of stone and steel. As with the other sculptures on the promenade, it encourages people to interact with it. My photograph provides glimpses of the town and Murlough bay in the distance.
The Gobbins Opening in 1902, the Gobbins Path was designed by Berkeley Deane Wise of the Belfast and Northern Counties Railway bringing tourism to the area. It cost 6d to get in and to avoid having to pay for children, many women hid them under their skirts to get past the gate keeper at Wyses Eye. Closed due to bad condition in 1954. Reparation work undertaken from 2011 and the public were able to enjoy the area again in 2015. My photograph shows the replacement 5.4 tonne tubular bridge which is the most recognisable icon of the Gobbins. Climbing onto this exposed bridge and you find yourself 10 metres above the swirling Irish Sea!
The Crab Claw This Crab Claw, located on Newcastle Promenade, is a piece of public art by the sculptor Alan Burke, commissioned in 2005. Its artistic interpretation reflects what can be found on the beach. Through the claw, my photograph shows other icons of Newcastle – namely the Mourne Mountains and the white foot bridge over the Shimna River.
here's some they made earlier...
Ginny wren God Save The Queen I transformed these two ladies into punks, to highlight how the image of the Union Flag can mean different things to different people. I changed their appearance but kept their union jack clothing faithful to the original, which they were wearing as they celebrated at a Twelfth of July Parade. I titled the piece ‘God save the Queen’ as that is the name of the British national anthem but is also a famous Sex Pistols song. On the smaller flag I wrote ‘Alternative Ulster’ as a nod to NI Punk heritage and the band Stiff Little Fingers.
carol moore King Billy Pride Why is a colour so divisive in the North? Often people only see the colour and not the image.
Conrad kirkwood
Culture Night Culture is a much used and abused word/notion. I chose to play on the word in the oft-used context that both communities use it. I then reflected that Culture Night (a great night) has come to be blighted by public and underage drinking.
East Meets West The Glider has linked the two communities across the city of Belfast. In this colouring, the peace wall has become a version of the Berlin Wall and East meets West becomes a double meaning.
St. Patrick He rid us of snakes. Could he rid us of Covid? The St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast was something a lot of people never thought would happen due to community divides and a Unionist led council but is now a major part of the city’s celebratory parades… although it was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.
Queen Billy Several ‘heroic figures’ in our shared history are alleged to have been homosexual e.g., Roger Casement and King William. 1981, when homosexuality became legal in Northern Ireland, replaces the year 1690, the year of King Billy’s Battle of the Boyne. I then placed his alleged partners on the banner, listed like battles on a Twelfth parade banner.
Hazel Cherry
King Lester Liam As a horse and pony obsessed child, my daughter asked who the man on the white horse was. I told her with a straight face that it was Lester Piggott, a famous jockey from the 1950s through to the 1980s. I had no problem telling her this, as she knew who Lester Piggott was and also it shielded her for a while longer from some of the issues we have in the country. I painted this image in a variety of the traditional community colours and added 1916 to mirror the 1690. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, as it’s meant to be. My daughter still loves horses and now tells this story to the community groups she works with.
Snakes The fact that the Belfast St Patrick’s Day Parade in Belfast was nonexistent for most of the 1970s and 80s shows, in some respects, how far we have come. The Gay Pride Parade is another brilliant celebration of how times have changed. I painted St Patrick in the traditional colour themes of both communities for a bit of fun and at the end of the day, he is the patron saint of everyone in Ireland.
Nuala starkey
If If you or your best friend or your worst enemy had been born in a different time, in a different place, how different things could have been. I mourn the waste of passion, energy and ability that futile wars and unnecessary exclusions impose on our youth. With this in mind, I transformed this drawing by calling it ‘If’, morphing Bobby Sands and King William murals together, blanking out dates and extending the arms of the figure into an open and welcoming gesture. So much potential has been lost due to our conflict. Lets hope this will be one of the major changes going forward into the future.
Just Go We cannot build a future if we do not learn from the past. But if the past looms so large that the present and the future are dwarfed by it we have no future. Routine and rituals have a place in the rhythm of life but they have to make sense and they have to evolve. Doing the same thing every year because you are too lazy or unimaginative to do anything else is a recipe for failure, like going to the same place on holidays when you have nothing new to do or see. Yes, William of Orange won the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, but that was 331 years ago. Has nothing exciting worth celebrating happened since then?
Dangers of Digging into Historical Records With the opening of historical records and ease of genealogical research, many myths about family histories, family secrets and religions will be exploded. This collage image of an orange and a green St Patrick/religious figure, looking over one of Belfast’s peace walls, was my way of demonstrating this. When looking through my own history, I was able to complete family trees, as my great aunt’s history had been omitted due to religious beliefs and upbringing.
Siobhan Keegan
Discotech I didn’t set out to do any colouring in. However, when I did have a go, I made the conscious decision to try and avoid colours that have significant meaning to the varied residents within Northern Ireland. I was surprised and disappointed to discover that most colours are spoken for! So, I tried to turn the image around. I tried to make the Saracens/Police Land Rovers colourful fun vehicles and the police more like Balamory caricatures. The boy I decided should lack colour – his future unknown.
What are words worth? He simply wants a ‘hug’ – but it’s become like a swear word in this day and age thanks to Covid. When I was growing up my peers were known to occasionally say odd expressions such as ‘now wash your mouth out with soap’. I imagine the younger generation of today are unfamiliar with such sayings. However, ‘now wash your hands with soap’ has become a mantra in its own right as we look for a cure for Coronavirus. We long for a normal world.
colour me in!
www.makingthefuture.eu
ISBN 978-1-910341-17-9