Notorious loyalist mural to be replaced

One of Northern Ireland's most notorious paramilitary murals is be replaced as part of a £3 million community "re-imaging" scheme…

One of Northern Ireland's most notorious paramilitary murals is be replaced as part of a £3 million community "re-imaging" scheme.

The UDA portrait of the grim reaper in the loyalist Village area of south Belfast is to give way to a new painting of Protestant folk hero William of Orange.


The decision to take down the divisive image comes after almost a decade of negotiations within the community.

Work on the new mural of William of Orange, the Dutch king who defeated Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, will begin next week.

READ MORE

The project is being undertaken as part of the Greater Village Regeneration Trust's (GVRT)  Streetscape project, which has received around £18,000 support from the Northern Ireland Arts Council.

GVRT director Paula Bradshaw said the successful creation of a community garden to replace a former paramilitary memorial had built up sufficient trust to broach the issue of replacing the reaper.

However, she admitted substituting the mural with one of King William did not go all the way to creating a non-political symbol.