Grannymar

Back to where we were yesterday.

If you look carefully there is an oval plaque on the low wall inside the arch.

Within the grounds of Belfast Castle you will find a Cat Garden which is nicely laid out with a pond in the middle. The name refers to a legend attached to the castle that says it’s residents will only have good fortune provided a white cat lives there.

There are apparently nine references to cats, some obvious and some hidden. I wonder how many I can find?

Mosaic Cat - 1

This mosaic and the one below were to big for my viewfinder, when standing beside them. Taken from the car park above the colour detail is not so good.

Mosaic Cat - 2

This next one was visible yesterday, beside the small turret.

Ceramic Tile cat

Is this stone cat watching a fly?

This topiary cat is owner of all he surveys!

Sleeping Stone Cat I bet that spot is warm on a sunny day.

Another sleeping cat, this time in Bronze.

All this sleeping makes me want to sit down.

Want a closer look?

Cat playing with a ball of wool.

Now sit back and I will read you a poem…

Before the cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend,
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream.

This little verse by T. S. Eliot is accompanied by an etched cat (on the right) with his head in a bowl of cream.

On that infamous day last September, I took my camera for a walk.  I began at Antrim Forum leisure centre, in search of some sculpture. The piece I was looking for no longer existed, but I found this fine fellow:-

The Massereene Wolfhound

In the early 1600s Antrim Castle was home for Sir Hugh Clotworthy and his young bride, Lady Marion Clotworthy. It was surrounded by a beautiful woodland estate on the shores of Lough Neagh. It may well have seemed an idyllic home for Sir Hugh Clotworthy, but he was often absent on military business. I am sure that Lady Marion found life at Antrim Castle a lonely and miserable existence. She whiled away long hours wandering through the woodlands of the castle grounds. The only twittering back then was for the birds and I am sure they were not restricted to 140 characters!

Legend has it that on one of her solitary strolls a terrifying howl broke the silence of her walk.  Out from the trees stalked a huge wolf hackles raised, preparing itself to attack the terrified young girl.  The wolf’s howl was answered by a ferocious roar and an Irish Wolfhound bounded out of the forest.  Lady Marian screamed and collapsed in a faint.

It is believed that the two beasts fought each other to the death. Upon awakening, her gaze fell upon an incredible sight. The wolf lay dead, but standing guard by her side was the badly injured Irish Wolfhound.

Like all good shaggy dog stories, this tale has a couple of variations.  Some say that Lady Marian then brought the dog to the nearby stream and tended to its wounds, but as soon as it had recovered it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Others would have you believe, that together they made their way back to the castle and the four legged guardian escorted Lady Marion on her daily rambles.

One stormy night the howling of a wolfhound was heard high above the wind. The wardens of the castle quickly lit their beacon fires only to see a large army of Irish invaders coming towards the castle. Well by now you know the Irish… always ready for a good fight, and in the midst of fierce firing, an agonised howl was heard. The castle was saved, but daylight revealed a trail of blood that led to the wolfhound’s corpse.

Once again the wolfhound had saved the Clotworthy family from disaster and Sir Hugh Clotworthy had a stone statue made in honour of the wolfhound. By encasing the hound in stone and mounting it upon one of the castle’s front towers, Sir Hugh shrewdly calculated the potential to ward off the hostile  superstitious natives.

Eventually, alterations to the castle caused the statue be removed from the castle tower and placed on a wall about 10 foot high at the gate of the estate. There it remained until the late 1970s, when, invaded by ivy and in danger of falling, Antrim Borough Council, with persuasion from the Irish Wolfhound Club of Northern Ireland, had it removed to a location in front of the town leisure centre. In deference to the old Massereene family legend, it still remained within the bounds of the original Antrim Castle estate (the actual castle was destroyed by fire in 1922).

The statue stood about 3 foot tall from plinth to head. It was in need of repair having had some very crude work done on it some years ago.

On Tuesday 21st September 2011, the Wolfhound returned home to Antrim Castle Gardens as part of the first stage of refurbishment.

A Place of honour.

Magda, a young lady from Poland, was out for her regular walk with her daughter and the two young charges she child minds each day. She offered to take my photo beside the wolfhound at the new location. Having the children in the photo added some great colour on a dull day. Magda was telling me she attends English classes in the evenings.

Magda and her charges.

Belfast’s Jaffe Fountain

There is a round plaque at the front of the fountain canopy in remembrance of Daniel Joseph Jaffe.

It was first sited in Victoria Square before being moved to the Botanic Gardens, south Belfast in 1933 and lay there for almost 70 years in poor condition. The fountain had to be painstakingly restored due to its condition and to study its original colours underneath the years of neglect.

It has been returned to the original location outside the new Victoria Square Mall.

It is a great link to Belfast’s history and the role of the Jaffe family. Daniel Joseph Jaffe was born in Mecklenburg, Schwerin, northern Germany on August 19, 1809. He laid the foundation stone of the synagogue in Great Victoria Street. He died in Nice on January 21, 1874, and was buried in the Jewish plot at Belfast Cemetery.

Daniel Joseph Jaffe and his older sons formed Jaffe Brothers, linen manufacturers, bleachers and merchants, at Bedford Street, Belfast. Otto a younger son, took over from his older brothers when they retired in 1877 and managed the business they had started with their father.  In 1880 the business had moved to 9 Donegall Square East and 10 Donegall Square South.

Otto Jaffe, was elected as a city councillor in 1894, and was elected as Belfast’s first Lord Mayor in 1899 (the first incumbent of the title ‘Lord’). He was knighted after his first term and re-elected as Lord Mayor in 1904. Sir Otto died in 1929, and was cremated in London.

The narrow triangular building is Bittles Bar. If you need a winter warmer you could try:-

The Albert Clock

The Albert Memorial Clock Tower in Queen’s Square at the foot of High Street, is often referred to as Belfast’s, Leaning Tower of Pisa because the monument, completed in 1869 is slightly out of plumb.

In 1865 a competition was held for the design of a memorial to Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s late husband and Prince Consort.  The winner was  W. J. Barre, who had earlier designed Belfast’s Ulster Hall. Alas, following some shenanigans  W. J. was not awarded his prize and the contract was secretly given to Lanyon, Lynn, and Lanyon, who had come second.  The decision maker for the prize was one of Lanyon’s partners who just happened to be a Belfast Member of Parliament! We think these antics are a modern phenomenon!  The construction cost £2,500 and was raised by public subscription, so following Occupy Belfast Mark 1 a public outcry, the contract was eventually awarded to the rightful winner Mr Barre.

Designed in “German Gothic” style, the 30-metre tower features a base of flying buttresses topped off with crowned lions clutching shields, above them a gigantic, full-length statue of Prince Albert in his garter robes. He is looking up the High Street. A two tonne bell is housed in the tower and the clock was made by Francis Moore of High Street, Belfast.

Back View of the clock from Meeting House Square

It was built on wooden piles on marshy, reclaimed land around the River Farset, which ran along High Street.  Over time these foundations moved and the top of the tower was leaning four feet off the perpendicular. Due to that movement, some ornamental work on the belfry was removed in 1924 along with a stone canopy over the statue of the Prince.

To prevent the tower leaning further and to repair damage caused by the elements and heavy passing traffic, a multi-million pound restoration project was completed in 2002. During the project the wooden foundations were strengthened, the majority of the decaying carvings were replaced and the entire tower was cleaned.

It has been beautifully restored, and the sandstone tower made pristine by having 3 inches shaved off each side, thereby removing the unsightly shrapnel markings inflicted by German bombs in WWII and IRA bombs in the “Troubles” of the 1970s.

It has been the traditional gathering point in Belfast for over a century on New Year’s Eve.

I think I am headed in the right direction….

Not far to go….

I found it!

Anne ~ Slate resin figure on Mirror polished stainless steel
Sculptor ~ Lucy Glendinning

A 7m high mirror polished stainless steel column with internal lighting a laser cut pattern with coloured perspex insets and a life size figure cast in slate resin. The figure faces Saint Anne’s Cathedral.

On Lucy Glendinning‘s website, not alone can you learn about her but, see her commissions, exhibitions and read her poetry.

Anne is a commissioned sculpture for Saint Anne’s Square, the new city centre piazza behind Saint Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast. The sculpture was installed in November 2009.

A multi £million leisure, commercial and residential development on redeveloped land in the Cathedral Quarter, it was partially open when I visited. This elegant scheme will comprise of ground floor bars and restaurants with turnkey offices at ground and first floor level.

Rising over four floors from the second level will be residential apartments. The focal point of the development will be a new 14,000 sq ft piazza creating a new public space with potential for performing arts and events. An hotel is already open on one corner of the scheme.

The Metropolitan Arts Centre (MAC) is set to open in early 2102.  The venue, will be six storeys high with two theatres, visual arts space and dance studios.

The Speaker ~ Bronze
Artist ~ Gareth Knowles

This life-size bronze sculpture was inspired by the historic tradition of public speaking at Custom House Square where crowds would gather to listen to the orators of the day.

The ground in front of the sculpture has bronze footprints to suggest the crowds that would gather to hear the outpouring of the speaker.

Gareth Knowles was born in Belfast and has been sculpting for the last 20 years. Another commission by the Grand Opera House, Belfast, was to create a bust of Frank Matcham, the venue’s architect.  I could tell you more but he puts his story so well on his website, I would hate to spoil it, so please follow the link.

I’ve been here before. The coloured wall on the right is where you could learn to be a clown!  Nah, the world is full of clowns, I mean you can learn Circus Skills.

I remember walking on those cobble stones to find a penny.

It was actually to find a lottery worth of them stacked in bundles all over the street!  It was only last week, you must remember.

Did you notice the drunken angled poles?  One almost straight in front of you (pun intended) and the other way off to the left.

The Calling ~ Steel & Fibreglass
Artist ~ Paddy McCann

The Calling is an outdoor sculpture located at Gordon Street/Dunbar Link in Belfast.  This work is based on the theme of communication between people and their environment.

It consists of a bright red stylised human figure standing on a green chair and a bright blue figure standing on a yellow chair, calling into the distance while balancing atop extended (and angled} piston-like poles.

Paddy McCann is a Belfast-based artist, whose work encompasses a wide range of disciplines, including painting, print and sculpture. He gained an MA from the University of Belfast in 1989.

He exhibits widely throughout Ireland and internationally. His work is represented in many private and public collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain.

Sculpture ~ Penny for your Thoughts
Artist ~ Peter Rooney

One of several pieces entitled ‘Penny for your Thoughts’, by Peter Rooney, they act as dual purpose sculptures and at the corner of Gordon Street and Dunbar Street they are used as bollards. This first example depicts one of Belfast’s best-known citizens - Henry Joy McCracken

The work reflects the commercial activity that was at the base of the development of Belfast and the Cathedral Quarter.

Peter Rooney was born in Belfast in 1954. He received his BA (Hons) from University of Ulster in silversmithing and jewellery and then his Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Arts with particular interest in ‘Public Art’.

Monied bollards aid parking for monied cars!

This tile informs us that it is part of Laganside Art Trail.  It marks the location of the town ditch and gate into Belfast in 17th century.

I will return to this spot in the near future.

Spirit of Belfast ~ Stainless Steel
Sculptor ~ Dan George

Chosen by public vote, the Spirit of Belfast in Belfast City Centre was created by New York artist Dan George.
The seven metre high sculpture is composed of four curved stainless steel structural elements including programmed in-ground lighting and is installed on a granite plinth base.

In the artist’s words:

“The Spirit of Belfast is the manifestation of our energy as we look to the future as well as a meditation on our past. It is a timepiece that weaves together the strength of steel and the delicacy of light, ocean liners and linen, progress and peace”.

Dan George creates large scale installations and sculpture.  A couple at the roadsides in Southern Ireland and one in Cork City.

One piece will be familiar to drivers on the M7 near Kildare Town, called Race of the black Pig. It comprises A series of 60 aluminium and colour reflective sections in the form of an abstract St. Bridget’s cross, mounted along the west side of the carriageway.  I have driven by it many times, but until now, never knew the background story.

Passage of Time an installation of six double ring aluminium units is located beside the new realignment scheme, approximately half way between Wexford and New Ross. Fixed between the two rings of each of the six units are images covered with coloured highway reflective sheeting. As viewers pass by the installation, seventy-five meters in length, the rings and coloured elements appear to move or shift in relationship to each other.

Finally the Halo Project a theatrically lit corridor for Tobin Street in Cork, Ireland. The link has interesting detail of this project.

Most of my photos don’t do justice to this mosaic sculpture that I feature today.  It is owned by Translink, and housed in Europa Bus Station, Glengall Street ,Belfast.

If I were to get a bus to Dublin, this is where I would head to, for the second bus of that journey.  I have travelled from here, met friends and relations as they arrived and waved them off at the end of their stay.  Just to the right of where I stood to take this view is the focus of my piece today.

Waterfall of Souvenirs ~ Ceramic
Artist ~ John Kindness

This bus centre opened in 1989, and the sculpture was commissioned and completed in 1991. It was funded by Translink and the Arts Council of Belfast and recognised by an award from the Association for the Business Sponsorship of the Arts(ABSA now Arts and Business).

The sculpture is 5 metres high and depicts a waterfall, an avalanche of Irish memorabilia with a strong northern accent that represent the places linked by the Ulsterbus service (from this terminus).

The artist wanted to encapsulate a community feel so he requested donations of ceramic souvenirs from Ulster, some of which were than selected for inclusion in the finished piece.

The public response was considerable. These kitch items were then, along with specially fired ceramics, reassembled by the artist to achieve the overall design of the work. An Ulster Fry beside the Giant’s Causeway, presents from Bangor, Bushmills and Ballymena, Guinness (a favourite drink across the land), Whisky, shamrocks, public buildings, cathedrals, churches, beauty spots, wildlife etc are all portrayed. Some pieces were made from scratch.

John Kindness is well-known for his humorous and quirky visual commentaries and use of unconventional materials,  John Kindness is one of Northern Ireland’s best known artists, particularly in relation to the work he has produced for public spaces including The Big Fish at Donegall Quay in Belfast (1999) ( featured last week) and this piece at the Ulsterbus Station in Glengall Street.

His work has been is included in many private and public collections including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London and the AIB Bank.

John is an artist of international reputation. Previous commissions include ‘Romulus and Seamus’ Arts Council Northern Ireland Sculpture Park and ‘The Museum of the Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly’ in The Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Belfast.  The latter I hope to explore at a future date.

The curved back which is mainly black tiles has photos and credits of John Kindness, Steve Raibl, Michelle Deignan & Peggy McKenna.  They all played a part in producing this work of Art.