Union Jack

Loyalist Londonderry

/ mikeosbornphoto / 2 Comments

No surrenderJust a short walk away from the city centre of Derry in Northern Ireland is a small area of housing which stands out. There is this slogan painted on the wall, while fences, bollards, lamp posts and even the pavement are decorated in red, white and blue.

The Fountain is a Loyalist stronghold. Its people are of the Protestant faith and are strongly in favour of Ulster being part of the United Kingdom and having allegiance to the British Royal family.

The Union Jack flies over the area, while its painted walls commemorate the military and moments from the distant past. They’re different to the murals that adorn the Catholic and nationalist Bogside area, which are more vibrant and mark more recent struggles. The Irish tricolour is the flag of choice there.

The Fountain area was remarkably quiet and there was little sign of life. Another feature is a tall green mesh fence marking its boundaries, which completes the sense that this is practically a separate enclave.

Click first image for the full gallery experience

 

See also galleries on Derry, City of Culture and Across The Peace Bridge

Jubilee Thames

/ mikeosbornphoto / 6 Comments

 The Diamond Jubilee celebration weekend is upon us, with London the centre of festivities. The city is bedecked with Union Jacks, and they’re hard to ignore.

One of the major events is a river pageant along the Thames, in which 1,000 vessels will float along the waterway.

This shot was taken on Hammersmith Bridge which straddles the Thames, where boats lined up in preparation for the flotilla. The graceful structure of the bridge has been decorated with a handful of vast canvas red, white and blue flags.

It took a little careful manoeuvring over the edge to capture both flag and the Thames flowing underneath.

The crowning glory was plenty of sunlight and the ripples from a craft that had just passed by.

It was worth the slight risk of losing my grip and dropping my camera straight into the water, never to be seen again.

See also: Red, White and Blue

Red, white and blue

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The UK is gearing up to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee next weekend, which will involve processions, river pageants and street parties over a two-day public holiday.

My local shopping mall is already in the mood, with Union Jack flags festooning a vast outdoor thoroughfare. It’s usually on big Royal occasions that the flag flutters everywhere. The shot above also reveals the diversity of the neighbourhood and city, living underneath such a traditional emblem.

The shopping complex is also quite new and shiny with modernistic architecture. Seeing it so brightly decorated caused me to stop, take some photographs and think about the sense of celebration under the summer sun which is finally with us.

I wonder just how many times red, white and blue will feature in photographs over the coming week?…

See also: Jubilee Thames