Huge new Belfast Blitz mural on the Shankill 'is teaching the youth what the community went through' under Nazi air raids says artist
A new "immersive” World War II mural is teaching youngsters about the carnage of the Belfast Blitz, according to the man who painted it.
The vast scene on a previously-blank wall off the Shankill Road in north-west Belfast is a testament to “what the local community went through” said artist Dan Kitchener.
It is also the third WWII-related mural to be unveiled in Northern Ireland in weeks.
Just around the corner is a mural to SAS founder Blair Mayne (painted by Bangor artist Jossiepops) and in Carrickfergus’ Castlemara estate a mural was unveiled to commemorate D-Day last Sunday (painted by Mr Kitchener again).
The Blitz mural was commissioned by not-for-profit outfit Shankill Alternatives, funded by the Executive Office, and was finished this week.
It was painted freehand in just a few days.
"I was speaking to people while I was painting,” said Mr Kitchener, who hails from England.
"I've been told the area was completely flattened by the Germans, the Luftwaffe.
"People were telling me stories about relatives that were killed, and how their mum remembers when this street was flattened and five people were killed.
"One of the guys said there were horses running around the street that had escaped from somewhere.
"There was fire everywhere, and they were obviously terrified. That's quite a striking image in itself.
"It's terrible to think that was the reality and those streets were ablaze, innocent people killed and in the rubble.”
Well over 1,000 people were killed in four Nazi air raids on the city in spring 1941 – mainly on the night of April 15.
"The mural is to highlight what the local community went through there,” said Mr Kitchener.
"And the size of the wall really lends itself to that image.
"It's not a beautiful image - it's not meant to be - and it's an immersive image in that the wall's so big it would've been at that scale, the fire.
"You can actually place yourself within that.
"There were some youngsters were fascinated by it and were asking what it's about, and the guy that was with me from the area was telling them.”
He said that "to have that interaction with young people” about their history is an “amazing” feeling.