50th Anniversary East Belfast Brigade

The black-and-white mural depicts a historical march by loyalist paramilitaries and commemorates the East Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). The men are portrayed in a documentary-style composition, referring to the organisation's history and its presence within the loyalist community of east Belfast.

The mural is located on Lower Newtownards Road at Freedom Corner, a well-known cluster of loyalist murals. Over several decades, the walls at this site have been repeatedly repainted, displaying political identity, historical memory and the presence of paramilitary organisations in the urban landscape.

The version documented here dates from 2022. After the walls were whitewashed in June of that year, all eleven panels at Freedom Corner were redecorated. The large gable murals draw on historical photographs of the UDA, particularly its East Belfast Brigade, from the 1970s. The redesign is attributed to the artist Blaze FX.

The anniversary title refers to the brigade's 50th anniversary and the UDA's origins in 1971. The mural therefore serves not only as a historical reference but also as part of the continuing public representation of loyalist identity. The UDA was a loyalist paramilitary organisation involved in violence during the Northern Ireland conflict. This history is an essential part of the mural's context.

The current design continues a long tradition of political mural painting at Freedom Corner. Earlier versions featured different imagery and were repeatedly repainted or replaced. The mural is therefore also a record of the changing visual culture of historical memory in Belfast.