The Titanic

The large monochrome mural at the corner of Dee Street and Newtownards Road in East Belfast commemorates the construction of the RMS Titanic at the Harland & Wolff shipyard and the people whose lives were connected with the famous ocean liner.

At the centre of the composition are Captain Edward Smith and the Titanic itself. They are flanked by depictions of the shipyard, its workers and the distinctive cranes of Harland & Wolff. The shipyard’s name and emblem also feature in the design. Inscriptions including “TITANIC – BUILT IN BELFAST”, “April 14, 1912” and “Nearer My God To Thee” refer to the ship’s origins and the disaster of its maiden voyage. A painted newspaper boy carrying the headline “How the Titanic Went Down” adds another element to the historical narrative.

The mural is explicitly dedicated to those who lost their lives in the North Atlantic on 14 April 1912, to the survivors and to the people who built the ship. It therefore commemorates not only the Titanic disaster but also Belfast’s industrial heritage and the shipbuilding workforce that shaped the city. The depiction of naval architect Thomas Andrews, who helped oversee the Titanic’s construction and died in the sinking, reinforces this local connection.