Robert M Chapple, Archaeologist

[** If you like this post, please make a donation to the IR&DD project using the secure button at the right. If you think it is interesting or useful, please re-share via Facebook, Google+, Twitter etc. To help keep the site in operation, please use the amazon search portal at the right - each purchase earns a small amount of advertising revenue **] Even if you’ve never been to Northern Ireland , you probably know about our murals. Certainly, no visit to Belfast appears to be complete without a trip on one of the number of ‘troubles tours’ busses to some of the less than salubrious quarters of the city in search of this form of painted gable sectarianism. Much has been written about their origins, meaning, symbolism, and all that and, should the mood take you, you can read about it in the Wiki article: here . The Wiki article gives some examples of the genre, as does the rather good Belfast Murals site: here . However you look at it, the murals break down into two main groups:...

I know, I know! … This is supposed to be an archaeology blog, so what am I doing taking a tangent off into the world of Game of Thrones? Well … everything and nothing, I suppose. The obligatory 'Iron Throne' photo On one level, the books and TV show are a remarkably successful reworking of various Medievally and Renaissancey vibes. On another, the costumes and props are testament to vast skill by a huge variety of amazing craftspeople. Both of these are wonderful and laudable, but it’s not why I wanted to share some images from the exhibition at the Waterfront Hall (which closed today, Sunday June 15th … sorry). Beyond the actors, the CGI and all these fine costumes, sets, and props, quite a bit of the TV show is filmed here in Northern Ireland, my adopted home. So many of the landscapes of Westeros (and some of Essos), so familiar on our screens, are all within driving distance of Belfast. Similarly, quite a few Northern Irish heritage sites also appear in supporting...