https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8mm08l7nlo

Sinn Féin say a portrait of Irish president Michael D Higgins has disappeared from a reception room at Belfast City Hall used by the unionist lord mayor.

The party has asked the mayor, Tracy Kelly of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), to explain where it has gone.

When directly challenged on the issue by former Lord Mayor Ryan Murphy at Tuesday night's council meeting, Mrs Kelly offered no explanation.

Portraits of the Irish and British heads of state, President Higgins and King Charles, had previously been side by side on a wall in the lord mayor's parlour.

Mrs Kelly posted a picture on social media of a meeting in City Hall last week with Orange Order representatives.

Other councillors noticed that only the King Charles portrait could be seen.

At Tuesday's council meeting, Mr Murphy praised the DUP mayor for how she had carried out her public duties during her first month in office, then raised the portrait issue.

The Sinn Féin councillor said: "When our representatives have been in that position of being the mayor, there were certain things that we never took off the walls. There were certain things we felt were off limits.

"And so when we were offered the royal portrait of the British King Charles [in March 2024], we accepted it and we put it up.

"And we put it up alongside Uachtarán na hÉireann [President of Ireland] Michael D Higgins, and we marked it with a small event in the mayor's office.

"It's concerning that we have seen in recent weeks that that portrait is no longer there, and we would just ask where is that portrait? And what kind of message does it send out to people in this city who hold the president of Ireland in high regard?"

Mrs Kelly responded: "Thank you, that's being noted. Thanks Ryan."

When asked about the matter by BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the council said it was a matter for the lord mayor.

A DUP spokesperson said: "Decoration of the lord mayor's parlour is not yet complete. There will be further artefacts to be added in the next few weeks."

It is not the first time there has been a dispute at City Hall over portraits in the parlour.

In 2011, Sinn Féin's Niall Ó Donnghaile upset unionists by removing pictures of the Queen Mother and Prince Charles.

An image of the 1916 Proclamation and a portrait of United Irishmen were introduced.

Last month, Mrs Kelly became the DUP's first female lord mayor in Belfast.

The parlour is a formal room on the first floor of City Hall, used for meetings, receptions and special occasions.

Before her death, there was a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip.

The portraits of President Higgins and King Charles went up last year when there was a Sinn Féin mayor.

They remained during the next term of office – the Alliance Party's Micky Murray.

He posted on X a picture from the parlour that included the portraits in the background.

by BelfastAmadan

26 comments

  4. He’s not the president of Northern Ireland so… not sure why there’s even a portrait of him in our city hall

  5. Utterly pathetic if this is a case of the portrait being taken down.

  6. What’s the chances he turns up on a bonfire somewhere this week. 😂
    Wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.

  8. I think it sends entirely the wrong sort of message for the Lord Mayor to have a painting of Emperor Palpatine in the office without the counterpart Yoda

  10. Strange behaviour although arguably shouldn’t be there in the first place, being that King Charles is head of state for Belfast and Higgins of a neighbouring country.

  11. It’s genuinely hilarious that they just can’t stop telling on themselves.

    “No catholics about the place”

  15. Probably down at the donegal rd bonfire, beside all the asbestos that was dumped there!

  16. >> A DUP spokesperson said: “Decoration of the lord mayor’s parlour is not yet complete. There will be further artefacts to be added in the next few weeks.”

    The actual answer so the hand wringing and pearl clutching can stop.

  17. You’ve left out the bit of the article where Sinn Fein took down the queen mother and prince charles in 2011…

  18. The DUP see a choice between an inbred sausage-fingered parasite racist landlord coloniser freak and an articulate, knowledgeable, compassionate man who’s been a poet, academic and campaigner for social justice for decades. Guess which one they choose? 

  19. I mean, I think it’s silly to do, but I can easily see a SF mayor taking down the portrait of Charlie. Ether way it’s all just pathetic really isn’t it. Just leave them be and we can all be a little bit annoyed *together*

  20. I think they’re making room for pictures of cross dresser politicians and different ethnic background northern ireland based politicians

  22. Couldn’t care less who’s up on the wall but how pathetic is it that actual grown up adults would take time out of their day to take the picture down…

  23. https://preview.redd.it/e6wm8zz03gaf1.jpeg?width=297&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=22ece4a283136c1cb578b8e36cfe43b1a2b7c34d

    To get back to the question of what happened to the portrait of Michael D….

    The DUP Mayor has so far avoided answering direct questions about what happened to the portrait and if she knows anything about it.

    Can we ask her again if she removed it or not? If she did, why? If not, will she help the relevant authorities find out who did?

    Access to the Mayor’s Parlour is fairly tightly controlled and the Mayor will have details of all guests she invites. There are also security cameras throughout City Hall so Mrs. Fletcher shouldn’t have to make the trip from Cabot Cove to help us find out what happened in our City Hall.

  24. The same people who respond to any perceived sleight with *”Is this how we’re going to be treated in a United Ireland?”* can’t extend the same courtesy they demand of others.

    Sectarian hypocrites.

  25. Embrassing by the dupers. The supremacist apartheid mentality will never leave them.

    Also a lesson to anyone who thinks they’ll ever be treated equally (as the recent Doug Beattie story shows).

Comments are closed.