Several tiles also reference the \u2018Royal Ulster Constabulary\u2019, \u2018Black and Tans\u2019 and \u2018Paras\u2019 \u2013 believed to refer to the Parachute Regiment, which killed 14 innocent Catholics in Derry in 1972.<\/p>\n
The artwork includes the message \u2018sorry for your troubles\u2019 \u2013 a phrase often used in Ireland when offerings condolences after a death \u2013 along with the words \u2018the Irish problem\u2019.<\/p>\n The collection of tiles also includes other Troubles images, including a British \u2018pig\u2019 vehicle, a police armoured Land Rover and phrases such as \u2018Ulster Says No.\u2019<\/p>\n A shamrock has also been placed strategically on pieces of artwork referring to paramilitary groups.<\/p>\n Many of the tiles are priced at \u00a314.95 while a \u2018buy three get one free\u2019 offer is advertised. <\/p>\n While hundreds of tourists visit the landmark CastleCourt Shopping Centre every week during the summer months, thousands more are expected to visit the retail complex next week during the All-Ireland Fleadh.<\/p>\n Concerns about the tiles on display were raised after a relative of a man killed by the British army came across the artwork while shopping.<\/p>\n She later contacted the business – \u2018We Have It Wrapped Up\u2019 – in writing to express her \u2018disgust\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot and will not go into the hundreds of kidnappings, tortures, and murders carried out by these groups,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cBut there are thousands of people in your community and across the island of Ireland who have been impacted by the groups named on your tiles. <\/p>\n \u201cThey have spent years mourning loved ones, living with the trauma, and facing nothing but a stone wall from the state responsible.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you really \u201csorry for their troubles,\u201d as your tiles so pathetically state?\u201d <\/p>\n The woman urged the owner to remove the offending items.<\/p>\n In a statement, business owner Stephen Farnan said he has \u201cdecided to withdraw this small collection from sale\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe work formed part of my Belfast Delft collection and consisted of approximately eight designs from a wider body of work comprising hundreds of hand-drawn and handmade pieces celebrating Ireland\u2019s culture, heritage, music, landscape and communities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe collection was never created to celebrate, glorify or endorse any organisation associated with the Troubles. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was intended as an artistic attempt to acknowledge and reflect on a difficult and complex period in Northern Ireland\u2019s history.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Farnan confirmed the collection has been withdrawn.<\/p>\n \u201cI recognise that this remains a deeply sensitive subject and understand that some people will disagree with that approach,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cWhile I continue to stand by the intention behind the work, I have reflected on the concerns raised and decided that withdrawing the collection is the most appropriate course of action.\u201d<\/p>\n Castle Court Shopping Centre declined to comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Belfast businessman has withdrawn artwork on paramilitary groups and state forces after a relative of a man…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1120118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5011],"tags":[22306,1144,50802,50425,16,15,6569],"class_list":["post-1120117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-northern-ireland","tag-ira","tag-northern-ireland","tag-trouble","tag-uda","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-uvf"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117009071696144150","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1120117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1120117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1120118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1120117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1120117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1120117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Paramilitary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5I47C5SLSRG53NDLTX5DACWOXU.jpeg\")
<\/a>![\"Government-ordered](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CQQSX4FMMVP7XDWTTR34AUHM2I.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Tiles](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ILCSN66XRNCSJHXHE23COIZYQE.jpg\")
Paramilitary themed tiles on display in Belfast <\/p>\n![\"Tiles](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NBVH7QOM5RGVXN57RROLK3AXKU.jpg\")
Tiles on display in We have It Wrapped Up at Castle Court Shopping Centre <\/p>\n