![\"Neon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/5299ce7c-9ced-4caa-8f4f-f4499b58acaf.jpg\")
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Neon artwork of Sheila the elephant illuminating Commercial Court in the Cathedral Quarter<\/p>\n
![\"Belfast-based](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/a7f1ce54-2703-44a4-8de1-925b7e8c3798.jpg\")
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Belfast-based company Sign Craft created the piece<\/p>\n
![\"Sheila's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/fa575da6-67f0-42cf-b3f0-a71779655996.jpg\")
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Sheila’s history dates back to the Belfast Blitz<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/58fa9495-c7d1-4d4e-8ccb-b7c3d37b6f6a.jpg\")
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The artwork can be found outside The Duke of York<\/p>\n
A new neon light installation has illuminated Belfast\u2019s Cathedral Quarter in tribute to one of the city\u2019s best-known zoo residents.<\/p>\n
Those walking through Commercial Court can now enjoy a fluorescent depiction of Sheila the elephant, which has been fitted in the windows outside The Duke of York.<\/p>\n
Sheila cemented herself in the city\u2019s history during the Belfast Blitz as the Second World War raged across Europe.<\/p>\n
The young Asian elephant took refuge in a zookeeper\u2019s home after they sought to protect her from further harm.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Neon artwork of Sheila the elephant illuminating Commercial Court in the Cathedral Quarter<\/p>\n
Belfast History Explained: Who was Sheila the Elephant?<\/p>\n
Just like an elephant, Belfast never forgets, and as an homage to the historic act of kindness, light design company Sign Craft has created a yellow illustration of Sheila along with signs either side saying \u2018look after\u2019 and \u2018each other\u2019.<\/p>\n
Other notable works by the Belfast-based business include the neon umbrellas hanging above the same street.<\/p>\n
The piece was commissioned by local publicans Willie Jack and his wife Joanne.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the installation, Mr Jack said: \u201cBelfast is built on stories and Sheila\u2019s story is one of kindness and community.<\/p>\n
![\"Sheila's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764702680_151_fa575da6-67f0-42cf-b3f0-a71779655996.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Sheila’s history dates back to the Belfast Blitz<\/p>\n
\u201cThe new neon installation is a tribute not just to her story, but also to the spirit of looking out for each other, especially at this time of year. Sheila\u2019s been on an epic journey since her last outing, and her appearance is sure to surprise and delight. We want to bring colour, warmth and a bit of wonder to our wee streets as the festive season gets underway, with an important message running through the celebrations \u2014 to look out and look after each other.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Sign Craft said that the artwork is part of a string of festive pop-ups planned from this week onwards outside the Duke of York.<\/p>\n
![\"Neon](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1764702682_771_5299ce7c-9ced-4caa-8f4f-f4499b58acaf.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Neon artwork of Sheila the elephant illuminating Commercial Court in the Cathedral Quarter<\/p>\n
They said: \u201cAdding further spark to the seasonal atmosphere, fan favourites The Causeway Shantymen will return in rousing song, along with the thunderous Spark! Worldbeaters, whose signature blend of high-energy drumming and street theatre is sure to make a scene. Additional surprise pop-ups will take place over the coming weeks, as Willie Jack once again leans into Belfast\u2019s love of stories, songs and spontaneous moments of joy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Neon artwork of Sheila the elephant illuminating Commercial Court in the Cathedral Quarter Belfast-based company Sign Craft created…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":607988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[155107,2378,1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-607987","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-abdullah-sabri","9":"tag-belfast","10":"tag-northern-ireland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115651563146639152","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607987","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=607987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/607988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}