Cliftonville FC: Living mural gives house martins a home

The Solitude stadium sits next to the Waterworks, which conservationists describe as an important site for a variety of species.

It’s the first instalment of Safari in the City, a project which hopes to combine art and conservation in Belfast’s urban environment.

Between now and the end of October, there will be a number of other murals popping up in different locations in the Belfast City Council area which will target the conservation of a variety of other native species including swifts, bats and invertebrates.

Murals have always had a message in Northern Ireland but this initiative brings a new dimension to Belfast’s mural history.

Conor McKinney and Perla Mansour of WildBelfast are leading the project, and say they are trying to build on the recent resurgence of public art in the city.

“The artwork itself is celebrating the species and the fact that it is there. The hope is to highlight that the Waterworks is an important place for house martins.

“We also wanted to show how easy it is to make conservation interventions using the blank canvases of the walls in our city,” Mr McKinney added.