Northern Irish Magazine Covers

Ulster Parade was published by The Quota Press and printed by The Newsletter in Belfast during the War years. It was an eclectic publication that sought to brighten people's lives with the result that humour was very much to the fore. The cover of the third issue is a cartoon of a tram soaking pedestrians which is an indication of the somewhat wry Belfast humour. 

Rann (ahem) ran for 20 issues between 1948 and 1953. Its focus was on poetry and later, on poetry and 'comment'. The covers are a curious thing. Mainly quite traditional, mostly by Rowan Friers, but for a few issues they went Constructivist, as indicated by issue 7 above. The artist is unknown. Perhaps they were fans of the original or influenced by the English version of Constructivism called Constructionism. At any rate for a few issues they had great covers. 

This is Rann's final issue. They had long abandoned the Constructivist covers of earlier issues for more traditional fare. This issue's cover was by Rowel Friers, a well known (and popular) Belfast born artist and political cartoonist. He was President of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts from 1993 to 1997.

The Northern Review was a very impressive publication that lasted for three issues in the mid-1960s. It was very well designed and the production values in comparison to other publications of the time was very high. The cover of this, the first issue, was by Lucille Gregory, of whom I've not been able to find any info. There were also images of F.E. McWilliam pieces in the interior. 

The first issue cover of the Honest Ulsterman is a weird collage of Louis MacNeice and various fonts. Interestingly (or not), McNeice is used instead of the more well known MacNeice, which it seems, the poet himself used. There's a weird advert for Andrews Flour on the inside back cover. It features a 'flour girl' pun (i.e. flower girl - it was the 1960s) and seems to be have drawn by Colin Middleton (he is credited with a drawing and that's the only one in the issue). Middleton has been called one of the most progressive artists of his time, which fitted the HU's notion of itself as something new and anti-establishment and theoretically doing a flour advert might be regarded as a critique of high art... Perhaps Middleton experts would know more about  it. 

From 1973, a cover by John Middleton, included in wonder that they actually got away with it! It's a critique of the clerical and the mythic I reckon. Though it should be noted that there isn't any females in the issue, which lets the message (if that's what it is) down a bit. Abridged 50 odd years later responded to it with a cover that gently mocked it. 

An Honest Ulsterman cover from 1978. The photo of a bunch (what's the collective noun? A circle? A school? God help us, a Ponder?) of poets taken by Geraldine Sweeny is interesting in who's in the photo and who is not. From left to right: Anthony Weir, John Hewitt, Padraic Fiacc and Ciaran Carson. Seated are John Morrow and Jimmy Simmons. Perhaps that's who the HU liked, or simply who was at hand (or who lived in Belfast) but there's no Heaney and everyone is of course male. Which was very much a sign of the times. 

A rather strange publication, which termed itself 'an annual religio-cultural review' out of a monastery in Benburb. Originally called Everyman it became Aquarius and it had quite a few famous names involved and was edited by Cyril Farrell with editorial assistance from Seamus Heaney and others on occasion. The cover was by Hugh Largey, whom I know little about, though Armagh Museum has his work, so I'm presuming he is local to there and to Benburb. The cover I've included because the font and style was very similar to that used by the Ska bands at the end of the 1970s and early 1980s! 

Soundings, originated from Blackstaff, a Northern Irish publisher. Soundings 72 was the first of what would be an on and very off yearly publication. There were three yearly issues, and it wouldn't be reactivated until many years later. The cover of this issue, by Alan Livingston, subtle and works very well. The next two years would see mutant Rolling Stones type lips on the cover, which also worked but for all the wrong reasons. 

Caret was unusal in the it had a preference for the sculptural. The first issue had the work of Caroyln Mulholland on the cover and throughout the issue. Carolyn Mulholland was born in 1944 in Lurgan, County Armagh. She attended the art college in Belfastand in 1965 and was awarded the Ulster Arts Club prize for sculpture. A close friend of Seamus Heaney, Mulholland sculpted a portrait bust of Heaney while a student in the 1960s.  Her work can be found in many private collections, and public institutions including the Ulster Museum, Royal Ulster Academy of Arts Diploma Collection, and Queens. If you're in Derry, you can see one of her works in Verbal. 

Quarto was a publication out of Queen's University Belfast's Literary Society. The cover was by Peter Rasmussen and was very imaginatively designed. I haven't any information on Peter Rasmussen. But nevertheless I felt the cover was different enough from the usual to warrant inclusion. 

Rhinoceros was a magazine originating from Belfast that lasted 5 issues in the late 1980s. It had a consistently designed cover throughout its short life, with each cover being a colour variant of the first issue. I'm not certain who designed the covers. 

The Gown, another Queen's University Belfast, affiliated publication had various formats over the years. This issue had a great cover photography by Frankie Quinn (b.1966), who was born into the Short Strand/Ballymacarrett community in Belfast, where he still lives. He began taking photographs in 1982. He holds an MFA in photography from the University of Ulster and is currently Director of the Belfast Archive Project. Unusually, on the back cover, there was another artwork from another artist, the late Nicola Russell, a Painter who completed a foundation course at University of Ulster, Belfast, in 1983, then gained a degree in fine art at Winchester School of Art, 1986.

Writing Ulster lasted for 2 issues (a single and a double issue) in the early 1990s. Originating out of Ulster University, the Department of English, Media & Theatre Studies, in Coleraine in particular, it was a very good and eclectic mix of literature, art and articles. The cover, by Cindy McAllister, was similar for both of its issues. 

New Writing From The School of English. Queens University Belfast. This journal, created by Carol Rumens, ran for three issues, the period of her Residency at Queen’s University. The cover of the second and third issues were very functional, perhaps indicating an interest in the literary rather than the visual. Brangle was a great title though! 

Passages was a short story magazine that originated in Belfast and ran for (maybe) twelve issues, in the late 1980s and early 1990s Passages 4 had a great cover by John Nelson, of whom I have no info on. It's included because it is a cover very much reflecting its time and also as a very interesting piece of art. 

From Belfast, North ran for 7 issues between 1983 and 1987. The cover was by artist, Christopher Wilson. Wilson is a sculptor and painter from Northern Ireland. His recent artworks are influenced by combinations of science, landscapes and night skies. His work ranges in scale from small intricate pieces to large scale public artworks. People in Derry can see his Factory Girls artwork near the Guildhall. 

Precurser to the Abridged (though very different). The cover was by Colin Darke. This was the final issue of the Chancer and by this point I was more interested in the cover than I was in the contents. You can see that it is what became the Abridged style of using somewhat esoteric contemporary art covers.