(Click here to jump to the most recent ‘message on the mountain’.)
The west and northwest of Belfast are bounded by a range of hills which includes Black Mountain (Slıabh Dubh), Divis Mountain (Dubhaıs), and Cavehill (also known as Benmadigan/Beann Mhadagáın and McArt’s Fort).
West Belfast art collective Gael Force Art (GFA) put messages on Black Mountain – and more specifically on the “Hatchet” field – beginning in 2012, but the mountain has been used for public notices since the first hunger strike, in 1980.
This post assembles a list, in chronological order, of the messages on the mountain, along with links to posts which contain background information and additional images and GFA videos and images.
1980: letter “H” in white lime
1990: Dessie Ellis
1997?? (possibly earlier): Vote Adams
1998 “We say yes” to the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement referendum
(Reuters which says “Divis mountain” rather than “Black mountain” | X12200)
2000: Cross Of Shame
2004? Save The Black Mountain
2008: No Bush
and
Imagine A City Of =, Kristoff Gillen, youtube
Gael Force Art
2012-06-26 Érıu Is Our Queen
2012-06-27 Érıu
2012-08-09 End Internment + Tricolour
2012-11-23 End Genocide In Gaza
2013-03-08 Free Marian Price
2013-04-17 Thatcher The Real Criminal
2013-05-05 Hunger Strikers Abú + H + Tricolour
2013-06 G8/NWO War Criminals
2013-06 G8 = War + Profit
2013-08 Free Leonard Peltier with dreamcatcher
2013-08 PSNI-MI5 = Political Policing
2013-10 JFTC2
2013-12 Go Safe Mandela RIP
2014-04 An Lá Dearg
2014-04-24 One Ireland One Vote
2014-05 #time4truth
2014-05 Fine Dominio Brittanico – Italian for the Giro D’Italia.
2014-08 Viva Palestine
2014-08 Viva Ireland
2014-09 Yes Scotland
2014-11 Yes Yes Catalonia
2014-11 End Partition
2015-03-13 End Brit/S’mont Cuts
2015-05 36th Ulster Div (not by GFA and not on the Hatchet field)
2015-05 RIP (using the GFA letters but not by GFA)
2015-05-22 Rem B’Murphy S’hill 1971-2
2015-05-30 SOS Wall St Rapes Ireland
2016-03 Honour Ireland’s Dead
2016-04 96 (Hillsborough Disaster Inquiry)
2017-08 Free T Taylor
2018-09 Free Palestine #BDS
2018-12 – the flag is missing.
2019-04-23 Easter Lilly
2019-05 UN 194 (Boycott of Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv)
2020-08-29 #RememberMyNoah
2020-12-11 #Time4Unity
2021-02-08 PSNI Out
2021-05-29 #AchtAnoıs
2021-06-11 #UnblockCuba
Partition Has Failed
2021-07 Italy Abú
2021-08 Remember My Noah
2022-01 Blue Heart (For Noah Donohoe)
2022-03-26 Palestinian Flag (For ‘Land Day’)
2022-05-01 Women (Venus symbol)
2022-05-21 Dream Dearg symbol
2022-09 We Serve No King But Ireland (upon the accession of Charles III)
2023-04 Unblock Cuba/BDS/No 2 NATO
2023-05 #FNGG23 – Féıle Na gCloıgíní Gorma
2023-10 Palestinian Flag
2023-03 Say “No” To Genocide Joe with the Palestinian flag (for Sınn Féın’s St. Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, DC)
2025-05 Burkina Faso
2025-05 Kneecap
References in parentheses to mural collections:
X = Seosamh Mac Coılle Collection
Written material copyright © 2017-2025 Extramural Activity. Images are copyright of their respective photographers.
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