Below The Castle Walls

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Carrickfergus castle was built in 1177 and has seen multiple battles in the intervening years, including the Battle Of Carrickfergus in 1597 in which the MacDonnells and O’Neills defeated the forces of Elizabeth I (WP). Its military history makes it a fitting spot for a remembrance of the dead of WWI from the 36th Division.

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Quarantined Bodies

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Illustrator and stained-glass artist Kerrie Hanna (ig| web) has been drawing a series of ‘quarantined bodies’ during, and inspired by, the pandemic lockdowns. For HTN 2020 she did a self-portrait – herself, partner Tiarnán and cat, all sharing the sofa.

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We Are The People

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“The Glorious Revolution for civil and religious liberty.” King James II of England – a Catholic convert – had a son in 1688 that replaced his (Protestant) daughter Mary as first in line for the English throne. In order to prevent a Catholic succession, William of Orange, Protestant ruler of Holland and Mary’s cousin and husband set sail in October with 40,000 men in 463 ships (WP). He is shown in this new board in Main Street, Markethill leading his troops across the Boyne in Ireland. His success in deposing James would become known as the “Glorious Revolution.”

There are three Biblical references inside the band:
Psalm 60 v.4 “Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth”;
Isaiah 13 v.2 “Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles”;
Psalm 95 v.7 “For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” 
and a possible signature “RGm”

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The Falls Road Massacre

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Muralist Gerard ‘Mo Chara’ Kelly (whose catalogue of work can be seen in a separate site) and others from Gael Force Art (Fb) have mounted a three-piece memorial for the centenary of the Falls Road Massacre in which four people were killed – one of them being Mo Chara’s great uncle Jimmy Shields – in a 5-minute shooting spree by a “special patrol” on the night of the funerals of three men killed by the ‘RIC Murder Gang’ (see the 2007 post). For more background see the memorial’s Facebook page.

More than 500 people were killed in Belfast from 1920 to 1922; for details and their locations see The Social Geography Of Violence During The Belfast Troubles.

“These four innocent local men were murdered by an RIC/British Army death squad near this spot in [September 28th] 1920: James Shields, William Teer, Robert Gordon, Thomas Barkley.” With perhaps the first appearance of a hashtag on a plaque: #fallsroadmassacre1920

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Phats Waller

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Writing by PHATS (ig) for HTN 2020 in Kent Street, Belfast.

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Sandy Row District

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Bannerettes at the top of Sandy Row. On the left, “St Nicholas Church Temperance LOL No 782”. On the right, “Sandy Row RBDC [Royal Black District Chapter] No. 3, Belfast”. The No. 3 chapter was formed in 1885 (Belfast Grand Black Chapter Fb | web). Both groups are based in Sandy Row Orange Hall

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Harland House

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Still in the window of Harland House (Templemore Avenue, east Belfast) two years after the World Cup, Union Flag and IFA bunting and a ‘Deutschland’ scarf. NI did not qualify, Germany did not make it to the knock-out stage, and England lost to Croatia in the semis.

It’s not known what the connection to Edward Harland (of Harland & Wolff) – please get in touch.

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Don’t Burst My Bubble

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“Who’s in your bubble?” Bubbles are back on everyone’s mind with the introduction on Friday (Oct. 16th) of new restrictions – bubbles are now limited to ten people from two households (NIExecutive) – and a two-week closure of schools. FGB (tw | ig | web) painted this work in Kent Street as part of a socially-distanced HTN 2020.

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End British Internment

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IRPWA board in Ardoyne in support of Saoradh’s Ciarán “Zack” Smyth who has been in Maghaberry since late March, after having his license revoked (RN). For more information and links, see Free Zack Smyth.

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The Machine Enslaves, The Hand Sets Free

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The grey “machine” is encased in fluorescent colours in Rob Hilken’s (ig | web | Visual Arts Ireland) piece in Kent Street for HTN 2020.

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