The Spirit Of Commerce

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A ship’s figurehead (perhaps) cranes upwards – as the viewer must also do – in front of a background of decaying tile-work. Perhaps the decay is being left behind? In any case, Belfast City Council thought a suitable symbol of Belfast moving onward and upwards when used the art to announced the Belfast Stories project (tw; see The Rising Place).

The piece is by Irony (tw | ig | Fb | tumblr). According to Adam Turkington, Irony was inspired by “the commercial themes in Ciaran Carson’s many visions of Belfast” (Belfast Live). (Belfast Confetti was the inspiration for emic’s piece in Winecellar Entry.)

In Pottinger’s Entry. There is a separate Visual History page on the Belfast entries and the recent (2020 onward) efforts to beautify them.

See also: The Verticality Of The Divine | Tile Refinery.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy

North Down UVF

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This is another UVF wall in Bowtown and this one is North Down rather than East Belfast – see previously Bowtown UVF | Your Local Supplier | North Down UVF | The Cause Will Always Remain The Same.

Abbot Crescent, Newtownards.

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Down Time

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The Downtime summer festival is held annually in August (covid-permitting) (Fb). The 2019 event included street art at the junction of St Patrick’s Avenue and Market Street. From left to right (top to bottom in this post), the art is by DMC & JMK (ig), KVLR (ig), emic (ig), Dan Leo (ig), Friz (ig).

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Ernie Dougan

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“Officer in command Vol. Ernest “Ernie” Dougan (30/04/65-22/03/20) Ballyduff/Glengormley Ulster Volunteer Force 1st East Antrim Battalion.” Dougan died at the beginning of lockdown and so the public commemoration of his passing did not take place until 2022. He was also involved in the Ballyduff Community Redevelopment Group (Fb). According to a Sunday World article, Dougan did not join the UVF until sometime after the Agreement, after he was given a punishment beating by the UDA in north Belfast (see Irish Times | Mirror) and moved out to Ballyduff.

Ernie was the brother of Robert Dougan, who was killed by the IRA in 1998 – see Everyone’s Friend | Gone But Not Forgotten.

The two long sides of the electrical box were seen The Ultimate Sacrifice and If Needed We Shall Rise Again. The Ulster Banner with charging soldier on the other short end replaces Carnmoney Remembers.

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Ballynafeigh Says No

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” … to Irish Sea border”. This tarp is on the Walmer Street side of the Ballynafeigh Apprentice Boys flute band’s social club. For the King Billy emblem over the Blackwood Street entrance, see M05390.

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T01760

The Veil Wears Thin

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The theme of the all-women jam at ArtCetera (formerly the Red Barn Gallery) (@artceterastudio43) was ‘the veil wears thin’, suggestive of liminal states and places that samhain brings to mind (HMC). Kerrie Hanna’s (@kerriehanna) interpretation of the theme was to support the women (in Iran and elsewhere) who were cutting their hair as a form of protest at the death of Mahsa Amini by the “Guidance Patrol” or “Morality Police” for wearing her hijab improperly (CNN | EuroNews | WP).

Also shown in today’s post are the works by Wee Nuls (@wee.nuls) – Free Period Items and one of her trademark “gremlins”, Harriet Myfanwy (@myfanwynia) – a centaur, Arú Roncada (@arububu) – a representation of the five elements. Also taking part (but whose works are not shown here) were @artist.zippy, @hmconstance, and Ariana Lupascu (@contemplatingthestars). With support from @Outlines Art Supplies.

The ‘free period items’ piece – and the controversy surrounding its original location – was described previously in About Bloody Time.

Rosemary Street, Belfast. See also: the Women’s Work jam for International Women’s Day 2023, in College Court: Women’s Work | We Built This.

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Parkhall UDA Remembers

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“South East Antrim UDA UYM. In proud memory of Brig John Gregg, CO Gerry Evans, Andrew Gillespie, Billy Graham, Jamie Penny, Ken Thursby, T. Daly, J. McClure, B. Hobbs, B. Smyth”. Graham replaces William Hutchings, and Thursby is a new addition. The original version of the mural, dating back to 2004, included J. Kelly, W. Gordon, G. Fittis, A. Helm (M05230) – these are perhaps below the fence-line.

Gregg was a hero to loyalists for seriously injuring Gerry Adams in 1984; he was killed in the Adair feud in 2003 (Guardian). Evans was killed by the INLA in Glengormley in April, 1994 (Sutton). He was remembered long ago (1996) in a Cloughfern mural – see T00217.

Kilgreel Road (Parkhall), Antrim. Compare to the similar SEA UDA murals in Ballymena and (formerly) Glengormley.

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We’re Different Up Here

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“Here” is Top Of The Hill, and “up here” refers to the elevated position of the community, 75 metres above the Foyle (topo map). You can get to TOTH by road or by sailing in a boat under a patchwork balloon. Art by Gorbals in Trench Road, Derry.

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T02041 T02042 gobnascale is reportedly from the Irish ‘gob na sgeal’ which is perhaps a variation on ‘gob na scealg’ = ‘crest of the crags’

Welcome To The Grange Estate

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An explicitly UDA mural returns to the Grange estate (Ballyclare); the previous Young Guns board fell down. Two men were imprisoned in October (2022) (Belfast Live) and November (4NI), the former from the estate, in connection with investigations into the Ballyclare UDA in February, 2021. Two others were arrested in Larne and Ballyclare in September (BelTel).

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Operation Pagoda

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“CR Gas & The Burning Of Long Kesh, 15th-16th October, 1974 in Long Kesh. Operation Pagoda – the British government authorised and sanctioned the use of a chemical weapon against Irish Republican prisoners. Members of the 22nd S.A.S. carried out the attack from a helicopter.”

Operation Pagoda was the name of the SAS’s counter-terrorism programme (WP). Its role in the ‘Battle Of Long Kesh’ in October 1974 and its alleged use of CR (dibenzoxazepine) powder – the successor to CS powder (and before that, CN or “tear” gas) (New Scientist) – remains a classified matter. CR had been authorised for use in 1973 (Guardian).

The original photograph of the central scene (IWM HU 7025, included in this article from An Phoblacht) was in black-and-white and was reproduced as such in the three previous versions of this mural 2021 Chemical Warfare In Ireland, 2018 The Battle Of Long Kesh, 2014 The Maze Ablaze. This new version adds burning reds and oranges. It replaces the No Profit On Pandemic mural.

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Camera Settings: f5, 1/160, ISO 250, full size 1500 x 978

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Camera Settings: f2.4, 1/345, ISO 16, full size 3814 x 2810

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Camera Settings: f5.6, 1/125, ISO 100, full size 3744 x 5616

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