DMC (Dermot McConaghy) appears to have scrubbed his on-line presence but the man himself was in Belfast in September for HTN2020.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Talk To Me With A Message Of Love
Month: Dec 2020
It’s OK To Talk
October 10th is WHO World Mental Health Day. To mark the occasion and respond to the continued high rates of suicide in west Belfast (Assembly Research), emic (web | tw | ig) and local youth painted an “OK” gesture on the side of the Alternatives (web) offices in Agnes Street, which also includes the numbers for Lifeline and Samaritans. In-progress images of the mural being painted by can be seen at AlternativesRJ. In the US, the “OK” hand gesture has recently become associated with the ‘white power’ movement (WP).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Belfast Graffiti Art
Here’s a year-end gallery of the graffiti art and wild-style writing that didn’t make it into an individual post this year (2020). Artists include SCAN, NOTA, JAKOV, MASH. Belfast city centre and Cupar Way “peace” line.
See also: State Art Vs. Graffiti On The West Belfast “Peace” Line.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Time For Unity
Brexit chaos has done much to provoke thoughts of the breakup of the UK in both Scotland and Northern Ireland (e.g. Slugger). Sliabh Dubh was last week calling for “unity”, the first step towards which would be a “border poll” both north and south. The UK government, however, has not spelled out the conditions under which a poll might take place (the GFA says only ‘when the motion seems likely to pass’) (The Detail), and Taoiseach Michael Martin said recently that a border poll was not on the agenda for the current five-year parliamentary term (Irish Central).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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God Is Not Unrighteous
“Thank you NHS and all frontline workers – stay safe”. They might not be getting much recognition in terms of mammon but “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6.10 NIV) The van was spotted on the Shankill.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Ní Saoırse Go Saoırse Na mBan
Ní saoırse go saoırse na mban [“There is no freedom without the freedom of women”] with images of Countess Markievicz, Colman Doyle’s famous ?1974? image of a (staged) female IRA volunteer with AR-18, Máıre Drumm, and Maıréad Farrell. Lasaır Dhearg (web) sticker in north Belfast.
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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The Belle Of Belfast City
Pat Ward
The 39th Bundoran (RSF) hunger strike commemoration took place at the end of August, scaled-back due to the coronavirus pandemic (RSF). The poster above, on the electrical box on Northumberland Street, includes Pat Ward alongside the twelve “traditional” hunger strike deaths (for the first inclusion of Gaughan and Stagg, see Remember The Hunger Strikers from 1985) Ward, a Donegal fisherman and IRA volunteer, took part in four hunger strikes, lasting 148 days in total, including 45 in Portlaoise in 1975. He died in 1988. (RSF | Pensive Quill)
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Stranger Kings
Members of Foreign Assassins and TDS (The Death Squad, in homage to the old NY crew) collaborated on a series of panels along the Connswater greenway inspired by the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, which in turn was inspired by Stephen King novels (including Needful Things) and 1980s fantasy and sci-fi movies (WP).
For in-progress shots, see Montana Cans.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Pay Now
Gratitude for NHS and other front line staff has been in no short supply throughout the pandemic but the cost of the pandemic last month led UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to moot a pay freeze for public sector workers (BBC). After widespread outcry, including the People Before Profit (web | tw) campaign shown here, he two weeks ago declared that salaries of a million nurses and frontline staff would not be frozen but declined to specify an increase (Nursing Times | iNews).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 