For Remembrance Sunday, rows of hand-painted wooden medallions were attached to the railings at West Kirk Presbyterian to pay homage to the dead of the British armed forces.
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Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“She hasn’t a sword and she hasn’t a gun. But she’s doing her duty now fighting’s begun.” This entry updates the 2016 entry with details from the board – now almost a decade old – dedicated “To all the women of the Shankill” and highlighting the roles played by women during WWI as nurses and welders and in the Land Army.
The troops in the upper-middle part of the board are shown gathered outside the West Belfast Orange Hall, on the Shankill at Brookmount Street.
outside the Ulster Rangers Supporters Club (Fb) on the Shankill Road
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The 1st Ranger Battalion was formed in 1942 as the United States Army’s equivalent to the British Army’s Commandos and – after training at a camp in Carrickfergus – it saw action in France (at Dieppe (SOF History), resulting in the first US casualties of the war – WP), Algeria, Tunisia, and Italy. (There are four information panels at the Sunnylands shops about the formation and training of the unit.)
The insignia shown – which is here placed on top of the beret patch – is the insignia of the modern (75th Regiment) Rangers, with the lightning-bolt indicating the unit’s quick-strike abilities (SOF History); these are also alluded to by the motto “sua sponte”, meaning “of its/their own accord”.
This new art is by Dan Kitchener (web) in Victoria Parade, Carrickfergus, just outside the train station, produced in co-operation with Wonder Arts, the Communities In Transition programme from the Executive Office (web) and Carrickfergus Alternatives’ Peace Impact Programme (Fb).
It has been criticized by street-artist Wee Nuls (web) as glorifying conflict (ig), a charge the artist rejects, saying that it was produced in co-operation with locals and has been well received by them (MSN). (See also the reactions on the Let’s Talk Loyalism Fb page.)
The tank might be the M4 Sherman “Fury”. The tank appeared in the 2014 film of the same name (Bovington Tank Museum) used by the 66th Armor Regiment under the command of Brad Pitt; the film is perhaps the inspiration for the image (e.g. the scene in which the town of Kirchohsen is captured – youtube).
“Great love hath no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends – John 15:13”
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Wreaths were laid for Remembrance Sunday at the base of the stone on Maritime Drive in Carrickfergus, “erected in A.D. 1972 as a memorial to those citizens of the borough who gave their lives in two World Wars, 1914-1918, 1939-1945 and in subsequent conflicts.”
Among those laying wreaths were Mid- And East-Antrim Borough Council, UDR Veterans’ Association, RBP 17, PSNI, Woodburn junior LOL 258, Retired Police Officers’ Association, Ulidia Integrated College, DUP, PUP, UUP, ABOD, Royal Arch Purple, and others.
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This pair of hand-painted (and stencilled) boards is next to the Mount Inn on North Queen Street. Tiger’s Bay is loyal to the memory of “1690” and the service of the 36th Division in WWI in 1916.
Also included below is the nearby “We will remember them” piece, seen previously in North Belfast Friends Of The Somme.
Greenmount Street, Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast
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“25 years from home. In proud and loving memory of Inky & Candy. Gone but not forgotten.”
October 2000 was a violent month in Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast, as the UDA and UVF feuded. David “Candy” Annesley (commonly known as David Greer – BelTel) was shot in Mountcollyer Street on October 28th by the UVF. On the 31st, Bertie Rice, veteran UVF member and canvasser for the PUP, was killed by the UDA at his Canning Street house. Later the same day, Tommy “Inky” English – UDA commander in north Belfast who had previously lived in Tiger’s Bay – was shot death by the UVF at his Ballyduff home. Mark Quail of the UVF was shot in Rathcoole on November 1st. (BBC | BBC | WP) There were fears that the feud would end (An Phoblacht) but it was formally ended on December 15th, with a joint statement by both groups (RTÉ).
This twenty-fifth anniversary tarp is on the multi-use pitch on North Queen Street at Upper Canning Street.
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Stop The Boats has been painted out below the large “Loyalist Tiger’s Bay” and the entire wall painted in solid blue and book-ended by UDA and UFF boards showing silhouetted gunmen in active poses.
The side-wall, home to painted Orange Order symbols since 2017, has been painted black and a board (above) added to E company from Tiger’s Bay. (It’s possible “North Belfast brigade” and “3rd battalion” are the same thing.)
For the KCIII board above, see I Here Present Unto You Your Undoubted King.
Limestone Road and North Queen Street, Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast
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Here are a pair of ‘booked’ notices for competing loyalist groups – UDA and UVF – on adjacent walls in Queen’s Parade, Glengormley. Above, “Booked UDA” where the panels of The Longest Reign have come down; this wall is next to South East Antrim Remembers – see the wide shot below. And in the last two images, “Booked UVF”, which has been in place since 2015, and is next to How Nobly They Fight And Die.
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Two positive messages side-by-side in Castle Street: on the left, “Stop war” by Nathan Bowen (ig | web store) and on the right “Love conquers all” by ThisIsLostBoy (ig).
Here are three more by Bowen in Belfast: one | two | three
The image of the completed work (above) is from October 11th. Here (below) is an in-progress image from October 4th:
Poster around the corner in Queen Street, enquiring about a piece produced in 2024 in Beckenham, south London (the reference to “Oct 10th 2022” is unclear):
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“Support Gaza”, “Human rights for Gaza”. Supper for Gazans on a placard and a tarp on the railings in Lecky Road, below the Bloody Sunday mural.
Lecky Road, Bogside, Derry
The trailer with “Israeli war criminals” and an old stencil of “DUP, go back to work” is on Clooney Road at the Caw roundabout.
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Copyright © 2025 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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Extramural Activity 