Author: Extramural Activity

A Panorama Of Republicanism

Extramural Activity1 Comment

Féıle An Phobaıl (web) is now headquartered in the renovated (BCC) St Comgall’s on Divis Street in Ionad Eileen Howell, and during this year’s (2025) festival is home to an exhibition called “Vibrant Colours, Violent Past”, the centrepiece of which is a 20-foot-long panoramic history of republicanism, with Wolfe Tone, James Connolly, and Martin McGuinness as pivotal figures.

A full legend of who’s who is given in the leaflet at the bottom of this entry. It also explains the genesis of the project, as follows:

“A few years ago I met a great friend of Ireland and art collector Darius Anderson from California who was here on a trip with his wife Wendy and hoping to see some new work by Irish artists, not only work destined for gallery walls but having been fortunate to be included on one of local guide Dee Morgan’s tours he developed a love for and focus on our world-recognised mural art tradition.

“Then last year on another trip here I was able to introduce Darius to my life-long friends and probably the most prolific contributors to our local landscape.

“From a casual meeting alongside Marty and Micky at work repainting the Vol. Kieran Doherty mural in Andersonstown came an inspired suggestion that we accept a challenge from him to tell our story graphically on a canvas rather than the usual brick wall, not just on canvas to hang on a wall in his gallery in L.A. but a canvas to cover the entire wall 20ft x 7ft!

“Excited by our positive response Darius wondered could we invite some loyalist artist/activist to contribute a similar large canvas celebrating the history of the British, Unionist, Loyalist community here.

“That was last July. This exhibition is a result of that meeting but also a chance for the public to remind themselves of our often colourful and unfortunately violent past. – Danny D, Muralist/Activist”

“History is like a rearview mirror! You must always check back but you must keep focused on the road ahead, otherwise you are going to crash!” (Similar wording was used in a piece – Painting From The Same Palette – painted by Danny D and Mark Ervine in 2008.)

The exhibition was launched on August 1st and also included four display boards featuring murals by Danny D (CNR) and Dee Craig (PUL) (Fb).

Display boards:

Images from the launch on August 1st, along with the two-sided leaflet:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
Panorama: X15618 X15619 X15620 X15621 [X15622] X15623 [X15624] [X15625] X15626 [X15627] X15628 X15629 X15630 X15631 X15632
Displays: [X15633] X15634 X15635 X15636 X15637
Launch & Leaflet: X15638 [X15639] [X15640] X15641 X15642 [X15643] [X15644] [X15645] X15646 X15647

Palestina Askatu

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a Basque-language sticker (“Free Palestine”) from French organisation Pastèque Ta Ville [Watermelon Your City] (web) which is raising funds by selling watermelon-themed tote bags, t-shirts, and stickers. The sticker shows a watermelon slice and keffiyeh design on a Basque flag.

Other stickers below:
Caterkiller (“Machinery built by Caterpillar is supplied to the Israeli state to assist in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes and land”)
the Little Prince says “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” (by Ellis Sauno (ig))
“L’Algerie a vaince – Palestine vaincra!” (by Samidoun (web))
“Occupation no more!” (by éırígí (web))
“May every star in the universe protect Palestine – Global solidarity – End the genocide!”
“End colonial violence”
a montage of Palestinian symbols
“Pass the Occupied Territories Bill”
“FCK HMS” (web)
“Free Palestine”
“End Israeli apartheid”

Falls Road, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15616 X15670 X15656 X15672 X15675 X15690

Jim McCabe

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Jim McCabe, “life-long campaigner for truth and justice” after his wife Norah was killed by a plastic bullet in 1981, returns to the “International Wall” (Visual History) on Divis Street. The original mural – from a few months after his death in January 2023 – was replaced by A Window To A Free Country, one of the Palestinian-inspired murals. This new version replaces The Land Is Ours.

“In memory of all the innocent victims murdered and seriously injured by British Crown forces.”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15614 X15615 [X15673]

Policing

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The PSNI has arrested and charged almost twice as many ‘Catholics’ than ‘Protestants’ in recent years. Degrading spit hoods used 2.5 times more on ‘Catholics’ than ‘Protestants’. There is nothing ‘normal’ about the PSNI”.

This Lasaır Dhearg (web) tarp was mounted on the hoarding around Casement Park in Andersonstown and was quickly removed. (See Build Casement Now!) Below is a stencil with the same message on the Falls Road.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15617 X15659

Hooded Man

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Óglach Kevin Hannaway, Irish Republican Army, hooded man. Unbowed & unbroken. Ar dheıs Dé go raıbh a anam.”

Kevin Hannaway died in January (2025), aged 77. In 1971 he was interned (Belfast Media) and subjected, along with thirteen others, to the “five techniques” – deprivation of food/drink and of sleep, subjection to noise, prolonged stress positions, and hooding (WP) – as well as being beaten and dropped out of a helicopter (Irish Times). The ‘five techniques’ were found to constitute torture in 2021 (RTÉ) and the PSNI apologised to the victims in 2023 (BBC | Irish Legal News).

Hannaway remained a republican throughout his life and was anti-Agreement in recent years (BBC). The board in Hannaway’s honour was launched on Sunday July 13th (Fb video). The panels of the board were siezed by the PSNI during a drug raid on a home in St James’s on the 11th but returned the next day (BelTel).

“IRPWA [web]. Republican prisoners still exist! Unfinished revolution. Unbowed, unbroken.”

Hugo Street, west Belfast. For a close-up of the Pearse Jordan plaque on the left, see the Peter Moloney Collection.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15613 X15611 [X15612] X15610

IOF

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Death, death to the IOF” – Lasaır Dhearg [web]” – that is, the Israeli Occupation Force (as an alternative name for the “Israeli Defense Force”) in Gaza.

Palestinian deaths in Gaza now number about 60,000 (Al Jazeera) and reports that people are dying from starvation – about 100 so far (Al Jazeera) – and 1,000 more killed while seeking aid (NPR).

For the graffiti on the right (of the wide shot) see Seas Le Kneecap.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15605 [X15606] X15607

Seasaımıd Le Kneecap

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“We stand with Kneecap” – Kneecap have announced a ten-date November tour of Scotland, Wales, and England, adding on to a jam-packed schedule of upcoming gigs that includes a string of European festivals and a tour of the United States. (The trio’s full schedule can be found at their web-site.) In between the France and Belgium dates, on August 20th, Lıam Óg Ó hAnnaıdh will make a different kind of appearance, in court, to face terrorism charges stemming from his display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig.

This tarp is on the Felons’ Club/Cumann Na Méırleach Poblachtach Éıreannach, replacing Seas Leıs An Phalaıstín. The ‘Kneecap Balaclava’ is for sale nearby, while the stencil is in the middle Falls.

For a Kneecap chocolate bar, see Seas Le Kneecap. See also Free Palestine/Victory To Kneecap.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15654 X15652

Recovery

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The UVF mural overlooking the entrance to Mount Vernon has been repainted after Storm Darragh back in December (2024) knocked down part of the wall it was painted on (see Taken By Storm) and the remainder of the wall was subsequently knocked down (see Prepared For Space, Ready For Wall).

There were local voices against the repainting of the mural (Sunday World) but after the wall (which is owned by the Housing Executive) was rebuilt, scaffolding went up at the end of March (BelTel) and painting began in June.

The mural will be officially launched at the Twelfth celebrations. The repainting has been criticised by the father of one UVF victim (BelTel). One (very) small mercy is that neither of the gunmen – from the North Belfast UVF – is directly confronting the viewer (including the drivers coming off the M2 at Fortwilliam.

Images of the completed mural are from June 26th; the in-progress images are as dated below.

March 29th:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15496 X15497 X15498 X15369c

Crown Forces Not Welcome

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This crude lettering is perhaps part of/an intermediate form of work-in-progress in Glen Parade, Andersonstown, west Belfast, replacing a Saoradh pro-Palestine piece. This wall has an interesting history: it was a graffiti-art wall for a decade, before being taken over in 2018. (See the Map for a complete history.)

“Brits out!” on the side wall.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15492

Bik McFarlane

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Brendan “Bik” McFarlane was imprisoned for life for the attack on the Bayardo Bar on the Shankill Road and took over as IRA OC in the Maze when Bobby Sands went on hunger-strike in 1981. He escaped the prison in 1983 and was extradited back to Northern Ireland from the Netherlands in 1986 and eventually paroled in 1997.

McFarlane died in February (2025) (BelTel). He was raised in Ardoyne, north Belfast, and this graffiti is on a hoarding on Ardoyne Avenue.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15486