H & A

2015-01-19 NugentBoardArmagh+

Here are two details from the new Kieran Nugent board along with the “Slí Na Gaeltachta‘ (The Gaeltacht Trail) plaque at its side. The image above shows prisoners “on the blanket” (that is, refusing to wear prison uniforms) in front of a giant brick “H” (for the H-Blocks) which perspective also shapes into an “A” (for Armagh Women’s Prison). They hold placards from the time: Wanted for murder [Margaret Thatcher] and torture of Irish prisoners”; “The spirit of freedom; support the POWs”; “Support the hunger-strikers”. The image below reads “Support the five demands”. These were (1) the right not to wear a prison uniform; (2) the right not to do prison work; (3) the right of free association with other prisoners, and to organise educational and recreational pursuits; (4) the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week; (5) restoration of remission lost through the protest.

The text of the Slí Na Gaeltachta plaque can be found at the bottom of this page.

The full board was featured in Reinstated.

2015-01-19 NugentBoardDemands+

2015-01-19 NugentBoardPlaque+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02477 X02478 X02479

“Slí na Gaeltachta – Abhaınn na Feırste.
Cé go bhfuıl sí cludaıthe faoı choıncréıt anoıs agus gan a bheıth le feıceáıl, ıs ag an láthaır seo ar Shráıd Northumberland a chéadtrasnaıonn Abhaınn na Feırste Bóthar na bhFál. Aınmníodh an abhaınn as an fhearsaıd a bhí ag béal na habhann san áıt a dtéann sí ısteach sa Lagán. Baısteadh Béal Feırste ar an lonnaíocht a d’fhás thart ar áth cosanta ag cumar an dá abhaınn. Ba as an lonnaíocht ársa sın a d’eascaır cathaır an lae ınnıu.
Here at Northumberland Street the now culverted Farset River first crosses the Falls Road. The river is named from the sandbank (fearsaıd) which was at the mouth (béal) of the river where it joins the Lagan. The settlement that grew up around a defended river ford at this confluence of the two rivers was named Béal Feırste, ‘mouth of the sandbank ford’. It was from this ancient settlement that the present-day city grew.”

Badly Drawn, Boy

2014-11-15 INLAStopIntern-1+

“Stop inter[n]ment”! “MI5 fram[e] eveyone”! The spelling is lacking but the message is clear.

2014-11-15 INLAduffy-1+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02364 X02366 INLA stop the interment of irish people CIRA CRF free colin duffy MI5 frame eveyone everyone

Reinstated

2015-01-19 NugentBoard+

Keiran Nugent (and Brendan Hughes) has been returned to the left-most spot on the International Wall.

This new board is closely based on the mural (shown in Belfast’s Infamous Prison) which was painted over in October in advance of the November 9th non-binding referendum in Catalonia (see Votes About Votes; the yellow background and some of the lettering from the Catalonia mural can still be seen in the image above). Nugent and Maıréad Farrell were then included in the hunger-strikers mural further down the wall: see I’ll Wear No Convict’s Uniform and Peace With Justice.

New in this version is the inclusion of a reference to the women’s protest in Armagh prison; one of the figures standing in front of the H/A holds the ‘Thatcher – Wanted for murder and torture of Irish prisoners’ poster that previously filled the top-left corner.

For close-ups, see H & A.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02476 beır bua do na cımí cogaıdh victory smash h-block armagh support five demands spirit of freedom support hunger-strikers

Act Now

2014-11-28 Acht+

The Belfast Telegraph reports that an Irish language bill will be published in the near future, though the DUP have already rejected such an Act. (For more background and discussion see Brian Walker’s post a few days ago on Slugger.) The éırígí stencil above, calling for “Acht Na Gaeılge Anoıs!!!” – “An Irish Language Act Now!!!”, is in Hugo Street below a tricolour and a plaque in the memory of Pearse Jordan (see the second image, below). The wide shot shows the two other pieces on this side of the street, a ‘Justice For The Craigavon 2’ stencil (featured previously in Justice) and Palestinian skyjacker Leila Khaled.

2014-11-28 AchtFlag+

2014-11-28 AchtWide+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02407 X02408 X02409 wreath oıfıg béal feırste in memory of murdered 25th november 1992 the fools they have left us our fenian dead and while ireland holds these graves ireland unfree shall never be at peace john paul wootton brendan mcconville saoırse arabic

Rebel Sunday

2014-12-10 RebelSunday+

Under a tricolour flying from the roof of the Rock Bar on the Falls, in green, white, and orange: “Rebel Sunday – The Rock Bar – Every Sunday – From 6 PM”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02422

Under Foot

2014-10-15 FallsEndIsrGenocide+

Stencil on the Falls Road pavement: “End Israeli genocide in Palestine”. For the same message on the New Lodge flats see End The Genocide In Gaza and at Free Derry corner: You Are Now Entering Free Gaza.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02292

Magic Mountain

2014-11-19 PrincessesDisney+

Here is a final image from the new wall of Disney characters in the Slıabh Dubh estate. (See previously: Look Behind You | If The Shoe Fits.) On Aladdin‘s magic carpet we have Princess Jasmine, Abu the monkey, and Iago the parrot, while on the stairs is Esmerelda (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and between them is The Owl from Sleeping Beauty. At the bottom we have Minnie Mouse, Figaro (from Pinocchio and also Minnie’s pet cat), and Daisy Duck.

Two wide shots can be found below. The first shows the entirety of the wall, the second shows (some of) the adjacent wall of superheroes. All 11 current Disney princesses are included, as well as the sisters Elsa and Anna from Frozen.

2014-11-19 PrincessesFull+

2014-11-19 PrincessesWide+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02379 X02381 X02383 ariel sleeping beauty frozen rapunzel mulan cinderella spiderman superman thor catwoman batman wonderwoman pocahontas merida brave tiana belle wicked witch ursula

They May Kill The Revolutionary

2014-09-29 NorglenDetail+2

“… but not the revolution.” Turf Lodge mural (shown in full below) showing two armed volunteers (one female, one male) with portraits of eleven others. See previously: Che Guevara Lynch

2014-09-29 Norglen+2

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02257 X02256 norglen

Gie’s A Hand O’ Thine

2014-09-02 HandsCrop+

“A friend is a hand that is always holding yours no matter how close or far apart you be; A friend is someone who is always there and will always always care. A friend is a feeling of forever in the heart.” A new community mural in Ballymurphy shows locals seated in a circle of hands. Among the surrounding quotes (visible in the second image, below) are two lines from Robert Burns’ Auld Lang Syne (“And there’s a hand my trusty friend [fiere] And gies [gie’s] a hand to [o’] thine”, and, “We’ll take a cup of kindness yet For auld lang sang [syne]”)

The other lines are from …

I’ll Tell Me Ma (“Out she comes as white as snow, rings on her fingers a bells on her toes”, and, “My Aunt Jane she called me in, she gave me tea out of her wee tin”)

I Know My Love (“I know my love by her way of walking”)

The Gypsy Rover (“The gypsy rover came over the hill, down through the valley so shady”)

The Fields Of Athenry (“Low lie the fields of Athenry, where once we watched the small free birds fly”)

The Cobbler (“Oh, my wife she is humpy, she’s lumpy, my wife she’s the devil, she’s black, and no matter what I may [do] with her, her [tongue it goes clickety-clack]”)

and a skipping song (“On the hillside stands a lady, who she is I do not know”)

A wide shot (third below) shows the other two murals on this stretch of Ballymurphy Road: Between and Bryson-Mulvenna.

2014-09-02 Hands+

2014-09-02 HandsWide+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02152 X02153 X02154

Fly Like An Eagle

2014-09-02 Eagle+

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus, white-headed sea-eagle (WP)) is typically found only in North America, but the one above can be found in Ballymurphy.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02151