CNR

End Internment, 2013

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2013-08-12 Internment+

A new half-size (or 2/3rds-size) mural on the International Wall, Divis Street, in stark black-and white: End British Interment of Irish Republicans 2013. The mural was painted to coincide with the anti-internment march on August 9th that was routed through Belfast city centre and sparked violent protests (U.tv video reports).

Replaces the ‘Maghaberry – Stop Strip Searches’ piece, which itself earlier replaced this Maghaberry piece.

2013-08-12 InternmentBars+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Peace With Justice

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2013-08-08 Stagg+

Mural from mid-2011 on the “international wall” (Visual History) featuring a quote from early (1976) hunger-striker Frank Stagg (WP), along with portraits of Stagg, Michael Gaughan (d. 1974 WP) and the 10 strikers who died in 1981. The images of Stagg and Gaughan, along with a Tricolour and a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, are here concealed by a placard announcing a rally commemorating the hunger strikers.

The protesters on the left date back to a 1981 poster which was reproduced for the very first mural – see I’ll Wear No Convict’s Uniform.

This mural takes the place of a pro-Basque mural (and the Martin Meehan bookmark) in the second half of 2011. There is currently no Basque mural on the wall.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01249 no greater love as no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends

Music – Light In Darkness

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2013-07-24 Hardebeck+

A recently installed plaque to Carl Gilbert Hardebeck in the vestibule of Holy Family Church, Limestone Rd. Of German and Welsh extraction, born in London, and blind from an early age, he came to Belfast when he was 24. He learned Irish and began collecting Irish music. Hardebeck believed that if there was music in hell it was the bagpipes!

Eugene Dunphy, who has made a film on Hardebeck, spoke at the unveiling, and the brothers Mac Maoláın, retired priests Breandán and Caoımhín, unveiled the plaque. The unveiling ceremony, including performance of a Hardebeck piece, is documented in the video below. Dunphy is still researching the life of Hardebeck; if you have any information, contact him via his Hardebeck web site. (2016-04 Irish News article)

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01195 1869-1945 organist at holy family from 1897 to 1904 at st peter’s west belfast from 1904 to 1919 blind musician collector arranger and composer of irish music became fluent in irish first to adapt the braille system for the irish language born in clerkenwell london died in dublin an ceol, solas sa dorchadas with information supplied by eugene dunphy plaque installed by fr gerry mccloskey and parishioners june 22nd 2013

C Coy, 2nd Battalion, Belfast Brigade

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The back wall of Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden – that is, the so-called “peace” line – is decorated with portraits of twenty-five local óglaıgh and fıanna who died from 1920 to 1992 (though an Easter lily takes the place of Sean Gaynor on the far left).

Left: Dan Duffin, Seán McCartney, Tom Williams, Gerard McAuley, Peter Blake, Seamus Simpson, Seán Johnston, Seán Gaynor, Pat Duffin, Gerard Ó Callaghan, Seamus Burns, Danny Ó Neill, Tom McCann.

Right: Gerard Crossan, Seán Ó Riordan, Martin McKenna, Liam Hannaway, Jim McKernan, Dan McCann, “dedicated to the memory of local republican, Billy Davidson”, Tony Lewis, Joe McKenna, Brian Dempsey, Finbarr McKenna, Seán Savage, Prionsais Mac Áirt.

They are also listed on one of the plaques inside the garden – see the second images in Clonard Martyrs.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Free Leonard Peltier

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2013-08-09 PeltierSide+

A message for the U.S. government on the side of Black Mountain this week, concerning the incarceration of Leonard Peltier for the shooting deaths of two FBI agents in South Dakota (WP). A U.S. flag flies at the top of the lettering, and the scale of the piece can be gauged from the small crowd of people standing off to the left. Below is a straight-on shot and, before that, a view from the corner of the shops at the Springfield/Whiterock junction.

2013-08-09 PeltierSocialism+

2013-08-09 PeltierStraight+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bonfire Flags

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Three images of flags on two republican bonfires, built to commemorate the introduction of internment in 1971. According to news reports (e.g. BBC-NI), the ‘Celebrating Our Culture’ banner on this bonfire at the base of Divis tower had been stolen from Linfield Road in south Belfast (it hung to the left of the mural to the left in this image) but was subsequently removed from the bonfire (whether or not it was returned is not reported). The image above is from Thursday (Aug. 8th). (Last year’s bonfire also had stolen PUL banners: see M08775.)

The flag in the second image (an Ulster flag with a tricolour in the corner and the words ‘The Only Ulster’ on the bottom) was on the Divis bonfire during construction on Wednesday but removed by Thursday. The third image is of a bonfire in Beechmount (between Corpus Christi and St. Paul’s schools) flying the flags of various loyalist groups, as well as the Union flag and the Northern Ireland flag.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Political Policing

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2013-08-04 PolitPolicBarracks+

Above is the latest political slogan to appear on Black Mountain, over New Barnsley and Ballymurphy: PSNI-MI5 = Political Policing, referring to the presence of British Military Intelligence in Northern Ireland. The Springfield Road barracks is in the right foreground. A close-up and the view from the other side of the road can be found below.

The lettering went up on August 1st and was down no later than the 7th. A new sign is supposed to go up today (Aug 9th), in support of Leonard Peltier, according to the Gaelforce facebook page.

2013-08-04 PolitPolicClose+

2013-08-04 PolitPolicMassacre+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Joe McKelvey Society

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Poster from the 1916 Societies (Fb), specifically the West Belfast Joe McKelvey Society, named after the anti-treaty IRA commander (WP). (There is also a society named after McKelvey in his home town of Stewartstown, Co Tyrone. (Fb)) The flag (shown below) is in the Republican Museum, Conway Mill.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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No Dogs, No POWs

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2013-08-04 No POWs+

“No blacks, no Irish, no dogs, no POWs – sponsored by SDLP/TUV” (Traditional Unionist Voice). The reference of this board in Turf Lodge is a June motion in the NI Assembly to bar anyone convicted of a serious offence from serving as a ministerial adviser (the trigger case being Mary McArdle). Passage of the bill was secured when SDLP members supported the motion.

Report in the News Letter | Discussion at Slugger

For the other side of the ‘H’, see Turf Lodge Remembers.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Turf Lodge Remembers

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2013-08-04 TurfLRemembers+

The eastern side of the H-Block ‘H’ at the top of Monagh Road as it was in May, 2013, with a board in memory of the Gibraltar three (Dan, Mairead, Sean ) and another volunteer killed a few days later (Kevin) (for background, see both 25 Years In Progress | Completed) and announcing an Easter Sunday rally commemorating the 1916 Rising.

For the other (western) side of the ‘H’, see No Dogs, No POWs.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01226 assemble at beechmount ave 1pm