Elephants walk in single file and young elephants often hold the tail of an adult. This pair by South African artist Falko One (ig | Fb) is on the exterior wall of the Alliance Party’s east Belfast constituency office. (Chris Lyttle is no longer in the office – he took up a job with the IFA in July – BelTel).
Three other Falko elephants in east Belfast and one in the city centre
Grampian Avenue, Belfast
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After much delay and finger-pointing (BelTel | Belfast Live) – and this complaint from east Belfast graffitist Hallion – details were published yesterday (December 30th) about how people will receive a £600 pound direct debit (or a voucher redeemable at the Post Office) to help with energy bills (uk.gov). The £600 comprises £400 from the Energy Bills Support Scheme (approved back in April, 2022 – uk.gov) and a £200 “Alternative Fuel Payment” (announced in August – uk.gov). The £200 AFP is due to the high percentage of homes using home-heating oil in Northern Ireland as compared with Britain (Belfast Live).
“Where is our 400 600 quid? Cost of living, innit. – Hallion2″
Previous work by Hallion: Wash Your Hands | It Hasn’t Gone Away | Wear A Mask Or The Easter Bunny Gets It | к черту Путина/Thran Rights Nai. For the fake shop-fronts, see previously: Semiotics.
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“Merry Christmas from the loyalist Village – fuck the protocol – FGAU”.
More recent anti-Protocol graffiti – see Peace Or Protocol – and posters – A Return To Violence (for most background) and Political Leaders Are Not Listening.
Glenmachan Street, Belfast, just below Frenchpark Street.
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Here is a second set of images showing the “peace or protocol” poster that has appeared in PUL areas in the city, three in east Belfast – along the Newtownards Road. Two others in north Belfast were seen previously in A Return To Violence, which also explains the poster.
For the murals along “Freedom Corner” see 50th Anniversary; for the black-and-white mural, see Please Pay Here. See also Choose One Or The Other.
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Gertrude Street no longer exists – it was just east of where Wolff Close now is. But the Gertrude Street Defenders LOL 525 (Fb) brought back a former lodge (Lees Temperance/East Belfast Orange) March 2017, with former members of the Gertrude Star flute band (News Letter). For the five-flowered board on the right, see The Flax And The Lily. This pair of boards is on the courtyard fencing around the Westbourne Glentoran Supporters Club, off the Newtownards Road in the old Solway Street.
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The young people of Sunnylands (Carrickfergus) are encouraged to “follow your dreams”. On the left, a young man dreams of being a film-maker; on the right, a young woman dreams of being a cosmetician. There is also a lot of soccer: Leeds United, The Northern Ireland team, Glasgow Rangers (“55“), and Carrickfergus Rangers are all included. Follow the example of Scooby Doo, who “don’t doo drugs” and celebrate the centenary of Northern Ireland by “chill”ing in your Orange Order sash on the bonfire (seen previously in Stop Sign).
With support from Communities In Transition and Intercomm (Fb).
Unveiled August 22, 2021 (tw | Fb)
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“Geraldine Connon [web] – Geraldine is a well renowned fashion designer based in Larne. She has created this piece inspired by the Games of Thrones and Larne’s Ulster Scots Heritage. Geraldine used Irish linen in the tasel [sic], mesh within the helmet, and created the neck cuff from black feathers representing a crow. Crows are iconic in the TV series. The yellow and black tartan skirt brings in the Ulster Scots element to the piece. The image was photographed by fashion photographer Mitchell Cahoon [ig].”
The official name of the outfit is “Valentine”. This is another of the Game Of Thrones-inspired pieces in Larne town centre – Lower Quay St in this case – sponsored by the Mid & East Antrim Council, with Larne Renovation Generation (Fb) and the Traders Forum (BelTel | News Desk | Fb video). See previously: Larne – The Original Tourist Resort | The Battle Of Ulfreksfjord | Dire Wolf.
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“PSNIRA Out” graffiti below the Holiday Inn in Sandy Row, Belfast.
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“Think before you drink” – broken bottles, broken loves, and broken lives in Seymour Hill. Help can be sought from the organisations on the adjacent board: FRANK, ASCERT, Community Addiction Team, FASA, and Daisy.
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“Londonderry west bank loyalists” are “still under siege”, at first from two decades of “Republican violence” – “Between 1971 and 1991 the Protestant population of the Cityside declined by 83.4% as a result of Republican violence (Shirlow et al. 2005)” – hence the boarded- and dressed-up windows – and now from the “PSNI”.
(The words “as a result of Republican violence” are not included in the Shirlow article).
Fountain Street and Hawkin Street, in the Fountain, Londonderry.
Update: the wall was returned to its plain appearance by 2023-02-14 – see the final image, below
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Extramural Activity 