“This park is dedicated to three brothers who made the ultimate sacrifice defending their family, town and country in the Great War: Private Alexander Hayes, Private John Hayes, Private William Hayes.” Lurgan Ancestry would appear to give the third brother as Wesley, rather than Alexander. He and John died on the first day of the Somme.
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[X07926] X07927 Union St
“The battles we refuse to fight today becomes the hardships our children must endure tomorrow.” We have amassed here five additional graffiti from “lower north Belfast” saying “No to an Irish Sea border”. Some operations at Larne and Belfast docks were suspended for over a week after reports – which police eventually did not deem credible – of threats made against employees and number plates being recorded (BBC timeline of events).
Lower north Belfast is the residential areas between the Antrim Road and the motorway/docks – York Road and Shore Road from Tiger’s Bay to Mount Vernon and north into Loughside and Graymount.
For the tarp in support of the NHS, see Uniting Our Community.
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Copyright © 2021 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Shankill Somme association (Fb) uses the Ulster Tower in Thiepval, France, as its emblem. The association celebrated its 20th anniversary last February (2020) with a parade (gallery of images).
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X07942 Shankill Rd
The Shankill Road pays to tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised more than 30 million pounds for the NHS, after his death on February 2nd, with a tarpaulin on the fence of the community garden. The flowers are from current Belfast mayor, Frank McCoubrey of the DUP. Elsewhere, Sinn Féin members of Fermanagh & Omagh council did not join their colleagues in expressing condolences (Impartial Reporter).
See previously: Different Wars, Always Heroes | You’ll Never Walk Alone
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The long-term extent of disruption to goods entering Northern Ireland, caused by Brexit, remains unclear: some fresh veg and cheeses are missing from supermarkets and Amazon has stopped shipping alcohol. The problem of businesses no longer shipping at all seems to be more troublesome than delays in goods shipped. DUP leader Arlene Foster caused confusion and satirical comment on twitter yesterday for her remarks that nationalists were suffering delayed parcels along with unionists (Irish Times), though graffiti such as is shown here – calling for the scrapping of the “Northern Ireland Protocol” – has so far been painted only in PUL areas.
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X07953 Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07960 Copyright © 2021 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
Lowwood Pk/Shore Road
This is a vintage board in Milltown (south Belvoir), carved and painted with the YCV/UVF emblems but with “MYV” instead of “YCV”. The band’s last on-line presence seems to be from a decade ago, playing in Rathcoole.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07899 Ballycairn Rd
“Different wars, always heroes.” This mural in Belvoir estate shows Captain Tom Moore, who served in the British Army in Indian and Burma/Myanmar during WWII but became a household name last year for raising more than 30 million pounds for the NHS by doing 100 laps of his garden, being knighted in July on the occasion of his 100th birthday. He died of coronavirus and pneumonia on Tuesday (February 2nd). (BBC | BBC) “Belvoir and Milltown community together with Pride Of Lagan Valley FB supporting NHS & key workers.”
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07903 Drumart Sq
“Stop prosecuting Northern Ireland’s veterans to appease terrorists.” Danny Kinahan, former UUP politician and captain in the Blues & Royals, was appointed Veterans’ Commissioner For Northern Ireland by the SoS in August last year (2020). He described his first task as building a database of veterans and alerting each one to the services available (News Letter | BBC | Irish Times) but the position immediately puts him at the centre of the debate over “legacy” issues and a focal point of interest groups such as Veterans & Supporters United (Fb | tw) who are responsible for the banner above. In October Kinahan was quoted as saying that the system is “very lopsided” against veterans (BelTel).
Holywood Road along Belmont Park, Belfast.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“No Irish Sea border” – graffiti at either end of Stroud Street, perhaps in different hands. The one above is over a very faint “PSNIRA out”, along with a “Smash Sinn Fein IRA”.
Previously: Arlene Must Go
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Claire Curran of Survivors Of Suicide (Fb) in Tamar Street, east Belfast, reports that there has been in increase in people reaching out to the organisation during the pandemic (NewsLetter). This Blaze FX (Fb) mural is at Connswater.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 