PUL

Dumnie Pamiętane I Nigdy Nie Zapomniane

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“Proudly remembered and never forgotten.” The ‘Band Of Brothers’ mural, which celebrates the contribution of Polish airmen stationed in Northern Ireland to the Battle Of Britain in WWII, was partly covered over with a vertically aligned Polish flag, obscuring fire damage from August(?) seen in the third image. The wreath on the right-hand side interestingly combines poppies (perhaps for Armistice Day and the centenary of the end of WWI) and the Polish writing used as the title of this entry, along with the Polish WWII eagle (perhaps commemorating the end of the Battle Of Britain, which is marked (in the UK) on September 15th). The wreath of poppies is next to the Kitchener mural.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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North Down Battalion

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The yellow board in the foreground lists battles of the North Down Battalion in World War I (for a description of the battalion, see the previous 2017 post). Added to that since then is a large black-and-white board to the modern Ulster Volunteer Force and its divisions: Bangor, Donaghadee, Ballywalter, Newtownards, Millisle, and Portavogie. (It’s worth noting that although this is a board, the UVF emblem in the middle is depicted as having been painted on a brick wall, indicating a preference for old-school muraling.)

Below is a shot of the rest of the low wall, with Bangor Protestant Boys Flute Band (previously seen in 2017). Owenroe Drive, Bangor.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Catnapping

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Owners of a silver SUV take their quest for justice to the north Belfast streets by plastering ‘reward’ posters all around seeking the return of wallet, iPhone, tools, and cat.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Hand-Crafted

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Use whatever you can find to express your identity: re-purpose the placards of capitalism, grab a pair of scissors and cut, draw the outline of your hand with a felt-tip pen.

Update: image from 2020-07

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06219 Hallidays Road X07300

Armistice

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John 15:13 reads “Greater love hath no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” Fighting in the Great War ceased at 11 a.m. on November 11th, 1918, after approximately 10 million military deaths, 10 million civilian deaths, and another 20 million injured.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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We Shall Defend Our Island

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The mural in Castlereagh Parade has been repainted for the centenary of the end of WWI, but with some notable differences. Three flag-holders have been added above. On the right are now a poppy and mourning soldiers. The quote comes from a speech by Winston Churchill on 1940-06-04 – “We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches. [We shall fight on the landing grounds.] We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.” – but the current first line was previously omitted in favour of another Churchill quote: “We have nothing to offer but blood, tears, and sweat.” See: Whatever The Cost May Be.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Westwinds East Belfast

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This large Union Flag is another “East Belfast UVF” marking in the Westwinds estate in Newtownards (10 miles to the east of Belfast), a more colourful companion to the hooded gunmen in  East East Belfast and EB UVF. The familiar purple-and-orange UVF flag flies over the playground.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Victoria Crosses Of The 36th (Ulster) Division

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Dee Craig has updated the Victoria Crosses mural in Cregagh, honoring G[eoffrey St. George Shillington] Cather, W[illiam Frederick] MacFadzean, R[obert] Quigg, and E[ric] N[orman] F[rankland] Bell. Five more were included in a board on the Shankill and another in Willowfield Street. (For the previous Cregagh version, see M03390)

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Orange Lodged

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For the third time, these two panels – one of the signing of the Covenant in 1912 and the other of soldiers in collarettes and sashes defending their trench against a German attack – are visible at Barrington Gardens. They were originally on the gable at the corner before it was demolished (see July 1st); during re-development they were placed on a metal frame (see Out Of The Rubble).

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Simply The Best

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These  UDA 2nd battalion D company boards are in the lower Kilcooley estate, Bangor. This piece is co-branded as “North Down/West Belfast”, even though it is only metres away from a (North Down/East Belfast) North Down Defenders board. See Ulster Defence Unions for more on the tensions between the rival UDA factions.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06091 Ganaway Avenue