“Coırnéal Groves Reilly”. Throughout the Troubles the junction of the Glen and Falls Road was home to an intensely fortified RUC barracks. The barracks was demolished in 2005 and gradually redeveloped over the years. In January (2019) it was renamed in honour of activists Emma Groves and Clara Reilly who campaigned for decades against plastic bullets (Groves was blinded in 1972 by a plastic bullet fire by a Paratrooper) and founder members of Relatives For Justice (web). For images from the launch, see Irish Examiner.
Disney character Lumière (from Beauty And The Beast) is joined by bobble-head Pope Francis and bobble-head Jesus on the dashboard of a van parked on the (Protestant) Shankill Road.
“Gardiner Square” will be a new development at the junction of Gardiner and N King streets, where a Union Flag now flies. The promotional materials for the development tout Belfast’s business potential and promise that it is a “short walk” to the “highly anticipated Tribeca Project“. It’s not clear whether the flag will still be flying when the units open. (See previously: the plethora of UVF boards in the Village in response to the on-going redevelopment of the Village (from 2012 to the present).
The “Ulster” street sign is partially obscured by all of the streamers but the decorations leave no doubt as to the allegiance of this householder to the UK.
This is the new ‘Welcome To The Shankill (Road)’ mural in Gardiner Street, which replaces the one that had been there since (at least) 2009 (see Welcome To The Shankill).
The mural is a version of the old Beverley Street ‘welcome’ mural (by Blaze FX), with the same four panels (parades/bonfire, blitz, sports, murals) and the same three hands. But instead of “Proud, Defiant, Welcoming” we now have “Proud, Resilient, Welcoming”. (I Am Not Resilient in the lower Shankill complains that the word is used to justify neglect and/or maltreatment.)
It escaped no one’s notice that, although the number of languages expressing a greeting is now much greater than the original ten, Irish is not included among them. Also Ulstèr Scots. (Also French, for some reason. Polish is included – “Witamy”). (See similarly “No Irish” in the lower Shankill estate but also All Flags Are Welcome in Divis, which omitted the Union Flag.)
Arlene Foster (Pinky) and Michelle O’Neill (The Brain) in the grasp of Theresa May (Elmyra Duff). The two genetically modifed mice are hell-bent on world domination but being only mice lack the power to implement their plans. Elmyra is obsessed with pets while being oblivious to their needs (WP), an allegory for what Brexit is doing to Northern Ireland politics. Mural by Paul Doran, Mark Ervine, and Naomi Ervine in the no man’s land between the security gates on Northumberland Street. With sponsorship from Springboard Opportunities (tw | Fb).
“Fading away like the stars in the morning/Losing their light in the glorious sun/Thus would we pass from the earth and its tolling/Always remembered for what we have done.//Who’ll sing the anthem and who’ll tell the story/Will the line hold will it scatter and run/Shall we at last be united in glory/And always remembered for what we have done.”
Only Remembered (or: The Everlasting Memorial) is originally a hymn by Horatio Bonar dating back to 1860 at least, but its music and words have been modified many times (Mudcat). All versions, however, give “toiling” instead of “tolling”, and “only” rather than “always”.
English folk singer John Tams added a verse paying tribute to British war dead which is included here along the bottom of the mural (“Who’ll sing the anthem …” etc) (YouTube). The soldiers commemorated here are UVF members William Marchant, Trevor Logan, Douglas Mahood, John McClean, Norman Dunseith, Stevie Wilson, William Mahood, Brian McCallum, Ronnie Marchant, John Alexander McClean. The mural is on the side wall of the memorial to Brian “Herbie” McCallum.
There is a now-annual campaign to discourage excessive drinking and focus on “heritage, tradition, respect, remembrance, culture” during 12th celebrations, rebranded as the more family-friendly “Orange Fest’. Sponsored by the Policing And Community Safety Partnership (web | tw | Fb) Here is 2016’s campaign: Battle Of The Bottle.
Extramural Activity 