Belfast

Uncovering The Past

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2014-03-15 GlenFallsBoards1+

Three generations of boards at the junction of the Falls and Glen roads: from most recent to least: Pearse Jordan (“Murdered by RUC! Covered up by PSNI”), Gibraltar Three (“I nDıl Chuımhne”; this was later realized on the Divis Street International Wall, see 25 Years), and a (presumably) IRSP board (“If there is to be a revolution, there must be a revolutionary party.” [Mao Zedong]). The oldest of the three appears to be the one in the best shape. The site itself used to be the Andersonstown RUC/Army barracks.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01733 unarmed ira volunteer a victim of britain’s shoot-to-kill policy irish republican socialist party british government policies of collusion justice delayed denied truth and justice now

Fluent Together/Líofa Le Chéıle

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2014-03-15 LiofaLeCheile+

Protestants and the Irish language (Gaeılge) have been in the news again this week, as UUP councillors walked out of a North Down Council meeting ahead of a presentation on Protestants and Irish on Tuesday (BBC). This follows remarks by a Grand Master of the Orange Order, George Chittick, that Protestants should not learn Irish (video at BBC) prompted by the construction of a floor of the Skainos Centre for Irish-language instruction (BelTel).

The hoarding shown above (this one on the Andersonstown Road) is for a 2011 NI Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure initiative which hopes to make 4,000 people fluent in Irish by 2015. It features three Gaelic words which have passed into English – craıc, smıdıríní (smithereens) and bróg.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Unseen Miracles

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2014-03-27 ScooterPig+

A pig on a scooter. A disembodied head of Jesus of Nazareth (seen previously in One Love). And (below) the Springfield Road “peace” line.

2014-03-27 ScooterPigWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Ulster’s Defence Force

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2014-03-10 CuchulainnCityHall+

In the Cattle Raid of Cooley/Táın Bó Cúaılnge, the hero Cú Chulaınn, the main figure in the stained glass above, single-handedly defends Ulster by engaging in series of Queen Medb’s men in hand-to-hand combat as they attempt to secure the famous Ulster bull, which Medb wants in order to match her husband in possessions. Cú Chulaınn is eventually vanquished and the bull taken but, as can be seen at the bottom of the glass, the bulls fight each other and both die.

The piece is by Martin Donlin from East Sussex (pictured here at the unveiling in March 2012). According to Donlin’s Fb page, the old Irish at the bottom (“bendachtar cech óen mebraıgfes go hındraıc táın amlaıd seo ‘s ná tuıllfe cruth aıle furrı”) can be translated as “a blessing be upon all such as faithfully keep the Táın in memory as it stands here and shall not add any other form to it”. Here is a Flickr set of the piece in development.

Previously-featured City Hall stained glass: One Big Union | Famine Window | Centenary Window

See also the Visual History page, In The Shadow Of Cú Chulaınn.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A Bunch Of Live Wires

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2014-02-25 ConwayETUClose+

“Says Joe, ‘Those that they forgot to kill went on to organise.'” Words from ‘(The Ballad Of) Joe Hill’ are included in a mural in Conway Street sponsored by the Australian Electrical Trades Union (ETU) in Victoria.

Previous Australian-sponsored murals: Caırde Sınn Féın | Australian Aid

2014-02-25 ConwayETU+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01704 X01703 independent strong united what they can never kill what they didn’t kill eureka flag southern cross

Strand Spinning Mill

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2014-03-23 SpinningMill+

The Strand Spinning Mill on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast began life as the Jaffe Spinning Mill, after Otto Jaffe, a Jewish-German emigrant from Hamburg who became a naturalized citizen, early benefactor of Queen’s University (in 1905 he contributed £3000) and twice Lord Mayor of Belfast. It quickly became the Strand Spinning Mill when he sold it to Mackies in 1912. The mill made munitions during WWI and viscose rayon during WWII. The mill closed in 1983 and now provides space to small businesses as the Portview Trade Centre.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A Philosophy Of Liberation

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2014-03-10 AlbertStBurntClose+

A burnt-out car in the shadow of St. Peter’s cathedral and at the back of the Maureen Sheehan Health Centre, just off Albert Street, which is infamous for “DHLA” (Divis Hoods Liberation Army) joyriding. The new murals in the area (such as Our Youth, Our Future) are part of an intervention project to improve it. 2014-12 update: there has been an upsurge in carjackings in late 2014 (BelTel).

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Stadann An Bus Anseo/The Bus Stops Here

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2014-02-16 BusStop+

Gaelic/Gaeılge now appears (since 2011), alongside English/Béarla, on the bus-stop signs and buses in west Belfast. Above is the sign for Saint Comgall’s/Naomh Comhghall (the old school on the Falls) and below is the 10a, headed for Sruthán Na Bantıarna/Ladybrook. According to this BelTel article, there were no immediate plans to add Ulster Scots signage to any routes.

2014-02-16 Bus10a+

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Davitt’s

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2014-03-05 MacDaighéad+

CLG Mac Daıbhéıd/Davitt’s GAA club is named for Mícheál Mac Daıbhéad/Michael Davitt, famous for leading the Irish Republican Brotherhood and the Land League. Mac Daıbhéad himself had his right arm amputated at age eleven after it got caught in the cogs of a spinning machine. The murals shown today are in the grounds of the social club on Clonard Street and celebrate the centenary of the club, 1912-2012.

X02459 2014-03-05 Devitts ClonardSt+

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Real Heroes

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2014-02-12 MaighArdHeroes+

Spiderman, Hulk, Captain America and the other super-heroes have crossed the Springfield Road and are now fighting depression and drug-abuse in Maigh Ard/Moyard. The image above shows Iron Man, while Thor and Batman feature in the second and third shots, below.

“Be a hero, support your mates.” “Winter, spring, summer & fall, all you gotta do is call 08 08 808 8000 and we’ll be there. You’ve got a friend.” “Real heroes don’t need drugs. And neither do you!”

Previously: Wallbusters | Walls, Unbroken | Red-Eye | Cartoon World

2014-02-12 MaighArdHeroes2+

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2014-02-12 MaighArdHeroesWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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