Work-site curtaining on Inverary Avenue bears a protest message concerning the residents of a new development by Trinity Housing. “Trinity House – Local people in local homes! In it for the long haul! Protest still ongoing. No change until Trinity sees sence. Nobody moving in until local residents are housed!!”
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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After a delay, the UVF mural in Inverwood Court, replacing a George Best mural, has been finished. (The Belfast Telegraph reports it was finished on 2013-09-21, and that negotiations to remove it are “ongoing”.) The quote on the right – Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed – comes from the section of Martin Luther King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail in which he considers the merits of civil disobedience or direct action. For a shot of the half-finished piece, see Second Best.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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In this new east Belfast mural, we move from a part of “violence – terrorism – conflict – imprisonment’ to a future of ‘culture – empowerment – human rights – multiculturalism’. The mural is black-and-white on one side and colour on the other. On the left we have watchtowers and paramilitaries in hats and sunglasses; on the right schoolchildren in front of city hall, working on a computer and playing football.
The mural was defaced immediately after it was finished (roughly the end of July), indicating dissatisfaction with the current direction of ‘the future’, but quickly repaired. There is a mural directly above this one, on Lendrick Street, which was featured previously. A wide shot of them both can be found below.
Update: Spring 2022 – some of the words on the colourful ‘future’ side of the mural have been painted over: “empowerment”, “equality”, “diversity”, “multiculturalism”. There is also a streak of white paint on the arm of a black person in the centre of the mural. See the final two images.
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Copyright © 2013/2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01278 X01277 X14079 X14078 looking to a better future, learning from others in conflict in northern ireland ulsters darkest day’s days trouble again bombs explode the troubles a chronology of the northern ireland conflict january-february 1973 stormont earth globe john stewart BCC press release
As reported in the media a week ago (BBC | Guardian | U.tv video | Slugger), an east Belfast mural featuring footballer George Best, which itself replaced a UVF mural, has been painted over and is being replaced by a new UVF mural. Progress on the piece, however, seems to have halted. This image shows the progress as of Monday 9th, showing no change since the 4th. The mural quotes Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail (pdf), drawing a parallel between the Civil Rights movement in the US and the situation of contemporary Protestants. Below is an image of the George Best piece, courtesy of the Geograph project.
Update 2013-09-13 U.tv reports that the work on the mural has indeed been halted.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The mural above is on the Newtownards Road at Lendrick Street and shows a bombed-out Ballymacarrett library, St. Patrick’s church (the church itself is visible in the lower right-hand corner) – both were hit by the blitz in 1942 – a police land rover (perhaps representing the “fallen” during the Troubles), and Cuchulainn (perhaps representing the IRA, though Cuchulainn is also a UDA icon – see the bottom of the Visual History page on Cú Chulaınn), and Stormont (representing … peace???). Poppies in a field and a H&W crane against stained glass provide a background.
We are supposed to remember the dead because (perhaps) their deaths were unnecessary and misguided as means to peace, at least according to the saying along the bottom (sometimes attributed to Einstein): “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding” – understanding of the Nazis during the blitz, it seems, and of loyalists and republicans during the Troubles. (If you have a better interpretation, please leave a comment.)
The mural was imitated on the hoarding around An Cultúrlann on the Falls Road during its renovation (shown below): the left hand side of the side was replaced with images of the Falls library and Bobby Sands mural and Divis tower, and Cú Chulaınn on the right was placed in front of the GPO, and the poppies were joined by lilies, and the words translated into Irish. The message here seems clearer, lamenting the CNR dead and calling for understanding of the CNR community (sc. by Britain and the Orange state) though the poppies below include the dead of WWI.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01280 X01279 war cogaıdh, peace síocháın, remember the fallen from war cuimhnígí ar mhairbh an chogaidh, peace cannot be kept by force ní féidır síocháın a choınneáıl le fórsa, it can only be achieved by understanding is tríd an chomhthuıscınt amháın a bhaınfear amach í
Various local industries of the past are named at the corner of My Lady’s Road and Ravenhill Road in east Belfast: Downshire Pottery [1787-1806], Ravenhill Iron Works [fl. 1910], Ridell And Sons [a grocer/trader in the 1800’s?], Tenants Textiles [probably the still-existing Tennants Textiles], Cromac Distillery [1776-1930], Belfast Vitriol Works [fl. 1852], Sydney Pentland [motor repair 1956-2005?]. An old (wooden) lamp-post in the foreground is painted in red-white-and-blue.
Other businesses, not pictured, include Lagan Engine Works, Charles Hurst, Spence Bryson Factory, Co-Op Bakery And Diary [Dairy], Jam Factory, Inglis, Hugh J. Scott, Devonshire Laundry, Royal Bakery.
The piece was installed in 2012-07 (Daniela Balmaverde).
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Brigada Ramona Parra (BRP) is the mural-painting wing of the Chilean Communist Party. Some of its members came to Belfast in 2009 and worked with local republican and loyalist muralists to put up this board at the southern entrance to Ormeau Park. The colours are still vibrant, but the board on which the piece was painted is deteriorating significantly. 200 images of the mural being painted can be found here. BelTel report of the launch.
Below: An extra-wide (2500 pixel) straight-on shot and a youtube video of BRP pieces 1968-2011.
Update 2013-09-06: Write-up of BRP on BBC.
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Three shots of an old mural above the steps to the pedestrian walkway over the Sydenham bypass in east Belfast, featuring workers from the turn of the 20th century at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, which can be seen in the third image.
Previously: Titanic Workers – South Belfast | North Belfast
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X01157 X01159 X01158 william conor shipyard workers crossing queen’s bridgeover the bridge
A mural in east Belfast listing local players who have played for Rangers, in Glasgow, Scotland. Featured in the centre is S. English, who scored 72 goals in 81 appearances, including 44 in the 1931-1932 season. Additional player plaques have been added since 2008, as well as the dedication in the lower right corner: “In memory of Moses McNeill, a teenage boy of Ulster-Scots stock & his brothers and friends who in 1872 formed a football team in Glasgow that today is known around the world as the Rangers Football Club “.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01089 we are the people in memory of moses mcneil a teenage boy of ulster-scots stock & his brothers and friends who in 1872 formed a football team in Glasgow that today is known around the world as the rangers football club, 50 title
Graffiti on Carrington Street, in east Belfast: “Remember The La Mon bombing. 13 Protestants killed. For what?? Sinn Fein vote!” The La Mon hotel and restaurant, outside Belfast, was filled with civilians enjoying dinner-dances at the time it was bombed by the IRA in February 1978 (WP).
The same graffiti appeared in Ravenhill Avenue and Clara Street.
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Extramural Activity 