Belfast east

Sic Semper Artificibus In Muris Scribentibus

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Thus Always To Graffiti Artists! These pictures were taken on Thursday (September 13th, 2012) and by Sunday (16th) the graffiti was gone, painted out! Belfast City Council have over this past year or so been diligent in painting out fly-postings – mostly paper ones advertising concerts and other events – but here they have painted out a political message.

The scene is the gateway to the now derelict and abandoned site of the old Sirocco works at Bridge End, on the city side of Short Strand.

You can glimpse the newer bubble-capitalism in the new-build apartments in the distance.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00639 X00640 sirocco, corrupt governments of the world you’re sacked one love, oil boiler scrappage scheme, call now to scrap your old boiler and save money

California Dreamin’

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Here’s the completed mural by Hicks54 painted last weekend as part of the East Belfast Arts Festival.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Our Brave Defenders

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In memory of the dead from the 36th (Ulster) Division in St Leonard’s Crescent (the old Newcastle Street) in east Belfast. The four main panels show the men of the 36th going over the top on the first day of the Somme (1st July 1916), the “angel of Mons” (WP), Ulster Tower (This tower was dedicated to the glory of God. In grateful memory of the officers, non commissioned officers and men of the 36th (Ulster) Division, and of the sons of Ulster in other forces who laid down their lives in the great war, and of all their comrades in arms who, by divine grace, were spared to testify to their glorious deeds. “Throughout the long years of struggle …. the men of Ulster have proved how nobly they fight and die” – 16th November 1918 King George V), and Thiepval Memorial (Dear men and brothers, going out/to fight for Ulster’s need/we hail you with a mighty shout/brave friends, and true in deed.//Your country holds you in renown/your names will never be dead/and some sweet angel has a crown/for each dear, manly head.)

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Young Newtown

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Young Newtown (more typically “Young Newton” – see e.g. 1989 and 2005) is the Newtownards Road division of the Ulster Young Militants (UYM) and formerly a Tartan Gang (History Ireland). 

UDA shield in McMaster Street, east Belfast.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Working On A Building

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Belfast is getting two new pieces of streetart as part of the East Belfast Arts Festival, one by Friz and one by Hicks54. Both are a-political artists from outside Northern Ireland. Friz is now based in Belfast. Hicks is/was a member of the 54 collective, in Southampton, England.

Above is Friz completing her mural in Constance Street, Sept. 8th.

The muraling during the Festival is “in conjunction with the Lower Castlereagh Community Group, East Belfast Partnership, and kindly funded by the Lloyds TSB Foundation”.

Below is (Ed) Hicks54 in front of his project, on the Newtownards Rd … (across from McDonalds) and a wide shot of the whole scaffold …

There’s an even earlier development shot at his flickr account.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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David Ervine

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Here are three images of the 2008 David Ervine (WP) board by Ross Wilson in Montrose Street South, the area Ervine came from, with one of the Harland & Wolff cranes reflecting his connection to working class politics.

Working class Protestantism (and nationalism) was a large part of the discussion of Pete Shirlow’s The End Of Ulster Loyalism? on Sunday Sequence (starting at the 33 minute mark).

Two details below, the left and right sides, with flowers at the base of a broken-off tree in the foreground … for the sculpture, see Memory Chair.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00606 X00603 X00605 those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, H & W

Moving Forward

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Wild-style writing is combined with images of local street signs and portraits of east Belfast luminaries such as George Best, Van Morrison, and CS Lewis.

“Created as part of Belfast City Council’s Creative Legacies programme by the young people of ‘The Klub’ at Dee Street Community Centre and artist Daniela Balmaverde. With PEACE III funding.

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Always British

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Cluan Place is a single street in east Belfast separated from (nationalist) Short Strand by a “peace” line. For a history of Cluan Place, see Out Of The Ashes. “5 people shot – houses burnt – houses bombed. 20 families intimidated out by Sinn Fein/IRA. Still loyalist. No surrender.”

The mural – to make the point that Northern Ireland is British – features an unusual combination of Union Flag and Ulster Banner.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Narnia

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Here are three details from the Narnia mural Pansy Street, Belfast: Aslan the lion, the witch’s winter world, and the author – CS Lewis, born in east Belfast. This is the second mural in the area on on The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe.

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Copyright © 2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe

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Here are three close-ups from the mural CS Lewis’s book The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe in Convention Court, east Belfast. (For the whole, see M02946.)

This mural replaced the mural putting the Red Branch Knights and the Red Hand Commando in parallel – see the Visual History page on Cú Chulaınn.

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Copyright © 2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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