Belfast north

Recovery

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The UVF mural overlooking the entrance to Mount Vernon has been repainted after Storm Darragh back in December (2024) knocked down part of the wall it was painted on (see Taken By Storm) and the remainder of the wall was subsequently knocked down (see Prepared For Space, Ready For Wall).

There were local voices against the repainting of the mural (Sunday World) but after the wall (which is owned by the Housing Executive) was rebuilt, scaffolding went up at the end of March (BelTel) and painting began in June.

The mural will be officially launched at the Twelfth celebrations. The repainting has been criticised by the father of one UVF victim (BelTel). One (very) small mercy is that neither of the gunmen – from the North Belfast UVF – is directly confronting the viewer (including the drivers coming off the M2 at Fortwilliam.

Images of the completed mural are from June 26th; the in-progress images are as dated below.

March 29th:

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15496 X15497 X15498 X15369c

Bik McFarlane

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Brendan “Bik” McFarlane was imprisoned for life for the attack on the Bayardo Bar on the Shankill Road and took over as IRA OC in the Maze when Bobby Sands went on hunger-strike in 1981. He escaped the prison in 1983 and was extradited back to Northern Ireland from the Netherlands in 1986 and eventually paroled in 1997.

McFarlane died in February (2025) (BelTel). He was raised in Ardoyne, north Belfast, and this graffiti is on a hoarding on Ardoyne Avenue.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15486

The Magic Within

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The Shamrock supports Kneecap”. Kneecap member Mo Chara (Lıam Óg Ó hAnnaıdh) appeared in court (in London) last week to face charges of displaying a flag of a proscribed organisation (Hezbollah). He was released on bail and will return on August 20th. (BBC | AP) In the meantime, the group appeared in front of 10,000 fans on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury on Saturday (June 28th) despite criticism from UK prime minister Keir Starmer (BBC).

For the band’s other woes, see Seas Le Kneecap.

The Shamrock Sport & Social Club (Fb) in Ardoyne is running a promotion by which people who post their selfies in front of the new mural in supoprt of Kneecap on social media can claim a bottle of Le Grá lager (web).

The fist is familiar from the pro-Palestine mural in Beechmount and the burning PSNI land-rover is familiar from the first (of three) Kneecap murals in Hawthorn Street – see Incendiary Device.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15488 X15489 X15490 X15491

Republican Prisoners Still Exist!

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Support republican political prisoners” in “Maghaberry – Portlaoise – Hydebank”. IRPWA (web) board in Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast. For a close-up of the Saoradh call to commemorate the Easter Rising, see the Paddy Duffy collection.

See also: the same message on Divis Street, west Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15459

To The People Of Ireland

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The central space in Ardoyne’s Easter Rising centenary wall, combining stencils of the signatories to the Proclamation around a tarp of the document (see In Commemoration Of 1916) has been empty – except for some electoral signs – since 2019’s board marking the centenary of Sınn Féın (see Still The People Spoke). This new tarp returns to the Proclamation and Easter lily and matches the frame of signatories once more.

The last full mural on the wall fell down in 2014 and there does not appear to have been the energy to paint another full mural since then – but perhaps the fading paint around Clarke and Connolly will provoke a complete re-do.

For the stone in the right-hand corner, see the Peter Moloney collection.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15458

The World Is Our Playground

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Children play among and with the landmarks of the world – riding the Sydney opera house, building the pyramids out of sand, climbing the Eiffel Tower, building the Taj Mahal from blocks, blowing on a windmill, and swinging from Samson and Goliath.

This is an old (2016) piece by Friz (web), still in excellent shape on the wall of Currie Primary school, off the Limestone Road in north Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15429 X15428

Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The BBC and RTÉ are liars, covid and woke are lies. Only the RSYM (Fb) will tell you how it really is.

Cliftonville Road, north Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15432

Many Moons To Go

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A student makes their way through the cycles of the moon, with Pride pin, skull earring, and owl familiar (and horcrux scar on the cheek?) to guide the way.

Street art by emic (web) at Belfast Royal Academy on the Cliftonville Road, north Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15431 X15430

From D-Day To VE Day

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

39 Allied divisions – 12 of them British – participated in the Normandy Landings – officially “Operation Neptune” – that took place on June 6th, 1944; in planning for the operation, the original “D-Day” was June 5th, but bad weather postponed it until the following day, when 160,000 troops stormed the beaches of the Bay Of The Seine. By the end of August, Paris had been liberated, and by the following May, victory in Europe had been achieved. 2024 was the eightieth anniversary of D-Day and 2025 the eightieth anniversary of VE Day, on May 8th.

This D-Day board and VE Day mural are in Edlingham Street, Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast. Also included below is a WWI memorial electrical box opposite, though as can be seen from the board (immediately below) the ‘graveside mourner’ silhouette is becoming a generic symbol of lost UK forces.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15436 X15437 X15438 X15446

I Was A Stranger And You Welcomed Me

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son (John 3:16). And, greater love hath no man but to lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13, often used in the context of military sacrifice). But local homes are for local people. (The use of a stencil is a step up in sophistication.)

The Union Flag fills the empty frame where there used to be a list of locals who died in The Belfast Blitz.

Hogarth Street, Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15441 X15443 X15442 X15440