“Diversity is shit” – small stencil in Baltic Avenue, north Belfast, one street away from Building An Ireland Of Equals.
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Copyright © 2023 Extramural Activity
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Diversity
Belfast north
Our Homes Have Been Given To Foreigners
The corner at Limestone Road and North Queen Street has been finding a biblical passage to express the jubilations and tribulations of God’s chosen people since 2016, when Revelations 18:4 was cited on the gable wall in support of Brexit; in 2021 this was changed to Psalms 95:7 – visible in the images in the wide shot, below – in reference to the chosen people’s soccer team, Rangers.
The lower wall used Genesis 38:28 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation (2017), along with Luke 1:31-33 and 2 Samuel 7:16 to proclaim the everlasting Christian order; then in 2018 John 15:13 was used to mark the centenary of armistice that ended WWI in 1918; and in 2020 2 Chronicles 7:14 was deployed as an exhortation to pray to the Lord for relief from Covid-19.
And this brings us to the newest quotation, which places an Israeli flag above Lamentations 5:1-2: “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace./Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners” (NIV). The lamentation is for Jerusalem, which in 589-586 BCE was besieged and overrun by the Babylonians and the Jews exiled to Babylon. The present-day analogue would presumably be the Hamas attacks on October 7th, 2023, against communities and bases near the Gaza Strip, in which around 1,200 people were killed (Reuters) and approximately 240 people were taken hostage (NYTimes).
It is not clear whether a further analogy with the Protestants of Northern Ireland is intended. This one might be simply to express support with the Israelis.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Scots In Ulster
The name “Ulster-Scots” refers to the emigrants to North America from Ulster that had previously come from Scotland and the English borders, and most of the Ulster-Scots murals in the 2000s focused on emigration to America and US Presidents with Scotch-Irish heritage (see the Visual History page of Ulster-Scots murals).
In 2017, a series of boards along York Street focused on industrialists in Northern Ireland with Scottish backgrounds: 13 panels in five posts: one | two | three | four | five. And this new collection of “Ulster-Scots” luminaries (which is 100 paces away) likewise presents figures who are associated with Northern Ireland rather than America. Modern folk such as those portrayed in these new boards presumably have Scottish heritage rather than Scotch-Irish. (The title of this entry – The Scots In Ulster – comes from a Discover Ulster Scots poster about the Scots who came to Ulster in the 1600s, regardless of whether or not they or their descendants later moved to America.)
From left to right, the people shown are as follows. (Links are to previous entries in the Extramural collection.)
Mountcollyer: motorcyclist Rex McCandless, author CS Lewis, physicist John Stewart Bell, song-writer Jimmy Kennedy, medical inventor Frank Pantridge
York Rd: snooker player Alex Higgins, singer Ruby Murray, soldier Blair Mayne, agricultural inventor Harry Ferguson, missionary Amy Carmichael
For the political tarp on the gable in the background, see Choose One Or The Other.
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T = Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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A Place Called Old Ardoyne
Going by the streets and places mentioned in these plaques – see the list below – “old Ardoyne” would not have included Balholm Drive, where this gable wall is; Brompton Park and the streets above it – built c. 1935 are renamed c. 1939 (after a 1937 rent strike) – were known as Glenard. (See also Belfast Forum one | two.)
According to an entry on Belfast Forum, Skinny Lizzy’s real name was Elizabeth Gilmore. According to another, Greast Nellie’s chip shop and the Crumlin Star was opposite one another.
These memories from emigrants to Austalia mention Davidson’s shop and Andy’s shop, Skinny Lizzy, The League, Toby’s Hall, and Beltex Mill.
left side: Crumlin Star, Peter Toal’s hard wear shop, Beltax [Beltex] mill, Cassidy’s shop, Holy Cross Boys school
top row: Chatham Street Skinny Lizzy shop, Elmfield Street Reid’s shop, Brookfield Street McCafferty shop, Flax Street Greasy Nelly’s, Granny Byer’s shop
second: Oakfield Street, Kerrera Street Skillen’s shop, Hocker Street Rock’s shop, Butler Street Tom’s shop, Top Of The Pad, Dan The Man’s Rockiet[?]
third: The Millie Dam, Crumlin Street Billy O’Hara’s, Herbert Street Davidson’s shop, Fairfield Street Black’s shop, Paddy’s barber shop, McNab’s Chippy, Raynardo’s chippy
fourth: The GAA Tin Hut, The Gap Andy’s shop, Hole In The Knickers, The Unity Club
fifth: Rose Bank mill, Flax Street mill, Toby’s Hall, The Hibbs [Hibs] Club [in Herbert St], Bloody Mary’s Arch
sixth: Brookfield mill, The League AWMC [Ardoyne Working Men’s Club (Fb)], Roy Kane’s shop
Balholm Drive, Ardoyne, north Belfast
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Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, commemorates and celebrates the end of hostilities in the first World War on November 11th, 1918. Many ceremonies in the UK take place on the second Sunday of the month, regardless of the date. This practice began in 1945, changing the WWII practice of marking the occasion on the preceding Sunday, to ensure that the holiday did not fall on a work-day (WP).
This large tarp is at the Shore Road memorial garden to the 10th, 36th, and 16th divisions, shown below, along with the nearby Fifes & Drums/Fairhill flute band (Fb)/Pride Of The Shore (Fb) tribute to QEII. The tarp was also seen last year: Remembrance Day.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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We Stand With Palestine
As the shelling of Gaza continues and the death-toll mounts, there are protests on a daily basis. In Belfast, there were rallies supporting Palestine this week in Poleglass (Xitter), Lenadoon (Xitter), Ardoyne (reddit | Xitter) — home of this new mural showing F-16 jets over Gaza — and more to come in the city centre (Friday) and Dunville Park (Saturday). For more upcoming rallies, see Belfast IPSC (Fb) | Derry IPSC (Fb) | IPSC (Fb).
The final image is from the rally at Queen’s University on November 4th, of a protester with a hand-painted “Saoırse Don Phalaıstín” board.
Murals and graffiti so far:
In Belfast: Stop The Slaughter In Gaza | Palestine And Ireland United In Struggle | Stop Israeli Murder In Gaza | Stop Israeli Terror | Israel Get Out Of Palestine | Free Palestine |
In Derry: Free Palestine | Ireland Supports Palestinian Resistance | Victory To Gaza
And also Ulster & Israel.
Balholm Drive, Ardoyne, north Belfast
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Stop Israeli Murder In Gaza
“Stop Israeli murder in Gaza.” “ma” is presumably a false start on “murder”. This is new graffiti at Camberwell Terrace/Limestone Road.
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Squirrelled Away
This squirrel is the third piece of wildlife to grace a Cavehill Road wall in recent weeks, following the swan in Marsden Gardens (Fowl Play) and fox at Charnwood Avenue (Outfoxed). This piece is in Sunningdale Park (also known to Line Of Duty fans as Platemere St) and was painted by Mr Fenz (ig) and Danni Simpson (ig). A fourth piece is planned for the top of the road, at the North Circular.
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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Outfoxed
Danni Simpson (ig) and Mr Fenz (ig) have completed their second mural in as many weeks on the Cavehill Road, adding a fox to the side of what is now Ben Madigan’s (formerly the Cavehill Inn) on Charnwood Avenue.
Previously: the Waterworks swan seen in Fowl Play.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Shroud
A poster of ‘the sacred heart of Jesus’ is blackened and scored out in Cliftonville Avenue, north Belfast.
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Extramural Activity 