Unfortunately, there’s no on-line information about the community/local scenes mural painted behind Teach Fhınn/Finn House in the New Lodge, which goes back to at least 2008. If you have any information, please get in touch.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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In addition to half a dozen murals, including one of Medjugorje (original | repaint), Berwick Road/Paráıd An Ardghleanna in Ardoyne contains a set of ‘Stations Of The Cross’, the 14 steps recounting Jesus Of Nazareth’s last day. Other stations can be seen in U’ll Do Nottin | Changing The Stations.
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Nazi scum” and “Antifa zone 161” on Berwick Avenue in Ardoyne, provoked by a proposed Britain First rally in December, 2017 (Belfast Live). The Britain First leaders who were arrested for speeches at an August rally are due to go on trial in April (BelTel). Deputy leader Jayda Fransen was also arrested in December for comments made in a video shot at the Cupar Way “peace” line (Telegraph).
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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Here are two images of the four-leaf clover used by Ardoyne Youth Club (tw) as their emblem. The image above shows the doors of the club off Havana Way, while the one below is from the recently-completed mural at the top of the road Stronger Together. Compare with the emblem of Celtic FC, as in Just Can’t Get Enough.
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Republican political party Saoradh (web) are organising a ‘National Republican Easter Commemoration’ on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (which is April 1st, this year). The parade is expected to be led by a colour party and marchers in combat gear (Irish News | BelTel).
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Here are three stained glass windows from St Joseph’s in Sailortown. The designer of the glass is unknown – please get in touch if you know. The church was built in 1880 and has been idle since 2001; both the exterior (which we profiled in November 2017) and interior are in need of restoration. A plan exists to turn the building into a heritage centre (BMG).
For more church glass, see Townsend Street Presbyterian.
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2017 update on the 2016 #BuildHomesNow stencil in the New Lodge from the PPRProject, detailing the shortage of housing. “Waiting for a home: 2458. Homes built: 112”.
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This Ardoyne hoarding for Saoradh the “revolutionary republican party ” (web | fb), uses a pike (for 1798 Rebellion), the Sunburst (traditionally used by Fıanna Éıreann), and the Starry Plough (from the Irish Citizen Army of the Easter Rising). Cut off at the top is a red star of socialism.
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As mentioned in an entry about Dalaradia, the HUBB community centre (web | Fb) in north Belfast has, since 2010, been based in what used to be a World War II Civil Defence air-raid shelter, which it cleaned and renovated (Tele). The original hall is depicted in this mural on the side of the HUBB. Belfast was bombed by the Germans four times in April and May of 1941.
In 1940, Belfast was protected by thirty-eight anti-aircraft guns. The German Luftwaffe flew a reconnaissance flight over Belfast on November 30th, 1940 and a test mission of eight planes on April 7th, 1941 concluded that Belfast’s defences were, “inferior in quality, scanty and insufficient” (Elaine Hogg/Glenravel History). 150 bombers would blitz Belfast the following week, on Easter Tuesday, April 15th, and the seven guns that had been in operation ceased firing, believing, falsely, that RAF planes were also in the sky (WP).
In the blitz of Easter Tuesday, 1941, more than 900 people died, 1,500 were injured, and half the houses in Belfast were damaged (WP). According to Elaine Hogg’s research in the ‘Darker Side Of Belfast’ series, 100,000 people left the city in the remainder of the month, due to shock, fear, and the squalid conditions and unruly behaviour that followed the bombing.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Don’t huff, don’t puff – stay away from that stuff.” The three little piggies give the big bad wolf some grief for his “dope” habit. The message is directed at the kids in the Fortwilliam Youth Centre in Mount Vernon. “You only live once.”
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 