This Lesley Cherry mural in the Village area of Donegall Road shows a female figure sitting on a drum and holding one of the Harland & Wolff cranes in her hand.
UDA commander John McMichael was also secretary of the New Ulster Political Research Group (NUPRG), a think tank of the UDA/UFF. The group argued for an independent Northern Ireland (based in part on beliefs about a separate Ulster ethnic identity – see the Visual History page on Cú Chulainn) in two documents, 1979’s Beyond the Religious Divide and 1987’s Common Sense (available at CAIN), promoting the philosophy of ‘Ulster nationalism’, depicted here by the free-floating Northern Ireland. McMichael ran unsuccessfully for the Belfast South seat after the murder of Robert Bradford (see To Bathe The Sharp Sword Of My Word In Heaven).
“As John McMichael stated before his untimely death, we must share the responsibility for finding a settlement and share the responsibility of maintaining good government. He left us hope.”
Here’s a link to an image (from @conflictNI) of McMichael at the launch of Common Sense in 1987.
Back in July (2015) “Taigs will be crucified” graffiti appeared on an box next to the Broadway roundabout but was removed after a few days. “Taigs will be dealt with” then appeared — see the image below.
The graffiti above is not far away on the Donegall Road, when it appeared in July it was joined by a wooden crucifix (for which see this BelTel article); the crucifix has gone but the graffiti was still in place in November. “VTOT” stands for “Village Team On Tour” – referring to the loyalist “Village” area of south Belfast.
South Belfast MP Robert Bradford was assassinated by the Provisional IRA in Finaghy at a meeting with constituents; the caretaker of the community centre, Ken Campbell, was also killed by the fleeing attackers. Taking place in late 1981, with the hunger strikes having ended only a month before, the killing was noted around the world and raised fears of broad civil unrest (BBC | NYTimes). The board above serves as a substitute for an earlier mural to Bradford on the adjacent gable wall. See below for a wide shot of Oak Street with the Bradford board between the repainted Cemented With Love and No Surrender Club.
Badger, hedgehog, squirrel, fox, and owl – along with various butterflies and birds – all inhabit the new community garden at Conduit Street in Donegall Pass. (It’s not all make-believe; the bird box on the tree in the middle is in fact real!) The mural above is the work of Nozzle & Brush.
Click here for work-in-progress shots. And for images of the launch (on April 22, 2015) see the Fb page of the Donegall Pass Community Forum.
Oak Street is a fitting place for a mural about the Siege of Derry, as the oak leaf, shown to the left and right of the board above (and in the wide shot, below) is a symbol of the town, “doire” meaning an oak grove. The gates to the city were locked by thirteen apprentices, against the wishes of Governor Robert Lundy who wised to surrender the city. When the deposed king James II and his army arrived and demanded the surrender of the city of Derry, the cry from within was “No surrender!” The city was then besieged for 105 days until relief arrived in the form of ships of the navy of the newly crowned William & Mary.
The board shown above celebrates 50 years of the No Surrender Club South Belfast (1963-2013) a club affiliated with the Apprentice Boys Of Derry.
The ‘Cemented With Love’ mural on Oak Street (Donegall Pass) has been repainted for the 2015 marching season. According to the painted note in the bottom left corner, it was originally painted in 1989 on the 25th anniversary of the erection of the arch in nearby Lindsay Street. The mural shows William of Orange rearing back his horse in the Boyne river while a Jacobite soldier in green, white, and gold expires on the shore (shown below along with a close-up of William and horse).