Belfast west

The Birth Of The Republic

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In addition to the seven signatories of the Proclamation of an Irish Republic, 9 other leaders of the Easter Rising were executed in the wake of the rebellion. The portraits of all 16 are part of this new mural (on boards) of Walter Paget’s painting The Birth Of The Irish Republic. (For Paget’s painting, see the painting’s Visual History page.) In order of appearance, the 16 (with links to their WP pages) are …

             (Left-hand side)

  1. John MacBride
  2. Roger Casement
  3. Thomas MacDonagh
  4. Éamonn Ceannt
  5. Thomas Kent
  6. Con Colbert
  7. Michael Mallin
  8. Edward Daly
  9. Michael O’Hanrahan
  10. Willie Pearse
  11. Seán Heuston

    (Right-hand side)
  12. James Connolly
  13. Joseph Plunkett
  14. Patrick Pearse
  15. Tom Clarke 
  16. Seán Mac Diarmada

In Lake Glen Drive, on the side of the Felons’ Club.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X05296

Ulster Says “Tá”

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2013-04-05 GlenwoodRight+

A few words of Irish – “Lamh Dearg Abu” – in a loyalist mural in Glenwood Street, just off the Shankill Road, through strictly it should be “Lámh Dhearg Abú”. “Lámh dhearg” means “red hand”, and this is a Red Hand Commando mural.

The same motto was on the mural that this one replaced, which can be seen at M02433.

The title of the post is the headline of a recent article in the Irish Times, giving an account of Irish language classes in (loyalist) east Belfast. “Tá” is Irish for “yes”.

2013-04-05 GlenwoodWide+

2013-04-05 GlenwoodBouquet+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01037 X01038 X01036 believe we dare not boast not fear we stand to pay the cost in all that men hold dear rudyard kipling ulster 1912 belfast west south east down north england co. down antrim scotland a company shankill road; it is not for glory or riches we fight but for our people; in proud and loving memory of our fallen comrades; they went with songs to the battle they were young straight of limb true of eye steady and aglow they were staunch to the end and against odds uncounted they fell with their faces to the foe they shall not grow old as we that are left grow old age shall not weary them nor the years condemn at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them; in memory of volunteer stevie mccrea from the commando staff officers & volunteers

Rust In Peace

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2013-04-09 RustInPeace+

Here is another piece of graffiti in response to the death of Margaret Thatcher, outside the Royal Victoria hospital on the Falls Road: “Iron Lady? Rust In Peace”, with “Upara” – Up The (I)RA. Thatcher was given the sobriquet by the Soviet army newspaper Red Starin 1976, apparently in imitation of the “Iron Chancellor”, Otto von Bismarck (WP).

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Remember 1690

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2013-03-14 CarlowSt1690+

A UVF (and previously UFF – there’s an “F” under the middle “V”) mural in Carlow Street, a few blocks above the “peace” line.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01015

Rot In Hell, Thatcher

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2013-04-09 RotInHell+

Reaction to the death (on Monday, April 8th) of Margaret Thatcher, U.K. Prime Minister 1979-1990 (WP), in an alley below Divis flats, between Divis Street and Clonfaddan Crescent.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01047

Fáılte Feırste Thıar

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A bilingual board encouraging tourism in CNR west Belfast. The attractions listed are múrphıctúrí [sic], títhe [sic] phobaıl agus reılıgí, ceol agus damhsa, ıarsmalaınn poblachtach, nádúr, ealaín agus cultúr, gaırdíní chuımhneacháın, spóırt Gaelach, ár staır le blıanta beaga [murals, churches and cemeteries, music and dance, republican museums, nature, arts and culture, memorial gardens, Gaelic games, recent history].

By Rısteard Ó Murchú in Nansen Street/Sráıd Nansen, Belfast/Béal Feırste.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01563

Stevie McCrea

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Red Hand Commando volunteer Stevie McCrea was sentenced to 16 years for the murder of James Kerr in 1972 (Behind The Mask) and was subsequently “murdered by the enemies of Ulster” on February 18th, 1989 in an IPLO attack on the Orange Cross (see M00560 | WP).

“For he shall not grow old as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary him nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him.”

McCrea is included on murals in south Belfast’s Frenchpark Street and Broadway (dating back to at least 1993).

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Where Youth And Laughter Go

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2013-03-13 TrevorKing+

Mural in Disraeli Street to Trevor King, to the left of the old Brian Robinson mural and two gables to the right of the new Brian Robinson mural. Having been shot by the INLA and paralysed from the neck down, King took the decision to remove his own life-support (WP).

The words on the left are from Suicide In The Trenches by WWI poet Siegfried Sassoon:

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads pass by
Sneak home and pray you’ll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go

The poem refers to a soldier whose naturally cheerful disposition has been overwhelmed by the horrors of war.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01014 lt. col. trevor king y.c.v. for gold and ulster u.v.f. 1912 1st belfast battaltion ‘b’ company; in proud and loving memory of james ulster volunteer force died 9th july 1994 at the going down of the sun and in the morning we shall remember 14th battalion royal irish rifles somme ypres arras thiepval young citizen volunteers st, quentin grandcourt messines fricourt

Bobby Sands Corner

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Bobby Sands grew up and went to school in Rathcoole but in 1972, when he was eighteen, the family home was attacked. They moved to Twinbrook, where Sands joined the IRA (Bobby Sands Trust | WP).

This mosaic is near the Twinbrook home, on the same wall that was the site of the Carol-Ann Kelly mural. Kelly was killed two weeks after Sands’s death.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X05295

Shankill Star

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2013-03-10 Robinson+

A brand new piece (unveiled March 2, 2013) to Brian Robinson and/sponsored by the Shankill Star Flute Band, in Disraeli Street – where Robinson grew up – replete with images from the first World War such as soldiers (both British and German), trenches and poppies. Robinson was killed on 2 Sept., 1989 by an army undercover unit moments after he had shot and killed a Catholic named Patrick McKenna (WP). This is the second mural on the street to Robinson. The piece is not paint, but printed boards, and the image has been generated by computer.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01011 for god and ulster in memory of u.v.f. ulster volunteer force 1912 est. 1968