“Solidarity with the French riots against racism & police – justice for Nahel!” 17 year-old Nahel Merzouk was shot and killed on June 27th by a motor-cycle policeman in Nanterre, France. The scope of use of firearms by police was expanded in 2017 to include dangerous drivers who refused to stop; Merzouk was at the wheel of a Mercedes that had twice failed to stop and (according to police) was putting others in danger. Police specifically alleged that the car, after the second stop, was driving towards the officer; video evidence later disproved this. This cover-up, combined with long-running discontent over the use of deadly force by police, led to six nights of rioting in which two people were killed, more than 3,000 people arrested, and 800 police injured. (BBC includes video | Independent | WP)
Here are two panels from the front yard of Gaelscoıl An Lonnáın (which recently acquired a new mural).
Above, Lear’s four children are turned into long-living, singing swans by their jealous step-mother Aoıfe, and are restored 900 years later to human form by the pealing of a chapel bell and the touch of a Christian monk. For more on the myth, see The Children Of Lear (and also the story of the mermaid Lí Ban in Sea-Born).
Below, a compilation of local landmarks: Broadway cinema (see At The Pictures), St Peter’s pro-cathedral (see Mysterious Ways), Conway mill (see The Mill), the Corporation Public Baths (and swimming pool), later the Falls Road Public Baths, and here called “The Falls Swimming Baths” (for a reminiscence of the baths, see Belfast History), and the fountain in Dunville Park. The cinema is no more; the baths have been replaced by a leisure centre; the mill stands but functions as a cultural centre.
“For God and Ulster” (as seen on the bucket hat) is the more common slogan of the of the Ulster Volunteers, but “For King and Empire” (as seen on the shirt) was occasionally used, as on the colours of Central Antrim’s 3rd battalion (Sam’s Flags | see also The Central Antrim Regiment). The phrase also appears on a plaque outside Carrickfergus Orange hall – see On Foreign Fields.
The items are for sale in the Shankill Historical Society in the middle Shankill. The shop is at least 25 years old.
19 towns and cities will hold gatherings for the Twelfth, with the longest parade being the six miles from Carlisle Circus to the field at Barnett Demesne (near Shaw’s Bridge) in Belfast. Today’s images come from a Shankill parade at the end of June, with (above) the (Shankill) Sons Of Ulster (Fb) and (below) the Billy Boys (Rathcoole) (Fb).
For a complete list of gatherings, see Belfast Live
The “Lambeg drum” is named for the village near Lisburn, perhaps invented there to celebrate a visit by King Billy (LAD), or perhaps because it was there that the (already existing) drum was played with canes (WP).
As can be seen from these images, the drums are extemely large – three feet in diameter – which makes them difficult to use in parades, as does their immense noise (up to 120 dB); they are more frequently seen on their own at drumming displays such as this one on the Shankill yesterday (July 11th).
11 “beacons” are being lit across Belfast this evening, an increase over the eight from last year (Belfast Live). They are re-usable metal frames filled with willow wood (above a base of pallets) and sit on a bed of sand in order to avoid scarring the ground (BBC). The name evokes the beacons lit in the hills of Antrim and Down that allowed King William’s forces to land at Carrickfergus in 1690; the practice of lighting bonfires for festivals goes back to pagan times (Gailey).
Rather than being collected by the local commuinity, the materials are provided by a City Council programme now in its fifteen year of operation; the cost of the beacons this year is 81,000 pounds (BelTel). For discussion of the beacons (and the wider bonfire programme), see this Slugger article.
Norah McCabe died on July 9th, 1981, a day after being struck in the back of the head by a plastic bullet. The RUC claimed that they fired at a petrol bomber but footage from a Canadian TV crew on the Falls Road showed this to be false (Belfast Media).
Her husband Jim was involved in the “United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets” (web) founded in 1985 by Groves & Reilly. He died in January (2023) and mural in his memory was launched yesterday on Divis Street – see Jim McCabe.
There is a plaque and a memorial to McCabe at the spot where she was struck in the old Linden Street. These posters are at the family home on the Springfield Road.
A new mural was unveiled yesterday in memory of Jim McCabe, the husband of Norah McCabe who was hit by a plastic bullet in 1981 and died a day later. Jim went on to become a “lifetime campaigner for truth + justice” and a “founder member of Relatives For Justice [web] and United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets [web]” – the sketch shown in the third image suggests this line was part of the plan for the mural. (For a profile of Jim’s campaigning work, see Belfast Media.) Jim died in January of this (2023) year.
The image above shows one of the children of Norah and Jim – James – standing in front of the new mural wearing a ‘Ban plastic bullets’ t-shirt and carrying an image of his mother.
“Ní coırpıgh sınne! Éıreannaıgh sınne! [we are not criminals; we are Irish people] “There is that much to be done that no select or small portion of people can do; only the greater mass of the Irish nation will ensure the achievement of a socialist republic, and this can only be done by hard work and sacrifice.” – Bobby Sands [Hunger strike diary, March 14th, 1981]” With photographs of the ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers.
Kelly’s Bar at the top of the Rock was packed with punters watching a World Cup match between England and West Germany when a car bomb went off outside shortly after 5 p.m.. The bombing was followed by two nights of gun-battles, with loyalists firing from Springmartin, republicans (both PIRA and OIRA) from Ballymurphy, and British Army soldiers (the King’s Own and 1 Para) from Henry Taggart and other mobile locations. Within three hours following the explosion, barman Tommy McIlroy was killed in the gunfire from Springmartin as he helped with clean-up from the bomb, Alan Buckley of the King’s Own was killed by IRA fire, Michael Magee of Na Fıanna was killed by friendly fire, and Robert McMullan was killed by British Army fire. The next night (May 14th), John Pedlow was killed by British Army fire and Martha Campbell was shot by UVF fire from Springmartin (see her memorial plaque). (Lost Lives 352, 353, 354, 355, 358, 359 | Battle At Springmartin (WP))
As with the bombing of McGurk’s bar in north Belfast (see most recently Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied), the bombing was initially spun by the UK forces and government as an IRA attempt to stir up loyalists (An Phoblacht | Lost Lives 352). An inquest into Moran’s death (and thus into how the bombing was carried out) has been opened (BeTel | Independent).
The plaque dates back to 2004 (see M02243); the tarp was added for the 50th anniversary in 2022; the small mural is more recent.
Extramural Activity 