Belfast west

End The Occupation

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“20,000+ security personnel maintain Britain’s occupation of Ireland.” ‘End imperialism, End the occupation’ is a Lasair Dhearg (web | tw) campaign; the 20,000 includes the PSNI as well as troops in “multiple permanent British Army bases”; the stencil in the image below (from affiliated organisation, Red Section (tw)), from the Monagh Bypass, suggests that there are “700+ MI5 agents in Ireland”. The tarp shown above is on the railings at the Falls Road/Glen Road junction, site of the former RUC barracks; the stencil is on the Andersonstown Road.

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Tsuru

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“Tsuru” is the Japanese for “crane”, which a symbol for peace, and it appears here on the Cupar Way “peace” line in west Belfast. The QR code is for an iPhone and Android app about peace building in Belfast and Hiroshima. You can learn how to make an origami crane here.

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Sacred Heart

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Antrim Ladies (web) play in the county’s traditional saffron but also have a pink strip supporting the current organ donation campaign (featuring Dáithí Mac Gabhann – see previously Yes I Do).

Below: “We are in this together” on the shutters of the Upper Springfield Resource Centre.

From the same wall of the Ballymurphy “bullring”, in 2014: Padre Pio and the BVM At The Centre Of Health & Well-Being

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Jock Davison

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Gerard ‘Jock’ Davison (here spelled “Gerarrd ‘Jock’ Davidson, 3rd Batt”) was an IRA volunteer who became a community worker in the Markets after the peace. He was shot dead in 2015 (BBC), probably by republicans, and the murder case is still open (Bel Tel | Irish Examiner). It drew publicity in 2021 because a date for the inquest into his alleged killer’s death (which occurred three months later, possibly at the hands of IRA members still holding weapons) has been set (Irish News), the arrest in Spain of a criminal wanted for questioning in connection with the gun used (Bel Tel), and because it was revealed that the PSNI warned him his life might be in danger a month before he was shot (Irish News).

This graffiti tribute is in Carrick Hill.

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Eternally Loved

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In 2009-2010-2011 the giant rock in Tír Na nÓg (Springhill Park) bore a celtic spiral pattern – see the final image, below. As these images show, it has now been repurposed as a memorial site to two local children.

This is, we believe, the first appearance of TikTok as a social media reference.

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Justice Denied

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The “Craigavon 2” are Brendan McConville and John-Paul Wootton; they were convicted of the 2009 murder of PSNI constable Stephen Carroll. The “set up by MI5” and/or “appeals sabotaged” on the RNU board shown above is a reference to the claim that MI5 agent Dennis McFadden had infiltrated the campaign for justice for Brendan McConville (Irish News). Also at this site are graffiti about Noah Donohoe and an anti-drug-dealer board from Saoradh.

The earliest JFTC2 post on Extramural Activity is from 2013.

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Football For All

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Cumann Spóırt An Phobaıl (Fb | ig) is an all-abilities (and all-ages – starting at age 5) soccer club based on the Ballymurphy Road in west Belfast. The club was profiled in the Irish News in late 2020. “CSP Abú”

The murals are in Springhill Avenue; for the community mural at the blind end of the road, see Inspire, Uphold, And Make Happy; for the pro-Palestinian murals, see Grasping The Barb, David And Goliath and Over Time.

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Unsung Heroes

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“The young and the old rallied around/To help fight the forces of the British crown/Unsung heroes too many to name/Defended Unity flats and never sought fame”. Unity flats were built in 1968 to replace the old Carrick Hill but immediately came under repeated attack by loyalists from the nearby Peter’s Hill and Shankill; by 1987 their demolition had been approved but because of difficulty in rehousing residents (Hansard), the new Carrick Hill was not completed until 2009 (BelTel). The flats have a Facebook page, Growing Up In Unity Flats. The plaques shown today are on the side of the newsagents in the new Carrick Hill.

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Do The Bouncy

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The “S”s are “5”s in the Union Bears sticker in the top right corner, to give “5uper Ranger5”, in celebration of Glasgow Rangers’ 55th Scottish League title (see e.g. 55). At home stadium Ibrox, fans “do the bouncy” – which means jumping up and down (youtube) – much like “pogo” dancing or as children do on a “bouncy castle”; hire firm ‘Bouncy Castle Madness’ (Fb) has been advertising heavily in Belfast and their sticker is on the left. The final sticker celebrates the centenary of Northern Ireland, 1921-2021 (see e.g. The Centenary Of Oppression or We Will Take Nothing Less).

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West Belfast Supports The Community Rescue Service

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“West Belfast supports the Community Rescue Service (web | Fb | tw) – Thank you for all the work you do for our community.” “West Belfast” in this case means PUL west Belfast, though this tarp is at the very edge of the Shankill, on the railings at the bottom of Lanark Way. A mural to the Service was painted on Northumberland Street (in CNR west Belfast) in November – see Hill Or High Water.

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