Belfast west

A Taste Of Tradition

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The Whiterock Flute Band was founded in 1962 by the the local Temperance Lodge and drew on areas near the now nationalist areas of New Barnsley, Moyard, Whiterock, and the upper Springfield for its membership. Over the years has seen the route of its annual parade changed “by the authorities or at the whim of nationalists” (band history pages one | two | three).

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X04645 X04644 lawnbrook road new barnsley moyard springmartin woodvale whiterock springfield highfield shankill

Courage Is The Foundation Of Integrity

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“With courage and vision you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity. – Mark Twain.” (The quote does not appear to be from Twain but is widely attributed to Keshavan Nair, who wrote a book on “lessons from the life of Ghandi”.)

This new board above the Red Hand Commando mural in Glenwood Street honours three UVF men who turned to politics and community work: Augustus (Gusty) Spence, who was among the earliest members of the UVF and after release in 1984 joined the PUP and set up the Shankill Activity Centre; David Ervine, also a UVF and PUP leader – see David Ervine and Memory Chair; Plum Smith, a founder member of the RHC and later shop steward and PUP leader – see RIP Plum Smith.

Click here for the full RHC mural.

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Díchoılínıgh D’Intınn

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“Decolonise your mind” and “Give a yell!” (or “Let’s go!) (in Irish “Lıg do Lıú”) on the Falls Road at Waterford Street, west Belfast.

Update: Below, the graffiti in 2018 (with “Brısfıdh mé do phus!” and “Múscaıl do mhısneach”) on top of The Plan For Today

Previous decolonisation: Rebels’ Unrest.

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Free The Innocent

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The JFTC2 campaign (Justice for the Craigavon Two Fb | web) continues with this banner on Northumberland Street, demanding the release of John-Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville, convicted of killing of PSNI Constable Stephen Carroll in 2009. Sponsored by Cogús.

Previously: 2014 murals in Ligoniel and New Lodge | JFTC2 on the mountain | Justice in Hugo Street

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Join The IRNC

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Here is another Irish Republican National Congress (Fb | web) board. Where the first (in Beechmount) featured a Maid Of Erin harp, this one features assault rifles and some nasty barbed wire.

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X04554 northumberland st

On The Other Side

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The stained glass from Townsend Street Presbyterian shown above depicts a scene from Bunyan’s Pilgrims Progress, where Valiant-for-truth crosses over to his Father’s house. The glass was unveiled in 1922 in memory of “John Sinclair Martin of the 5th Royal Irish Rifles and his son Robert T Martin” (Beechgarave | History Hub Ulster).

Below is ‘Charity’ from the trio of ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity’ by Wilhelmina Geddes, unveiled 1914-02-08. 2016 saw the publication of a biography of Geddes (BelTel | Irish Times).

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Shankill Fathers

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Eight silhouetted men ride on an elephant while the faces of a dozen more Like Sure Start, the Great Shankill Fathers’ Forum is perhaps part of the Greater Shankill Partnership. It does not appear to have any independent on-line presence.

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No Justice

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Mervyn and Rosaleen McDonald were Catholics living in the mixed Longlands area of Newtownabbey when they were visited by “UFF loyalist assassins” and shot dead in front of their two young children. The killings are described in most detail in Jack Holland’s Too Long A Sacrifice, which contains an interview with the gunman and the claim that the unit had access to RUC files (p. 94). They are buried in Milltown Cemetery (see final image).

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X04628 X04629 Seamus Costello | Pat Finucane 25 | Askatasuna

The Freedom Of Others

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“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” (Nelson Mandela) Nobel peace prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi’s portrait has been x-ed out on the Frederick Douglass mural on Northumberland Street, in protest at her failure to speak out, from her position as Myanmar’s State Counsellor, against the persecution of the Muslim Rohingya population by the Myanmar military. For images of the full mural, see Liberating Minds (and for John Lewis’s addition at the expense of Rosie The Riveter, see As I Would Not Be A Slave, So I Would Not Be A Master).

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I Owe My Allegiance To The Working Class

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Seamus Costello fought for the IRA during the Border Campaign and was interned in the Curragh for two years. He stayed with the Officials during the split, but was driven out in 1974 and formed the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and the INLA. He was shot in 1977. (WP)

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