RIP Plum Smith

A plaque has been added to the Cupar Way “peace” line memorial to UVF man William “Plum” Smith. “Moved on 8th June 2016 – sadly missed by his family.” For more information on his life, see the previous version.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Punishment Shooting

Marvel comics’ character The Punisher takes aim at the back of Captain America’s skull. Just above the piece: “The positive side of Belfast Shankill Road peace wall“.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Tyre-Free Pyre

Tyres for the Conway Street/Cupar Way bonfire were removed from the site in June (Belfast Live | image at Alternatives) but some might have recently been put in the middle (Belfast Media). In any case, there are still plenty of pallets, not to mention Sinn Féin election posters featuring Alex Maskey, John Finucane, and Michelle O’Neill, as well as the flag of ISIS, and IRA and INLA lettering.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04278 X04277 road closed

Battle Of The Falls

Four people were killed in the course of The Falls Curfew, the 36 hours from July 3rd to 5th in 1970 during which 3,000 houses on the lower Falls were cordoned off after a weapons search of the area devolved into a riot. The curfew ended with a march of women and children from Andersonstown bearing relief (represented in Falls Curfew 1970).

The information in the centre of the board includes an augmented version of the Wikipedia infobox on the event. Erected in the spot previously reserved by “the Official Republican Movement”.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Imagine

The Peace Day mural as viewed from the latch-hole in the (recently painted) upper gate on Northumberland Street. The second image shows a more optimistic open gate. The UN International Day Of Peace is September 21st each year.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bridge

Yesterday we featured the work of the “Ambassadors For Peace” on the Shankill-side gate on Northumberland Street, and today is the turn of the Falls-side gate. Like the upper gate, this one features figures holding hands, though this time on a bridge over a river.

The mural replaces the CRF graffiti on the gate.

For comparison of the gates before and after the new paintings, the second image is of the interior of the Shankill gate.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Ambassadors For Peace

Young people from the Shankill, Divis, and Newington came together as “Ambassadors For Peace” (Fb) with students from Susquehanna University in the US to paint the two outer sides of the gates in the Northumberland Street “peace” line. Shown today is the Shankill side. (Images of the work in progress can be found on Belfast Live.)

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Government Geoengineering

Graffiti in Beverley Street asking people to “Look up! Wake up! Speak up!” on the issue of chemtrails (WP), which are a government conspiracy and the cause of “Alzheimers”, “dimensa [sic]”, “ADHD” and colony collapse: “No bees, no harvest, no people.”

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Tamil Eelam

“Eelam” is the ancient Tamil name for Sri Lanka and “Tamil Eelam” is the name of a proposed Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka (shown on the right of the mural) that the Tigers were fighting for. After 26 years of war, the Tamil Tigers were defeated in 2009 but independence (from the majority Sinhalese) is “inevitable” according to this new mural. For an account of commemorations in both Belfast and Derry, see this TamilNet article.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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1 Pill Will Kill

Jamie Burns collapsed at the Queen’s Student Union last November after taking an ecstasy tablet. His parents, William and Lesley Burns, are at the forefront of a new drug awareness campaign, #1PillWillKill, which was launched on April 11th (UTv | Tele). The campaign includes this new board at the top of Twaddell Avenue, former site of the protest camp, where it is joined by two further boards urging people to send tips about drug dealing to the police.

“This artwork is dedicated in memory of Jamie Burns, 27 June 1993 – 20th November 2016. “We do not measure his life in years but by the endless love and joy he brought to us.” Officially unveiled on June 1st 2017 by Frank Mitchell and Vinny Hurrell. Commissioned by Unite The Union in recognition of the Burns family.”

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04184 X04185 X04183 X04182 returned home 4 days later in a coffin. today’s the day our only son leaves the only home he’s ever known such a waste of young life