Belfast west

Life Springs From Death

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03944-2016-11-15-gibraltar3

The new replacement board commemorating the Gibraltar 3 (Maıréad Farrell, Dan McCann, and Seán Savage “executed by British crown forces 6th March 1988) uses words from Pearse’s oration at the funeral of O’Donovan Rossa. Not the more common “the fools, the fools …” but “Life springs from death and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations” (used previously in Strabane in 1990 – M00860). The board is “dedicated to the memory of Thomas and Edith Haddock”.

Here is the previous board. The border in the image above is from the board before that – see The Gibraltar Three.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03944 Hawthorn St

History Is Written By The Winners

Extramural Activity1 Comment
03961-2016-12-04-miriamdaly-flags

Queen’s University lecturer in economic history Miriam Daly took over as chairwoman of the IRSP (Irish Republican Socialist Party) after founder Seamus Costello was killed in a feud with the IRA. Daly was shot dead in 1980 by the UDA/UFF in her Andersonstown home in 1980. (Interview with husband Jim Daly.)

A long-standing and much-graffitied 1996 mural, History Is Written By The Winner (painted by son Donal Daly among others) was replaced in 2014 by a Joey Ramone mural for a U2 video competition (Murals Of Innocence). The new board shown in today’s images was launched yesterday (Sunday 2016-12-04) to a crowd of about 200. As the final image shows, the PSNI were also “in attendance”.

03959-2016-12-04-miriamdaly-party

03958-2016-12-04-miriamdaly-psni

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03961 X03959 X03958

St. Comgall’s

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03388-2016-04-08-st-comgalls-1

St. Comgall’s Primary school on Divis Street opened in 1932 and closed in 1988. Here are two of the boards which currently decorate its boarded-up front windows. Above, St. Malachy’s Scout Pipe Band parades its way through the school yard. (If you know anything about the pipe band or the competition it is going to, please leave a comment.) Below, a céılí mór from 1969 is taking place. The school’s location at the bottom of Percy Street put it at the centre of events in 1969 as west Belfast tore itself apart.

03389-2016-04-08-st-comgalls-2

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03388 X03389

Water Is A Right!

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03934-2016-11-09-standing-rock

A proposed pipeline between North Dakota and southern Illinois would go under the Missouri river on the Standing Rock Reservation of the Sioux tribe, who have filed suit against the (US) Corps Of Engineers. Protests against the pipeline hit the mainstream news on September 3rd when security personnel used dogs to drive off protesters. The éirígí sheet shown above is hanging on the fencing below Divis tower.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03934 july 1873 sioux nation liberty equality community save our natural resources ireland

Improving Your Environment

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03874-2016-10-02-improving-your-envirnoment-2

On the side of the hair salon on the lower Shankill: an array of flags and a board “in glorious memory” to the 36th (XXVI) Ulster division: Somme, Messines, ypres, Cambrai, Thiepval, Somme (1918), St Quentin, Lys, Courtrai

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03874 lest we forget

The Dead Man’s Penny

Extramural Activity3 Comments
03880-2016-10-03-great-war-mitchison

“The Memorial Plaque (Death Penny [or Dead Man’s Penny]) was issued after the First World War to the next of kin of all British and Empire Service personnel who were killed as a result of the war.” The “penny” was in fact five inches in diameter and cast in bronze. It showed Britannia with a trident and two dolphins swimming around her, and a lion on oak, along with the name of the deceased (here, Ronald Mitchison) without indication of rank. (Here is a close-up of a plaque from WP.) The board shown above contains other information about WWI, centrally including the statement that “The 16th Irish Division, the Connaught Rangers [7th battalion] and the Irish Rifles [7th battalion], all fought side-by-side throughout World War I.”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03880 denmark st ulster tower thiepval

Death Drivers

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03286-2016-02-14-death-drivers

“Death drivers are killing the community” – anti-joy-riding mural in Beechmount with a skeletal head crashing through a windscreen.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03286 Beechmount ave

Tony “TC” Catney

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03729-2016-08-07-tony-tc-catney

IRA volunteer Tony “TC” Catney died in August 2014 and a volley of shots was fired over his coffin (Tele), but a memorial event was held in August 2016. To advertise the event, the IRPWA has commandeered the hoarding at corner of Divis and Northumberland streets. Catney was imprisoned at the age of 16 for the 1974 killing of Maurice Knowles. In recent times he was an RNU and JFTC2 supporter.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03729 Northumberland St

COYBIG

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03833-2016-09-05-coybig

“Come on, you boys in green!” Here’s a mural from the summer, when Ireland (and Northern Ireland) took part in the European soccer championships. The Euro 2016 trophy is at the centre of an Irish Tricolour.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03833

They Shall Not Grow Old

Extramural Activity1 Comment
03892-2016-10-05-mckeag-sky-top

“Remember With Pride” (with a poppy). Although the dates of his birth and death are given, Stevie “Top Gun” McKeag’s name appears only on the side-wall of this new mural in the Lower Shankill estate. McKeag was the top assassin in the UDA during the 1990s, claiming at least 12 victims. Both his WP page and this Guardian article describe his career and preeminent standing within the UDA.

03888-2016-10-05-mckeag-sky-w

03890-2016-10-05-mckeag-sky-d

03889-2016-10-05-mckeag-sky-r

03891-2016-10-05-mckeag-sky-l

03893-2016-10-05-mckeag-sky-quilt

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03892 X03888 X03890 X03889  X03891 X03893 1st april 1970 24th september 2000 ulster young militants terrae filius 2nd batt c.13 shankill road military commander they shall not grow old those we love don’t go away they walk beside us every day sleeping where no shadows fall at the going down of the sun and in the morning remember with pride