Belfast west

Unbroken Presence

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03302 2016-02-28 Ardoyne Wall Curtain+

More “peace” line images today (after yesterday’s repainting of the Cliftonville “peace” line in Blue Sky Thinking): at the end of February work began taking down a section of the 8 foot high wall on the Ardoyne side of the Crumlin Road, separating Ardoyne from the Woodvale area, though the section close to Woodvale and the wall on the Woodvale side remain for now.

The houses on the north side of the road will now be able to see the road and the doors of Holy Cross church (shown above).

The vintage piece of Free Brendan Lillis graffiti shown in the final image survives, just out of picture to the left in the wide shot below.

Here is some BBC-NI footage of the wall being knocked down. Here are Irish Times, NewsLetter and Tele articles on the 2013 NI Executive policy objective of removing the lines by 2023. And here’s an interview with Heather Bellamy, author of Towards A City Without Walls.

03305 2016-03-01 Ardoyne Wall w+

03306 2016-03-01 Ardoyne Wall Cross+

03319 2016-03-07 Brendan Lillis Crumlin Graffiti+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03302 X03305 X03306 X03319 this cross stands here to mark the unbroken presence of the passionists and the people at holy cross since 1869 and as a sign of hope

End Forced Isolation

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03293 2016-02-14 End Forced Isolation d+

This is a new panel in the RNU (Fb)/Cogús (Fb) mural on Northumberland Street. If you can identify the image or the style, please get in touch. “End forced isolation, end controlled movement, end forced strip searches”.

For previous panels, see Free Stephen Kaczynski | The Popular Front |  The Only Secure Community Is An Organised One

03292 2016-02-14 End Forced Isolation+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Woodbourne Village

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03274 2016-01-30 Woodbourne Village+

This new mural of local landmarks — including centrally St. John The Baptist Anglican church — by Fra Maher was erected last November (2015) as part of a re-imaging and re-development project sponsored by the Housing Executive, and joins the art on the Woodbourne police station in brightening up the area — see Only God Can Judge Me.

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03274 woodbourne cr wilkommen fáilte maligayang pagdating vitajte welcome witamy welkom bienvenue shalom suffolk stewartstown

Revolution 2016

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The ‘Revolution 1916’ exhibition – items from which were shown in Belfast earlier in February (see Revolution 1916) – opened in Dublin this weekend, including two murals (see this An Phoblacht article for one of them). The three painters also painted the mural above for the mini-exhibition in Andersonstown, reproducing the left-hand grouping from Walter Paget’s Birth Of The Irish Republic and putting the proclamation in the background. For Paget’s original oil painting and other version of it, see the painting’s Visual History page.

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03278 poblacht na heireann provisional government to the people of ireland

Your Patronising Slogans

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03202 2015-12-01 Fuck You And Your Patronising Slogans+

Included in the black taxi tours of the murals of west Belfast is a stop along the Cupar Way “peace” line and an invitation to take a black marker and leave one’s mark. A designated name-tag with “Hello my name is …” was even painted for the purpose – see the image below. Many sign their names while others leave an inspiring slogan. In the image above alone you can read “Build legacies, not walls”; “It is easier to take a life than protect a life – decide you for peace!”; “A wish for peace, a hope for understanding, a belief in love”; “Don’t let the darkness consume you”; “Love lives longer than hate”; and so on. Bromides such as these have elicited the commentary in white from a local graffitist.

03203 2015-12-01 Hello My Name Is+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03202 X03203 fuck you NOTA none of the above TMN

Live Long And Prosper

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03010 2015-09-17 Vogue Spock+

Actor Leonard Nimoy died on February 27th, 2015. He is best known for the role of Star Trek‘s Spock, a part he played for 49 years. The mural above brings the character from space to the streets, with gold chain and skull hat. “Trek yourself before ya wreck yourself.”

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Do You Care?

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03281 2016-02-10 Do You Care+

James “Jim” Doherty was six years old when he was shot while playing in the front garden of his Turf Lodge home in 1972. Relatives For Justice and the family launched the board shown above at the entrance to the estate last October in order to push for a new inquiry into the death due to the insufficiency of the original investigation and the disappearance of the bullet taken from the body. (Belfast Media Group)

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X03281 monagh rd

Céıde Bhaıle Uí Mhurchú

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03298 2016-02-21 Céide Bhaile Uí Mhurchú+

Some residents of Ballymuprhy Drive have erected their own Irish-language street sign. The council has not erected one because a substantial number of residents did not respond to a survey. The primary resident behind the move, Eileen Reid, contends that the 2/3rds is unreasonable. (Irish Times | Belfast Live | Irish News)

03297 2016-02-21 Céide Bhaile Uí Mhurchú w+

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One In Design And Intention

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03246 2016-01-08 Cross Of Suffering 2+

Religion and military might are one in this giant (see the wide shot, below) cross in Belfast’s City Cemetery, which commemorates the dead of World War I. The base (shown below) reads: The cross of sacrifice is one in design and intention with those which have been set up in France and Belgium and other places throughout the world where our dead of this great war are laid to rest. Their name liveth for ever more.” There is a similar memorial in Dundonald Cemetery. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, “There are now 296 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-1918 war and 274 of the 1939-1945 war commemorated here.”

Previously from the City Cemetery: The Depths Of Sectarianism

Previously on the same theme: And A Sword In The Other

03248 2016-01-11 Name Liveth For+

03245 2016-01-08 Cross Of Suffering 1+

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Revolution 1916

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03277 2016-02-19 Revolution 1916 Poster+

“Revolution 1916” is an exhibition of uniforms, weapons, medals, and other memorabilia from the 1916 Easter Rising. It will open in Dublin’s Ambassador Theatre on February 27th but before then it some of the items have been on tour, including stops in the Andersonstown Social Club (poster shown above | youtube video) and Gaelscoil Éanna in Glengormley (images). As a juxtaposition, “CIRA” (Continuity IRA) is on the electrical box to the left.

For the murals in the background see M02254 | M05150 | Mac Brádaigh

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03277 south link coiste uachtar na bhfal upper falls committee original authentic first public unveiling originalflags writings GPO rosie mccorley MLA proclamation