Belfast west

Summer In The City

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2014-09-15 SpiersPlaceClose+

Above and below is the scene at the end of summer in the courtyard of the Rex Bar – bunting and bouquets join the flags of the home nations and various boards celebrating the queen’s diamond jubilee and commemorating the 36th Ulster division “who selflessly gave their lives for King and county at the battle of the Somme”. The new boards (on the left hand side of the wide shot) were featured previously in The Last Post, along with the Union flag of The People’s Army. For the same scene ten years previously, see Betting Office.

2014-09-15 SpiersPlace+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02194 X02195 no carry outs in seating area no surrender 1952 2012 royal irish rifles no greater love the great war 1914 1918 officers ncos volunteers

Magic Mountain

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2014-11-19 PrincessesDisney+

Here is a final image from the new wall of Disney characters in the Slıabh Dubh estate. (See previously: Look Behind You | If The Shoe Fits.) On Aladdin‘s magic carpet we have Princess Jasmine, Abu the monkey, and Iago the parrot, while on the stairs is Esmerelda (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and between them is The Owl from Sleeping Beauty. At the bottom we have Minnie Mouse, Figaro (from Pinocchio and also Minnie’s pet cat), and Daisy Duck.

Two wide shots can be found below. The first shows the entirety of the wall, the second shows (some of) the adjacent wall of superheroes. All 11 current Disney princesses are included, as well as the sisters Elsa and Anna from Frozen.

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X02379 X02381 X02383 ariel sleeping beauty frozen rapunzel mulan cinderella spiderman superman thor catwoman batman wonderwoman pocahontas merida brave tiana belle wicked witch ursula

They May Kill The Revolutionary

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2014-09-29 NorglenDetail+2

“… but not the revolution.” Turf Lodge mural (shown in full below) showing two armed volunteers (one female, one male) with portraits of eleven others. See previously: Che Guevara Lynch

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Scootering Pig

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2014-07-02 PinkPig+

Here is another image of the scootering pig, spotted previously (Unseen Miracles) on the Springfield Road next to the head of Christ, and now to be found on the Cupar Way “peace” line.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Continuity Not Compromise

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2014-12-17 CIRAFalls+

The first image, above, shows a Continuity IRA (CIRA) stencil over what appears to be a ‘support Maghaberry POWs’ poster outside the West Belfast Partnership/Páırtíocht Iarthar Bhéal Feırste offices on the Falls Road (see the third image, below, for a wide shot). The second, below, claims that Waterford Street/Sráıd Phort Láırge is CIRA GHQ – general head-quarters.

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If The Shoe Fits

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2014-11-19 PrincessesCinderella+

At all of 19 years old, Cinderella on the stairs holds rank over her younger stable-mates in this panel from the ‘Disney Princesses’ mural in the Slıabh Dubh estate. (Among the Disney court, only Frozen‘s Elsa is older, at 21, though at the time of writing she is not officially a Disney Princess. Snow White was 14.) From left to right, the princesses and their familiars shown are: Fa Mulan, Aurora (from Sleeping Beauty), Belle (from Beauty And The Beast), Tiana (from The Princess And The Frog),Max (the dog from Little Mermaid), and the two Cinderella mice, Jaq and Gus.

For images of Ariel, Snow White and the wicked witch, and Anna from Frozen, see Look Behind You!

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The Last Post

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2014-09-15 GreatWar+

Here are two new boards in the courtyard of the Rex Bar on the Shankill Road, describing the formation of the Ulster Volunteers (‘A Force For Ulster’) and commemorating the losses suffered by the 36th (Ulster) Division of the British Army, which the Volunteers became, at the Somme and in other battles, mowed down by “the Hun machine guns” (‘The Great War’).

‘A Force For Ulster’ includes photographs of the recent centenary re-enactments of the Balmoral Review, the Ulster Covenant, the formation of the Volunteers (“east” and “west”) and “Operation Lion” – more commonly known as the Larne Gun-Running.

According to the ‘The Great War’ board, 32,186 men from west Belfast were killed, wounded, or missing. “To them bravery was without limit, to us memory is without end”. The board shows the Thiepval Memorial To The Missing Of The Somme against a background of portraits.

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X02189 X02197 X02188 last post great war society their name liveth forevermore the brigade moved off as if on parade but alas the slow tat-tat of the hun machine guns caught their advance under a deadly cross fire but nothing could stop this advance and on they went 1914 1918 balmoral ulster covenant fernhill donaghadee operation lion for god and ulster across a century of conflict decades slip past pay tribute to you crawford cunningham glencairn moscow street

I’ll Wear No Convict’s Uniform

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2014-10-29 NugentFarrellHStrike+

As reported at the time, after the Nugent/Hughes mural at the corner of Divis and Northumberland Streets (see Belfast’s Infamous Prison) was painted out to make way for a pro-Catalonia vote mural (see Votes About Votes), Kieran Nugent was added to the hunger-strikers mural further down the international wall, along with Mairéad Farrell, who was the second person, after Nugent, to refuse to wear a prison uniform. A blanketed Brendan Hughes has also been added, above the declaration of independence.

Below is a progress shot (previously posted in Votes About Votes); the original version of the hunger-strikers mural is in Peace With Justice.

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X02321 X02319 12 doves frank stagg michael gaughan no greater love smash h-block poblacht na heireann irish republic long kesh maze celtic cross shield

You Dare To Call Me A Terrorist

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2014-07-28 JoeMcDonnell+

Joe McDonnell was a Provisional IRA volunteer (óglach) imprisoned in the Maze H-blocks. He was the fifth hunger-striker to die, on July 8th, 1981 after 61 days. The Wolfe Tones wrote a ballad in his memory (for their 1983 LP A Sense Of Freedom), which FAI chief John Delaney was recorded singing in a Dublin pub a few weeks ago (November, 2014) after a 4-1 win by the Republic over the US in a friendly. He at first denied it was him, then apologized, and has kept his job (Guardian).

As of this morning (December 10th, 2014), the song, re-released by the Wolfe Tones as a charity Christmas single in aid of the Simon Community, is the #7 single at itunes.ie.

The mural above was painted in July by Gerard “Mo Chara” Kelly, on the Suffolk Road, Andersonstown, west Belfast.

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X02033 long kesh while you look down your gun h5

Loyalist Prisoners & Widow’s Welfare

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2014-09-10 PeoplesArmyNew+

A second plaque has been added to “The People’s Army” wall on the Shankill Road (at Moscow Street) by the LPWWA Scotland: “In everlasting memory of Volunteer Alastair Von (Ziff) 19th October 2009”. It joins a plaque to “A true soldier – Big Bill Campbell”, leader of the UVF’s 1st Scottich battalion. Campbell and Von were imprisoned for bombing Glasgow pubs in 1979 and Campbell is suspected of involvement of the McGurk’s Bar bombing in 1971. (See also: The Economist gives a brief history of Glasgow sectarianism.) Below are a close-up of the plaques and a shot of the wall last year. Song in honour of Bill Campbell. The Campbell plaque was originally on the Northland St mural of the Shankill West Belfast 1st Batt A Coy 5th Plat before it was reimaged as a Thiepval memorial mural.

See previously: Shankill Reflections

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X02180 X02182 X02181 west belfast regiment uvf 1st battalion belfast died 8th january 1997 lest we forget no. 5 platoon no. 1 ‘a’ company for god and ulster