Belfast west

The Good Road

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2014-08-17 Travellers+

Above is a new mural on the Divis Street “International Wall” (Visual History) in support of travellers’ right, featuring horseshoes, musical notation, and a child looking out of a vintage caravan. Sponsored by West Against Racism Network (WARN – web | Fb) and Springfield Charitable Association (SCA – web)

The image that the artists were working from for central portion of the mural – a 2009 photograph by Mark Stedman – can be seen still taped to the wall.

Replaces the “Say No To Racism” mural from June.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02086 An Munıa Tobaır [Tober] Women’s Choir

We Were Young

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2014-09-10 CCoyPoppies+

A. E. Housman’s 1919 short poem “Here dead we lie” is featured, together with the poppies that grew on the Western Front in WWI, in this UVF commemorative mural. The 36th (Ulster) Division is not mentioned specifically; the plaque on the right-hand side (which pre-dates the mural) lists the names of five UVF members killed in the 70s who are depicted in the mural just out of picture but seen below in a wide shot of both murals (and by itself in C Coy Street). For a similar connecting of the two Ulster Volunteer Forces, see 100 Years Apart, Armed & Ready, Years Of Sacrifice, and others. Another wide shot is given in C Coy Street, taken from the main road and shows that the fish-and-chip shop on the Shankill is called “A Salt And Battered”.

“Here dead we lie, because we did not choose,
to live and shame the land, from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose,
but young men think it is, and we were young.”

2014-09-10 CCoyWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02177 X02178 recognition appreciation remembrance  for god and ulster 1st battalion belfast brigade “c” company ulster volunteer force killed in action mcintyre 19-5-73 wadsworth 11-4-75 chapman 12-6-75 mcgregor 12-6-75 hannah 21-6-78 they shall not grow old as we that are left grow old age shall not weary them nor the years condemn at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them in our hearts forever

These Colors Don’t Run

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2014-09-01 IRSPGaza+

Pro-Gaza mural/stencil on Northumberland Street decrying continued US support of Israel: the bloody bars of the US flag stain the Star of David (in the place where the stars would be) and run down the wall. Sponsored by the IRSP/INLA. The phrase “These colors don’t run” dates to 1942 or 1943 in Iowa (see page 10).

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Between

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2014-09-02 BetweenBus+

Unlike Ken Kesey’s Further, this bus goes Between, “Bringing sunshine to the children”. ‘Between’ was (and is) a Cork-based group who sponsored trips to Cork (Blarney Castle appears in the background of the mural), Monaghan, Donegal, and elsewhere, for the children of Ballymurphy and the Shankill during the troubles. The figures in the lower-right corner are shown in detail in the image below. The plaque to Gerard McDade remains on the wall. The mural was unveiled on 2014-09-20 – Ciaran Cahill has images from the launch.

2014-09-02 BetweenPeople+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02149 X02150 proud and loving memory belfast brigade óglaıgh na héıreann murdered by british crown forces 21st december 1971 aged 23 years ní dheanfaıdh muıd dearmad fuaır sé bás ar son saoırse remember our volunteers committee 17th december 2011 frank cahill crıostor de baroıd paddy o’reilly waving

Ballymurphy Bus Trip

Forging Our Heritage

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2014-06-19 ConwayForging+

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (amwu.org.au) sponsored the mural above in Conway Street, west Belfast. 

The painted plaque on the left reads, “Casement Memorial. In proud memory of the 10 Republican prisoners who died on hunger strike in “H” blocks of Long Kesh in 1981. “It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can endure the most who will conquer.” Terence McSwiney. Unveiled by Martin McGuinness, Sınn Féın MP MLA Minister for Education Wednesday 6/12/2000. Donated by AMWU, Craig Johnston State Secretary”. The plaque itself is in Carlton, Australia, named (presumably) for Roger Casement.

Secretary Johnston is on the left in the back. The flag to the right is the flag of the Eureka Stockade.

This mural joins others sponsored by Australian groups: A Bunch Of Live Wires (sponsored by the Electrical Trades Union) | Caırde Sınn Féın | Australian Aid For Ireland & Saoırse Melbourne.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Always Avoid Violence

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2014-09-06 LetNoManPalestine+

“Let no man pull you so low as to hate him”. In a sermon on November 4th, 1956 (and repeated on other occasions), Martin Luther King, Jr. imagined a letter from Paul to the Christians of America, expressing concern for spiritual life in a capitalist society and appealing for desegregation of society using non-violent methods: “the weapon of love”, keeping in mind “that you are merely seeking justice for him as well as yourself”.

Click for audio – the remark quoted occurs at the 3 minute mark of section 4 (archive.org) | Text (1958) – see page 7 (= 344)

The image below shows the site in mid-August, without the pro-Palestine boards (for an Irish-language version of which see An Phalaıstín/Palestine; the image above is from the first week of September, 2014.

2014-08-19 LetNoMan+

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X02168 X02095 maıréad farrell republican youth committee “let no man pull you low enough to hate him” free gaza stop the persecution sınn féın beechmount street

Man Against Machine

Extramural Activity2 Comments
2014-09-01 GazaTankFlag2+

Above is a detail from the Gerard “Mo Chara” Kelly mural at the northern end of Springhill Avenue: a lone figure in Palestinian colours is about to hurl a Molotov cocktail at a tank in Israeli blue-and-white with a (reversed-Nazi) swastika on its side.

The full mural is shown below. The portion to the left appeared in Palestine Abú and the portion to the right in Hellfire.

2014-09-01 GazaSpinghillWide+

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Sinn Feins Stradgey

Extramural Activity1 Comment
2014-08-12 ParadesGraf1+

Four images portray a long graffito on the Cupar Way “peace” line. In full, it reads:

Provisional IRA leader Gerry Adams on Sinn Feins stadgey [= strategy] of Orange parades

“Ask any activist, did Drumcree happen by accident and they tell you “No”.

“3 years of hard work helped create those situations for us to exploit.”

Drumcree, Ormo [= Ormeau], Twad[d]ell, Dunloy. “Where next”??

Wood (Crimes Of Loyalty p. 202) gives the following quote, reportedly a transcript of remarks made by Adams at a Sınn Féın meeting in Meath, as, “Ask any activist in the North, did Drumcree happen by accident, and he will tell you “No.”. Three years of work on the Ormeau Road, in Portadown, and parts of Fermanagh and Newry, Armagh, and in Bellaghy, and up in Londonderry [other sources, such as the Irish Times, give the much more likely “Derry”]. Three years of work went into creating that situation and fair play to those who put the work in. They are the type of scene chances we need to focus on and develop and exploit.”

Descriptions of the contentious parades in the places mentioned can be found on CAIN.

2014-08-12 ParadesGraf2+

2014-08-12 ParadesGraf3+

2014-08-12 ParadesGraf4+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Palestine Abú

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2014-09-01 PalestineAbu+

Here is another piece of the new Gerard “Mo Chara” Kelly murals in Springhill: a figure in a black-and white keffiyeh give the two-finger ‘V for victory’ sign beneath the Terence McSwiney (WP) quote: It is not those who can inflict the most but those that can suffer the most who will conquer.

Previously: Hellfire

Previously at this location: A Dead End

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02147

C. Coy Street

Extramural Activity2 Comments
2014-09-10 CCoyFive+

UVF volunteers (l-r) Thomas Chapman, James McGregor, Robert McIntyre, William Hannah, and Robert Wadsworth, who were killed between 1973 and 1978, are commemorated in a new mural in Carnan (or “C. Coy”) Street. The mural is unusual in that it shows bare-faced full figures; loyalist murals sometimes include head-shots (at the top of the mural, in the apex of a gable wall, e.g. Standing Guard) but only masked men appear as full figures. There is a similarity in composition and style (and perhaps even palette) to existing Republican murals such as this one of five B. Coy IRA volunteers in Ballymurphy.

The wide shot (below) is taken from the main road: the fish-and-chip shop on the Shankill is called “A Salt And Battered”. For a straight-on image of the red-and-black mural to the left, see We Were Young. Still shots of the mural in progress are included in this video of the bands parading at the launch.

2014-11-10 ASaltAndBattered+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02175 X02353 c.coy 1st Belfast battalion Ulster Volunteers for god and ulster