Rob Hilken’s (web | ig) ‘Spicy Hot Cash’ (next to Verz’s big fishie web | Fb) might have had the imprimatur of Belfast crew TMN when it was painted in May last year for HTN 2019, but ROMPS thinks the money has run out.
“Happy Christmas, Belfast.” A time of mythical creatures and twelve days of gifts. On the seventh anniversary of the flag protests (in response to a vote by the Council to fly the Union Flag from city hall only 18 days a year as in the rest of the UK) my true love gave to me a dozen or so Union Flags (and a few Ulster Banners) attached to the railings. Santa was nowhere to be seen but, as is fitting for a zombie, Eddie The Trooper continued to stalk the land. For Eddie’s previous appearances, see his Visual History page.
Sunflowers fare better than stoney-faced humans in the glare of the sun. Street art (perhaps by Niko the TMN member and one-time graffitist) on the outside wall of the Red Barn Gallery, off Rosemary Street.
The ‘jobs and benefit office’ in Exchange Street was originally built in 1926 for what was then the Northern Ireland Ministry of Labour and was the largest job centre in the UK. It functioned until 2016 and was demolished in 2017 (FutureBelfast). In its early life it was next to the Mariner’s Church of Ireland between Great and Little Patrick streets (FutureBelfast). The banner now on the site – This Was Once Little Italy – was designed by Deirdre McKenna and erected in July, 2019 (BelTel).
Stephen Mulhern of ITV’s game show In For A Penny was filming in Belfast in early September (Belfast Live) and a mural to mark the occasion was attempted in Stephen Street – perhaps sarcastically, as he is named “Steve Mulhon” which sounds like “mo thóin” [my arse] (not to mention the “What a massive cock” graffiti). In any case, the mural has quickly been replaced by a work by Visual Waste (tw | ig) who did the Joker and Derkz (tw | ig) from Windsor, Ontario, who did Cat Woman.
“Dr. William Drennan 1754-1820. Patriot & radical. Born in the manse on this site.” Drennan’s father was the minister at the First Presbyterian Church on Rosemary Street where Drennan was born in 1754. He co-founded the Society of United Irishmen in 1791 (and in 1810, Inst).
“VaneMG” stand for VANEssaMoncayoGonzález (web), a Colombian artist living in London, who visited for ten days in September to work with Beyond Skin in Belfast and Dungannon. She also got to paint the electricity box (shown above) at the junction of North Street and Church Street.
Polish actress Pola Negri (born Apolonia Chałupec) was the first European actor to be given a long-term contract by the Hollywood movie industry, becoming its first ‘femme fatale’. She was signed to Paramount Pictures and starred in 20 silent movies between 1923 and 1928, before moving back to Europe (WP). She is paid the tribute of a Belfast electrical box painting by KVLR (tw | Fb).
