Ian Paisley Jr’s foreign trips were back in the limelight in June with a new Spotlight investigation into their funding (BBC iPlayer). This time, the allegation is that a government minister from the Maldives paid for a family holiday; last year, he was suspended from parliament over two trips funded by the Sri Lankan government. He is shown here taking video of Tamils killed (perhaps in 2009) by government forces, laid out on a beach in a row (the image of Paisley is in fact from 2007, at Stormont). Work (presumably) by TLO (web) in Garfield Street, Belfast.
Photographer Stephen Wilson’s exhibition ‘Same Difference’ shows images from two churches only 100 metres apart on the Donegall Street – the Catholic St Patrick’s (web) and the Protestant Redeemer Central (web).
The photographs, and images of them on display in the two churches, can be seen at the exhibition’s web page.
“Fading away like the stars in the morning/Losing their light in the glorious sun/Thus would we pass from the earth and its tolling/Always remembered for what we have done.//Who’ll sing the anthem and who’ll tell the story/Will the line hold will it scatter and run/Shall we at last be united in glory/And always remembered for what we have done.”
Only Remembered (or: The Everlasting Memorial) is originally a hymn by Horatio Bonar dating back to 1860 at least, but its music and words have been modified many times (Mudcat). All versions, however, give “toiling” instead of “tolling”, and “only” rather than “always”.
English folk singer John Tams added a verse paying tribute to British war dead which is included here along the bottom of the mural (“Who’ll sing the anthem …” etc) (YouTube). The soldiers commemorated here are UVF members William Marchant, Trevor Logan, Douglas Mahood, John McClean, Norman Dunseith, Stevie Wilson, William Mahood, Brian McCallum, Ronnie Marchant, John Alexander McClean. The mural is on the side wall of the memorial to Brian “Herbie” McCallum.
There is a now-annual campaign to discourage excessive drinking and focus on “heritage, tradition, respect, remembrance, culture” during 12th celebrations, rebranded as the more family-friendly “Orange Fest’. Sponsored by the Policing And Community Safety Partnership (web | tw | Fb) Here is 2016’s campaign: Battle Of The Bottle.
The Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of Belfast City Council decided on the 8th to remove two east Belfast bonfires built on council-owned land, carparks at the Avoniel leisure centre and in Ashdale Street, after staff arriving for work reported being threatened (BBC), perhaps by bonfire-builders reacting to the removal of tyres in Lismore Street (ITV) (see A Vote For The IRA). In response, builders of the Avoniel pyre removed its tyres, lowered its height, and moved it further away from buildings, but the Council affirmed its decision. A crowd of about 400 gathered to protect the site on Tuesday evening (BBC) and barricaded the site. The graffiti shown above appeared, calling contractors “masked republican mercenaries” and vowing that if they interfered they would “Attack loyalism at your own risk!!!” On Wednesday (1oth) the Council committee again affirmed its decision (Ailerain) but expressed concern over information of possible UVF involvement (Belfast Live) supplied in a letter from the PSNI (Mark Simpson). (The mural is the background is a UDA one. See Northern Island.) The barricades were removed on Wednesday (as the image below shows). A contractor hired to remove the fire pulled out (BBC) on Wednesday evening. A “cultural celebration” was held throughout the night (BelTel).
The Ashdale Street fire was moved to a different location, near the Oval (BBC) and was set alight last night (BelTel).
1,800 tyres were removed from the bonfire in Lismore Street this week by contractors in “armoured Land Rovers” (according to by Robert Girvin, East Belfast Cultural Collective, to the BBC; see this gallery of images at Belfast Live) working for Belfast City Council. PUP councillor John Kyle spoke out in favour of their removal (twitter | Belfast Live). Local residents have interpreted his comments as treasonous, with three pieces of graffiti painted in the area, one on Roseberry Road next to Young’s fish and chips (above), one on London Road (below), and one at the bonfire site on Lismore Street (final image): “A vote for John Kyle is a vote for [the] IRA.” The graffiti has been criticised by unionists – PUP | DUP – though Jamie Bryson suggested that the Council was pushing unionists and the PSNI into conflict.
The memorial to Brian “Herbie” McCallum at the top of Ainsworth Avenue received a major upgrade late last year, with two new plaques and a mural (shown above) along with a side wall that is featured in a separate post: The Earth And Its Toiling.
The long plaque reads: “June 1993 brought extreme Republican violence and agitation surrounding the annual Orange Whiterock parade, which was travelling its traditional route past this very spot and onto the Springfield Road. The threat being so severe to this community, the 1st Belfast Battalion Ulster Volunteer Force deployed several armed active service units. Herbie being Herbie was first to volunteer for duty. Realising the grenade he had been issued with had malfunctioned and giving absolutely no consideration for his own safety, he carried the device to a safe location, away from men, women and children. This one selfless act costs Herbie his life when the grenade detonated prematurely. Volunteer Brian “Herbie” McCallum died 29th June 1993. Sadly missed by his family friends and comrades. Rest easy soldier your duty is done. For God and Ulster.” McCallum died three days after the explosion.
No sooner had the pro-Trump message been blackened out (Your Wall, Your Border) than this graffiti appeared below the ‘Imagine’ mural in the neutral ground between the security gates on Northumberland Street: “Victory To Isreal [Israel]” with the Star of David.
Extramural Activity 