A view of east Belfast from the perspective of the children in a nursery school in Beechfield and Westbourne Streets: the modes of modern travel, including the Seacat, and a long-standing symbol of industry, the ever-present H&W crane.
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02796 car bus houses sky clouds coloured railings harland and wolff
Among the sweepings at the site of the former RUC barracks are placards from Sinn Féin Youth (Fb), one bearing a (never-before-seen) Red Power flag (WP). “End social injustice”.
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Kashmir Bar on the Springfield Road gets a face-lift with a mural of the old Kashmir Bar, including the boast that it was home to the best singers in the west. A look at the Kashmir Bar Facebook page reveals that pool seems to be the foremost activity. For a photo of the old (green-fronted) bar, see D00283. (There is also a small image on the Belfast Forum.) If you can identify any of the locals pictured, please comment or e-mail.
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02749 X02760 X02751 established 1895 brendan smyth wine spirits céad míle fáılte in memory of IRA volunteer sean gaynor who was murdered in his home at 236 springfield road by members of the ric on the the 26th september 1920 Image of Sean Gaynor’s grave in Milltown. Account of killing and funeral from Rıstead O Murchú
William Connor (later William Conor) was born in the Old Lodge area of Belfast (in 1881) close to the location of the new bronze statue shown in today’s images, which is at the corner of Northumberland Street and Shankill Road, replacing the UVF/Shankill Protestant Boys (see M02457). The info board (shown below) describes his methods in capturing the Belfast street scenes for which he is most famous: “Conor was developing a spontaneous drawing technique by recording quick impressions, and it soon became a habit for him to go out into the streets with a newspaper, which contained loose leaves from his sketchbook. When he saw anything of interest he leant against a lap post or wall, took out his newspaper as though he were simply reading the sports results and sketched away.”
For more info, see the project’s web site. For images of many of Conor’s paintings, see ArtNet. For images of the sculpture in progress, see Lönze’s site and the project’s Facebook page.
Officially launched 2015-09-26
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03026 X02954 X02955 X02956 X02957 X02958 Painter William Conor PRUA RHA ROI OBE (1881-1968) was born in Fortingale Street and developed many of his renowned paintings in this area known as Conor’s Corner. J. Wilson Conor’s work on display: Going to the Mills (1914, Crumlin Road, Belfast), Riveting, Lamp-post Swinging (1957, Belfast), The Twelfth (1918, Wellington Place, Belfast), Two Men Watching Lambeg Drummers, Digging. Sculpture & Concept: Holger C. Lönze, Cork. Architectural Design: Robert Morrow, Belfast. All images by William Conor collection ulster folk and transport museum
Stephen (or Stephan) “Steve” Kaczynski will go before a Turkish court on September 18th on charges of membership of the Marxist-Leninist ‘Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front’ (DHKP-C). (WP) In April, members of the group took over a courtroom and held a state prosecutor hostage; when special forces stormed the building, the hostage and two of his captors died. (Independent) Kaczynski, a freelance journalist from Scotland, is alleged to be instrumental in financing the group. Alternatively, (according to various newspaper reports) he is an undercover agent of the Germans (Daily Sabah) or the British (Brian Shaw). He was on hunger-strike in protest at the conditions in Maltepe #3 from June 25th to August 12th.
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02803 rnu in west belfast are today leading the way in combating anti-social behaviour reclaiming republican values fighting the benefits cuts tackling the increased drug problem exposing the slum landlords rebuilding community pride the only secure community is an organised one socialism communism red star phoenix
“UVF” on a red-white-and blue-painted electrical box, the only thing standing in the razed ground where Soudan Street used to be.
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Black taxis were first brought from England to Belfast in 1970 by locals who wanted to provide an alternative, and locally-based, transport system to augment the Citybuses which were sometimes cancelled and sometimes burned out. The board above commemorates eight drivers who were killed during the troubles: Michael Duggan, Jim Green, Harry Muldoon, Paddy McAllister, Caoimhín Mac Brádaigh, Thomas Hughes, Hugh Magee, and Paddy Clarke.
French documentary about black taxi drivers.
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X02905 west belfast taxi association community interest company dedicated to the memory of murdered in the service of their community providing belfast with a public transport system for over 40 years a dhia deán trocaire ar a nanamacha may god have mercy on their souls WBTA divis flats st peters 12/11/75 5/5/77 31/10/84 26/8/86 16/3/88 19/7/91 10/10/91 2/2/92
Two boards about collusion in Beechmount Avenue. The first chronicles (both in words and images) alleged instances of collusion between the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries, citing John Stevens, Peter Cory, and Nuala O’Loan – pages from the 2007 O’Loan report are shown in the second, below.
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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Calls for “truth” and “justice” concerning the killing in August, 1971, of 11 people from Ballymurphy, by the 1st Parachute Regiment during Operation Demetrius, the beginning of internment.
The final three panels (panels 16-18) of the ‘murdered’ follows to the right of the Ballymurphy board. (These are new additions, as compared with 2011.) They are then followed by the final board, to the WBTA.
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X02903 X02904 beechmount ave
“11 people in west Belfast from the Greater Ballymurphy neighbourhood were murdered by the British Army as internment without trial was violently carried out on August 9th, 1971. Proper police investigations were never undertaken and one has served a day in prison for causing these deaths. The familys of those murdered deserve and demand the truth be told by the state about its policies and actions of those who carried them out.”
The British soldiers on the right of the board above are given red berets to indicate the Paratroop Regiment, which was the regiment involved in Derry’s Bloody Sunday.
“Springhill–Westrock massacre. Belfast’s Bloody Sunday. Time for truth! On the 9th July 1972 a team of British Army snipers took up firing positions in Corry’s timber yard overlooking the nationalist Springhill/Westrock estates. Within less than an hour five civilians lay dead and two critically wounded. Among the dead were three teenagers, a father of six and a priest on his way to administer the last rites to the dead and injured. There has never been a proper police investigation, and not one solider has spent a single day in prison in connection with their deaths. The families deserve, and demand the comprehensive facts be told by the British establishment. The truth costs nothing.”
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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02901 Beechmount Ave John Dougal, Margaret Gargan, Fr Noel Fitzpatrick, David McCafferty, Patrick Butler
Extramural Activity 