Belfast

Their Name Liveth For Evermore

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2014-05-08 No4Platoon+

Four generations of headgear and rifles, from 1912 to the present, are featured in this new UVF board in Glenwood Street. A portion of the previous No. 4 Platoon ‘graveyard scene’ mural it replaces can be seen in the top right, with black figures superimposed. The title of the post, which comes from Ecclesiasticus 44, appears on the accompanying info panel along with a verse from Laurence Binyon’s poem For The Fallen. The fourth verse of Binyon’s poem is more often quoted, as in What Do We Forget When We Remember and At The Going Down Of The Sun.

2014-05-08 No4Info+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01860 X01859 for god and ulster dedicated to the memory of fall officers NCOs volunteers number 4 platoon a company 1st belfast battalion ulster volunteer force names and deeds are eternally venerated by their comrades in arms who continue to serve humbly in their honour they went with songs to battle they were young straight of limb true of eyes steady and aglow they remained staunch to the end against odds uncounted they fell with their faces to the foe their name liveth for

Free For All

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2014-05-05 FrizWellesleyWide+

Above is Friz’s 2012 B-movie mash-up on the side of Ryan’s Bar on the Lisburn Road: A fire-breathing Godzilla, a masked wrestler (from “Lucha Libre” – Mexican “free[style] wrestling”) about to hurl down an electrical cloud, an octopedal brain with bow-tie, a giant robot smashing buildings, the mad scientist and the damsel in distress. Close-ups of the robot and Godzilla’s fire, below.

Previously from Friz: Chips & A Movie (Atomic Collectables) | Fox & Bird (Culture Night 2013) | The Girl With The Flaxen Hair | Working On A Building

2014-05-05 FrizWellesleyRobot+

2014-05-05 FrizWellesleyFire+

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As I Would Not Be A Slave, So I Would Not Be A Master

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2014-05-05 JohnLewis+

U.S. civil rights protester John Lewis (WP) – leader of the  Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and co-organizer of the march on Washington in August, 1963 – made a visit to Dublin, Derry, and Belfast at the end of April (Newsletter | DerryCity.gov.uk). In honour of his visit, the ‘We Can Do It!” (a.k.a. “Rosie The Riveter”) figure at the left edge of the Douglass mural (under Barack Obama) on Northumberland Street was painted over and Lewis’s image – wearing the Presidential Medal Of Freedom – put in its place. For a wide-shot of the mural pre-Lewis, see Liberating Minds, which gives all of the quotes in the mural, including the quote from Abraham Lincoln that provides the title of today’s post.

Previously: Frederick Douglass (2009) | The Only Tired I Was, Was Tired Of Giving In (Rosa Parks) | Prison First, Then President (Nelson Mandela)

Bill Rolston gives some historical context in this video on the Open Hands project.

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Copyright © 2014/2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01825 X01829 X02312 martin luther king bob marley steven biko haitian revolution angela davis muhammad ali abraham lincoln strong children the woman is the slave of that slave swing low sweet chariot why should i drop bombs on brown people in vietnam cast off one’s chains the freedom of others without regard to race i have a dream thank god almighty we are free at last liberating minds society apartheid thank you sister rosa

Romanian Housebreakers Beware

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2014-05-08 Romanian+

Graffiti in The Village area (south Belfast). The precise reason for the graffiti is unknown (leave a comment/e-mail if you know). Romanians were in the first wave of European immigration to Northern Ireland and came under attack especially in 2009.  More recently, a Romanian had faeces thrown at him last week (BelTel) and attacks against immigrants, Poles in particular, have been on the rise in recent months. The latest is this attack (Tele) on a family in Templemore Avenue and an attack by a gang of fifteen people (Guardian). Last week saw “Locals only/Get out!” graffiti in east Belfast (U.tv – includes video| The Journal) and south Belfast (NewsLetter). Last year, “No blacks” graffiti was directed at two Nigerians, also in east Belfast (BBC). The Polish envoy has expressed his concerns to the PSNI (Guardian | IrishNews).

Previously: Never Actually Existed

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Mountain Stage

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2014-05-09 FineDominioBrit+

The Giro d’Italia (Tour Of Italy) got off to a rainy start in Belfast yesterday (Friday May 9th, 2014) with a team time-trial. While there was talk in February of removing not just election posters (BBC) but also flags and murals (BBC), and the tourist board and Department of Enterprise hopes that spectacular scenes (through the rain) from the north Antrim coast will recoup the cost of hosting the event (4.2M in total), republicans took to the slopes of Slıabh Dubh to greet Italian visitors and perhaps viewers with “Fine Dominio Britannico” (“End British Rule”), and loyalists held what the Tele describes as a “protest march”, setting off this morning at the same time as the second stage – around the Antrim coast – got under way (Parades Commission on the Ligoniel Combine).

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X01865 black mountain cycling

Purity In Our Hearts

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2014-04-29 ArdEoinFianna+

“Purity in our hearts, strength in our arms, truth in our lips.” Easter Saturday (April 19th) saw the launch of a new RNU tribute to four teenaged members of Na Fıanna Éıreann who died in 1972: Davy McAuley, Josh Campbell, Josie McComiskey and Bernard Fox – all four from Ardoyne/Ard Eoın.

Dates of death are given on the plaque, below. McAuley died of a gunshot wound, perhaps at a Louth training camp (Nelson McCausland). Campbell was shot in Eksdale Street in a gun battle with the British Army; McComiskey was shot in Flax Street in a gun battle with the British Army; Fox was shot by British Army in Brompton Street.

The third image is a wide shot showing the piece and a new memorial garden.

The work is unveiled at the beginning of this video of the event.

2014-04-29 ArdEoinFiannaPlaque+

2014-04-29 ArdEoinFiannaWide+

2014-08-14 RhythmWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01807 X01808 X01809 X02083 1909-2009 100 year of resistance you may kill the revolutionary but never the revolution network unity honour ardoyne’s fallen fıanna all of whom lived in ardoyne and died tragically on active service in 1972 Truth on our lips

In-Former Republicans

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“In-Former Republicans – Boston College touts – McIntyre”. The graffiti refers to the Boston College oral history project, directed by Ed Moloney and involving former IRA volunteer Anthony McIntyre (who now writes at The Pensive Quill), a collection of interviews of former members of paramilitary groups (on both sides) between 2001-2006, some of which the PSNI gained access to after legal action and which are reported to have formed the basis of Gerry Adams’s interrogation (see Get The Real Story). More background from the BBC.

For legal commentary, see Folkman Law.

Wall Street, Belfast. The same graffiti appeared on Divis Street.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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In-Former Republicans

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2014-05-03 BostonTouts+

More graffiti relating to the Gerry Adams arrest last week, this time on Divis Street: “In-Former Republicans – Boston College touts”. The graffiti refers to a collection of interviews made by former members of paramilitary groups (on both sides), some of which the PSNI gained access to after legal action and which are reported to have formed the basis of Adams’s interrogation. More background from the BBC.

The graffiti also appeared in Wall Street.

Previously in this location: Divis Isn’t Working.

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Copyright © 2014 Extramural Activity
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#Time4Truth

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2014-05-03 Time4Truth+

Before the Gerry Adams arrest dominated the headlines (Get The Real Story), the major issue of last week was the announcement by NI Secretary Theresa Villiers (BBC-NI) that there would be no further investigation of the La Mon Restaurant bombing – in which 12 people died (WP) – or the Ballymurphy Massacre – in which 11 died (WP). Relatives of both sets of deceased were disappointed by the announcement, and on the republican side, Gael Force Art in conjunction with Relatives For Justice took to Slıabh Dubh to promote the latter’s #Time4Truth campaign. Below is an already-existing board on the lower side of Springfield Road, painted by Rısteard Ó Murchú, making the same demand.

2014-05-02 Ballym1971+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01817 X01810 quinn mullan connolly teggart philips murphy mccarthy doherty laverty corr mckerr we demand the truth black mountain

Get The Real Story

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2014-05-03 AdamsRealStory+

“Peacemaker, leader, visionary”. A new mural of Sınn Féın leader Gerry Adams was officially unveiled yesterday (Saturday, May 3rd, 2014), taking its place on the International Wall between the Local Volunteers mural and the current WBTA mural (and replacing the Falls Curfew mural). The second image, below, is of the Adams piece alone. The mural was quickly painted after Adams’s arrest on Wednesday evening (April 30th) after he went for questioning about the Jean McConville case (see also: Headstone); he was released today without charge. An earlier version of the mural (completed May 2) had the word “tout” spray-painted on it on the night of May 2nd-3rd, in the location where “ar aghaıdh lınn” now appears.

A sizeable crowd turned out, as the launch served as a rally in support of Adams, featuring a statement by Martin McGuinness. As can be seen in the third image, below, of McGuinness and Martina Anderson, protesters at the unveiling/rally carried posters showing a picture of Adams with Nelson Mandela, between the words “Defend the peace process – Release Gerry Adams TD”. Video of the launch/rally from the BBC | images from the BelTel.

For the WBTA mural on the left, see Local History From Local People.

2014-05-03 Adams+

2014-05-03 McGuinnesssAnderson+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01813 X03002 X01816 fear an phobaıl, ar aghaıgh linn, west belfast taxi association local history from local people 40 years unbroken service