Belfast

Alternatives

Extramural Activity3 Comments

This board is on the end of the Hubb Community Resources Centre and Bowling Club in St. Vincent Street; across the street is Crusaders football ground.

From the Tele: “The building was once the home for local Civil Defence during World War II’s ‘Blitz’. This building is now the one of the last remaining Civil Defence structures in Northern Ireland and has also played home to the local Senior Bowls Club for many years.” The mural also shows bombed-out homes and children going off to the countryside. Here is a short documentary about the 1941 Belfast Blitz (youtube).

Here is a badge of the YRCD & Bowling Club.

The wide shot immediately below explains one meaning of the word “Alternatives”. The Hubb has cross-border financial support — note the (Irish Republic) Dept. of Foreign Affairs sponsorship in the information plaque.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00688 X00689 X00691 York Road Civil Defence Hall the blitz hubb youth group 2011, european union regional development fund investing in your future peace III programme 2007-2013

Fenced In

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This large Martin Corey board is on a fence that runs round Springfield Road police station.

Previously: Martin Corey stencils, with links to background information.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00676 end british internment of irish citizens release martin corey now

Black & White

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Black and white posters blend with the black and white chevrons of a road sign marking a sharp bend in the road.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00665 support the republican prisoners currently on no/dirty protest, cogús POW department, end selective internment now, republican network for unity, republicannetwork.ie

We The People

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A colourful mural on Sráıd Brighton (Brighton Street, Falls at Broadway) from the organization Pobal.

“ar scáth a chéıle” is a shortened version of  “Is ar scáth a chéıle a mhaıreann na daoıne”: it is in each other’s shadow (or, as here?, umbr(ell)a) that the people exist; figuratively “no man is an island” or as Dimitry put it in Dostoevsky’s The Brother Karamazov, “we are all responsible for all”.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00681 conflict resolution services, 217 falls rd, belfast, ag abhcóıdeacht ar son na gaeılge, pobal: advocacy for the irish language, forbaırt pobaıl, community development, taıghde, research, faıreachán, monitoring, straıtéıs, strategy, cearta & ceılıúıradh, rights and revelry, ealaíon, arts, reachtaíoch, legislation

O Ye Gates

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In Belfast, the gates (in the so-called “peace” lines) open up to admit various earthly pleasures and pains, as well as the king of glory. The New Life City Church at the lower gates on Northumberland Street.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00680 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and the king of glory shall come in – Psalm 24.7, Pedestrians look right, c.r.f., ice cream

Spires & Wire

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The spires of St. Peter’s through the barbed wire on a wall in Milford Street, off the Falls Road.

See previously: Cross And Wire.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00667

Isn’t Working

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Two pieces from the recently seeded, though still enclosed, site of the old Andersonstown police station, both commenting on austerity measures prompted by the current recession. On Oct. 9th, 2012 the Assembly passed the first stage of a welfare bill (instigated by London) which will cut benefits significantly (BBC). SF and the SDLP opposed the measure. In the background of the shot below various SF boards can be seen.

The meme “____ Isn’t Working” in the placard below originates with this classic Labour Isn’t Working poster from 1978.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00679 X00675 slash stormont not services, capitalism doesn’t work, stormont isn’t working, http://www.eirigi.org

Queen’s Parade

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“End British political policing. End internment of Irish citizens.”

Ant-Agreement stencil in the New Lodge.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00669

Damn Your Concessions, England

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Ground-level wide shot from the New Lodge showing “Support the POWS” on the left and “Free Marian Price” on the right.

On the mural itself: “Níl aon rud acu ına n-armlann ımpırıul [ımpırıúıl] a bhrısfidh meon an Éıreannaigh [Éıreannach] nar mhaın [mhıan] leıs a bheıth brıste – They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit [of an Irishman who does want to be broken]” “Damn your concessions, England – it’s our freedom we want.” [– Seán Mac Dıarmada]

“Maghaberry concentration camp – End forced strip searches – End controlled movement.”

At the bottom of the figure in black on the orange background – “Damn your concessions England. Give us our freedom.” [– Seán Mac Dıarmada.]

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00668 support the p.o.w.s, free marian price

Lighting A Fire On The Antrim Road

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St Patrick’s College – popularly known as Bearnageeha – is another school (in addition to Coláıste Feırste) with a mural. In fact, this mural went up before the Titanic and Olympians murals in Beechmount Park. This image of the W. B. Yeats mural has been photoshopped extensively in order to remove several alarms and notices and a light socket, which took away from the mural greatly. The background colour has also been lightened. (Alternative title for this post: mind the gap!)

X05261 2012 Yeats Education+

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00664 X05261 education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire