Voters go to the polls tomorrow in the loca government elections. Of the parties standing, the TUV, DUP, and – presumably this west Belfast household’s preference – Aontú are against the legal status of abortion in NI.
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“FNGG” stands for “Féıle Na gCloıgíní Gorma” [Festival Of The Bluebells]. Bluebells – cloıgíní gorma – typically grow in woodlands rather than on open hillsides (Belfast Hills Partnership) but Slıabh Dubh/Black Mountain (site of this latest message on the mountain in support of the festival) is also a blooming ground – images can be seen in the festival’s full programme (at Glór Na Móna). The festival includes plenty of outdoor activities, including a bluebell walk on Friday morning; Damien Dempsey headlines the concert at St Comgall’s on Thursday night.
The title of today’s post [The Magic/Spell/Charm Of Black Mountain] comes from a piece by Feargal Mac Ionnrachtaıgh, writing about his childhood experiences of the upper Springfield area, including the bluebells on the mountain, his father Terry’s love for the hill, and the killing of brother Terry Óg by the LVF.
See previously (at Peter Moloney’s site) Save The Black Mountain, and No Such Thing As Failure | Páırc Mhıc Ionnrachtaıgh.
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Here is a Leo Boyd (ig) print of an x-wing police land rover – one in a series of land rovers: see previously: ice-cream-van land rover | wind-up land rover | surveillance land rover.
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Here are two more responses to the coronation of King Charles last weekend: (above and last) a Lasaır Dhearg (web) tarp in north Belfast reading “Fuck King Charles”; immediately below, an Éıstıgí (web) sheet/flag reading “Ní Mo Rí [Ní hé mo rí é/[he is] not my king]. Not our king.” in Strand Road, Derry.
Compare previously: England’s Bloody Empire and Not Our King with May The King Live Forever and The Settlement Of The True Protestant Religion.
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This is a gallery of the new Hit The North pieces on Union Street south of Kent Street. There is a separate post for the new pieces on Union Street north of Kent Street.
From north to south (top to bottom in this post) the works are by:
Conor McClure (ig)
All The Doodz (ig)
Wee Nuls (ig)
Glen Molloy x2 (ig)
Hixxy (ig)
Ed Hicks (ig) – on the Sunflower side of the street
Danny Rumbl (ig)
NOL (ig)
Andrey Palval (ig)
[Nol faces] see the Paddy Duffy collection
[Owl] see the Paddy Duffy collection
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Here is a gallery of the new pieces from Hit The North 2023 on the north side of Kent Street (there is a separate post for the south side and there is a separate post at Paddy Duffy’s site for Kent Street above Union Street).
From left to right (top to bottom in this post), the artists are:
Zippy (ig)
Alana McDowell (ig)
Asbestos (ig)
Angry Dan (ig)
?TMN krew?
Sufek West
Hallion – “Цe нaшe поле до біса” [this is our hell on earth] – a common description of the battle for Bakhmut by Ukranian soldiers (AP | France24 | CNN); this was the last of several slogans painted by Hallion throughout the festival (tw)
RASK (ig) + STER (ig) + SUMS (ig)
[writing]
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Davd J McMillan (ig) returned to Belfast from Bristol for HTN2023, which this year used the interior walls of the wasteground opposite the Sunflower. The writing appears to read “Ce nas pas une pint” but based on the pipe in the other hand, presumably should be “Ceci n’est pas une pint” in homage to Magritte’s famous non-pipe “Treachery Of Images” (or perhaps, based on the sketch, “Je n’ai pas une pint”).
Also included are various pieces of graffiti art, including a tiger-cat by PENS (ig) and a red-nosed boy by KVLR (ig).
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“Mol an óıge agus tıocfaıdh sí [encourage youth and it will flourish, or less literally, youth responds to praise].” The emblems in the corners are of two local GAA clubs “Naomh Eoın” and “Caıırınéal [Caırdınéal] Uí Dhomhnaıll” – the “Joe Cahill Annual Tournament” was held at Easter at their two pitches.
Joe Cahill joined the Fianna in 1937 and was involved in the republican movement from then until his death in 2004, including being in Tom Williams’s company in 1942, and was later a founder member and Chief of Staff of the Provisional IRA.
The new board was launched on April 4th. This is the third Joe Cahill mural on this wall – see previously Joe, Tom, Frank (2005) and Perpetual Cup (2013). The long-time plaque on the wall has been removed.
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Signs in upper west Belfast (Glen Road at the Monagh roundabout, and Shaws Road at the top of Lenadoon): “Not our king”, in protest at the coronation of Charles III (see – for – May The King Live Forever | The Settlement Of The True Protestant Religion and – agin – England’s Bloody Empire).
“Ag obair do chách” [working for all] is a Sinn Féin electoral slogan for the upcoming local elections.
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“God save the King.” When Charles acceded to the monarchy last September upon the death of Elizabeth II, he also became head of the Church Of England. Among the first oaths he took as king was one to preserve the Church Of Scotland, which is Presbyerian rather than Anglican. There does not appear to be any oath relating specifically to any denomination in Ireland, and so the Shankill mural above borrows from the Church Of Scotland oath. It stops short of the references to Scotland:
“I, Charles the Third, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of my other Realms and Territories, King, Defender of the Faith, do faithfully promise and swear that I should inviolably maintain and preserve the Settlement of the true Protestant religion …” [… as established by the Laws made in Scotland in prosecution of the Claim of Right and particularly by an Act intituled “An Act for securing the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government” and by the Acts passed in the Parliament of both Kingdoms for Union of the two Kingdoms, together with the Government, Worship, Discipline, Rights and Privileges of the Church of Scotland.] (Royal UK)
For more on the UK monarch’s roles as head of the various churches, see Gentle Reformation and Constitution Unit.
At yesterday’s coronation, Charles swore an oath similar to the above, but referring to the Church Of England, and swore that he was a faithful Protestant (Country Life).
See previously: May The King Live Forever.
“King’s corner” because across the Shankill from the QEII mural in Crimea Street. Also in imitation of Conor’s Corner.
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Extramural Activity 