City/Town

Moving In Marches Upon The Heavenly Plain

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The stencil is in Mount Vernon, which is also home to a series of metalworks – see They Sleep Beyond Ulster’s Foam. That title, as well as the title of today’s post, comes from Binyon’s poem For The Fallen, the fourth stanza of which is often cited in memorial for the dead of the Great War: “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; / Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. / At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them.”

The stencil is perhaps not only a memorial to the dead of WWI – the planes appear to be WWII models such as the Hurricane or Spitfire on the electrical box (and in A Miracle of Deliverance); most WWI planes were biplanes.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11930 X11931
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15499

My Da Was A Pigeon Man

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Here are six pieces on the fence above the Townsend Street gates in the west Belfast “peace” line (seen previously Da War Is Not Over Yet and Mickey Marley’s Roundabout) depicting life in years gone by in the Townsend Street/Brown’s Square area. The six are (from left to right on the street/top to bottom on this page):

My Da Was A Pigeon Man – a tribute to the many pigeon lofts and clubs in Belfast. There is a pigeon-loft mural in east Belfast.

Messages – “Doing” or “running” “messages” means grocery shopping.

Half Moon – the “half moon” was the semi-circular area on the pavement outside a terraced house that would become shiny with repeated washing. Here are some descriptions and memories from Belfast Forum.

Born, Wed And Buried On Townsend St

Atlas & Soho: The Soho iron foundry in Townsend Street was owned and managed by Robert Shipboy McAdam and his brother James (Ricorso | Grace’s); the Atlas foundry was at 73 Townsend Street and owned by Victor C Taylor (Lennon Wylie).

Dog Walking Man

These appear to be prints or photographs on boards, rather than stone casts as on the CNR side of the gates: see The Oasis.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11969 X11968 X11967 X11966 X11965 X11964

Together We Can

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Elephants walk in single file and young elephants often hold the tail of an adult. This pair by South African artist Falko One (ig | Fb) is on the exterior wall of the Alliance Party’s east Belfast constituency office. (Chris Lyttle is no longer in the office – he took up a job with the IFA in July – BelTel).

Three other Falko elephants in east Belfast and one in the city centre

Grampian Avenue, Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X08972 X08971 [X08973] X08970

We Are What We Think We Are

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Like “You’re never too old to set another goal or dream another dream” in east Belfast, “We are what we believe we are” appears to be another of those inspirational quotes attributed to – but not actually by – CS Lewis. The quote appears alongside Belfast landmarks the Titanic centre, Aslan, the Big Fish/Salmon of Knowledge, an unidentified cupola. Part of a piece by Faigy (ig) in Wilson’s Entry, Belfast.

Click and click again to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X14064

Thousands Are Sailing

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Shane O’Malley’s (web) piece for the “Famine Street Art Trail” (youtube) in Derry was inspired by the tune The Coffin Ships (score | youtube) by Tommy Peoples (web). The other piece in the “trail” is Omin’s Stars, Look Down/A Réaltaí, Féachaíg’ Anuas.

Great James Street, Derry

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11109 UVArts

In The Shadow Of The Cathedral

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Mother of two Demi Corry died in July (2022) on a park bench in Buoy Park, in the shadow of St Anne’s, of a suspected drug overdose. She was one of at least 15 drug-related deaths in the city centre this past summer (itv.com) many of them of homeless people (Guardian).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11959 X11958

Season’s Greetings From Belfast

Extramural Activity4 Comments

“Merry Christmas, yis cunts yis” – happy holidays from Belfast city centre. Stan Carey from the blog Strong Language suggests the name “pronominal split reduplication” for the repeated “yis”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11961 X11960

Where’s Our 600 Quid?

Extramural Activity1 Comment

After much delay and finger-pointing (BelTel | Belfast Live) – and this complaint from east Belfast graffitist Hallion – details were published yesterday (December 30th) about how people will receive a £600 pound direct debit (or a voucher redeemable at the Post Office) to help with energy bills (uk.gov). The £600 comprises £400 from the Energy Bills Support Scheme (approved back in April, 2022 – uk.gov) and a £200 “Alternative Fuel Payment” (announced in August – uk.gov). The £200 AFP is due to the high percentage of homes using home-heating oil in Northern Ireland as compared with Britain (Belfast Live).

“Where is our 400 600 quid? Cost of living, innit. – Hallion2″

Previous work by Hallion: Wash Your Hands | It Hasn’t Gone Away | Wear A Mask Or The Easter Bunny Gets It | к черту Путина/Thran Rights Nai. For the fake shop-fronts, see previously: Semiotics.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11935 lord of the pigeons

It’s Christmas After All

Extramural Activity1 Comment

“Merry Christmas from the loyalist Village – fuck the protocol – FGAU”.

More recent anti-Protocol graffiti – see Peace Or Protocol – and posters – A Return To Violence (for most background) and Political Leaders Are Not Listening.

Glenmachan Street, Belfast, just below Frenchpark Street.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11962

Political Leaders Are Not Listening

Extramural Activity1 Comment

Here is a second set of images showing the “peace or protocol” poster that has appeared in PUL areas in the city, three in east Belfast – along the Newtownards Road. Two others in north Belfast were seen previously in A Return To Violence, which also explains the poster.

For the murals along “Freedom Corner” see 50th Anniversary; for the black-and-white mural, see Please Pay Here. See also Choose One Or The Other.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11932 X11933 X11934 X11936 X11951 X11938