City/Town

From The Shipyard To The Somme

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The 36th (Ulster) Division Memorial Association (Fb) put on a play called From The Shipyard To The Somme (Fb | watch on youtube) in Connswater Community Centre in 2013. It follows a group of men from east Belfast who joined the Ulster Volunteers in Belfast but are now training at Abercorn barracks in Ballykinlar (later an internment camp) as members of the 36th Division, before going to the Battle Of The Somme in France.

Belfast – with one tenth of the population – provided about a third of the Irish soldier to participate in WWI. In the shipyards, Harland & Wolff responded to the slow-down in production not by putting everyone on short time but by letting go of employees, particularly unskilled employees, for whom the wages of soldiering were competitive (particularly if married), while skilled men were reclassified as “munitions workers” needed to fulfill war contracts (History Ireland | Long Kesh Inside Out).

The Somme board, which dates to about 2015, is above Connswater Commemorates and The Glorious Dead.

The plaques are to John Cochrane of the Mersey Street Area Residents Association and Margaret Proctor ?of the Connswater Community Centre?

The industrial mural on the side perhaps features the Ballymacarrett rail crash of 1945, described previously in Step Back In Time.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10347 X10346 X10344 X10345 Oh, Belfast may boast and justly to the progress it has made and point with pride and pleasure to its vast and varied trade Your king needs you country 36th division ulster

The Six Counties

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Of some interest in this Mersey Street NI Centenary board is the use of St Patrick’s saltire (in the background). The saltire is an anglo symbol of Ireland and was included in the Union Flag when the union was between Britain and Ireland and thus – like the word “Ulster” – has been reduced to meaning Northern Ireland after partition.

There is also an anti-Irish Sea border board on the next house along – see An Act Of Betrayal. This features the Union Flag together with flags representing the “home countries”: the Welsh dragon, the English St George’s Cross, the Scots St Andrew’s Saltire, and the Northern Irish Ulster Banner.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10358 X10356 X10357

The Battle Of Ulfreksfjord

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

According to 13th century Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson, The Battle Of Latharna (now Larne) took place in 1018 between Irish warriors and Orkney vikings at Larne Lough or “Ulfreksfjord” which name eventually became “Olderfleet”, to the south of the harbour.

This is the contribution of artist Kim Montgomery (web) to a Larne Council project to add art to the city centre (BelTel). See previously, Dawn Aston’s Dire Wolf.

Main St, Larne

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X09368 larne renovation

Just Don’t

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Do not vax” and “Don’t join the PSNI”. “Do not vax” is a coronavirus conspiracy theory, related to What We Want You To Think, We Want A Free Future and also 5G Kills You and A Tale Of Two Protests.

The Lasaır Dhearg board takes the “poster officer” from the 2021 recruitment campaign and puts them against a backdrop of riot officers firing plastic bullets. “17 people have been killed by plastic bullets, including 8 children.” “It is believed that the PSNI retain a stockpile of over 50,000 deadly plastic bullets.” The British state does not use plastic bullets anywhere but occupied Ireland.” “The PSNI is not a normal police force.” Here is the 2021 Amnesty report on the use of water cannon and “Attenuating Energy Projectiles” in the north. In November, relatives of Carol Ann Kelly went to Stormont to call for an end to the use of plastic bullets (BelTel).

The Sınn Féın board appears to involve stock photography, as we have noted before in Will This Work For You?

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10292 X10291 X10293

Children In Crossfire

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Michael Blakstad’s Children In Crossfire is a justly famous documentary portraying the lives of children in Creggan (Derry) and various areas of Belfast, such as Ballymurphy & Springmartin, Divis, and the area around Gawn St in east Belfast. The documentary is on youtube and an image from it (c. 28m 13s) is depicted in this mural (Connswater Chronicle) at the foot of the Dee Street overpass into what is now the “Titanic Quarter”.

The panel to the right shows the original Armitage Street; the area has been redeveloped and the street was built over with a cluster of houses named Armitage Close.

By Dee Craig with support from the Housing Executive, City Council, and Connswater Homes.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10317 X10318

Multicultural East Belfast

Extramural Activity1 Comment

Topical commentary from East Belfast graffitist Hallion: Above, “к черту Путина”, in the blue-and-yellow of Ukraine, is Russian for “To hell with Putin” (or something a bit stronger); below, “Thran rights nai” – “thran” is an Ulster-Scots word meaning “stubborn” or “contrary” (entry for thra – the related verb – at Hamely Tongue) but perhaps here standing for Ulster-Scots in general and commenting on the tortured history of what is now (as of May 2022) the ‘Identity & Language’ bill (BBC) covering Irish/Gaeilge and Ulster-Scots/Ulstèr-Scotch in Northern Ireland. “Hallion” is itself is a Scots/north England word, meaning a scoundrel or rapscallion (MW | etymonline).

Previous Covid pandemic commentary from Hallion:
2020: Wash Your Hawnds | It Hasn’t Gone Away
2021: Wear A Mask Or The Easter Bunny Gets It

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10311 [X10310] X10304 Tower St, Newtownards Rd

The Rising Of The Moon

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The moon rises over Thompson’s feed on York Road while the sun sets over the New Lodge tower blocks, most of which have the portraits of two deceased hunger strikers from the 70s and 80s on them, including Francis Hughes on Teach Mhéabha. (See New Lodge Flats for a full list.)

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X08927 X08926 X08928

The Glen Memory Wall

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Cregagh Glen – Lisnabreeny walk (National Trust) is home to a memorial marking the site of the (former) Lisnabreeny American Military Cemetery (featured previously). Today’s images feature a smaller and more recent memorial site, to the coronavirus lockdown. The sign asks for colourful items such as locks and ribbons but the picture above also shows a Translink ticket and a doggie poop bag.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X08684 X08683 X08685

Smash Fascism And Capitalism

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

James Connolly and Lasaır Dhearg (web) calling for revolution – “The day has passed for patching up the capitalist system; it must go” [from Labour, Nationality And Religion]” (seen previously on a sticker in Stop War) – on top of an unknown sticker involving a Union Flag, on top of a ‘Smash Fascism’ stencil, all competing for space, somewhat usually, in the (PUL) Village – but see previously Even Protestants Love Marxism.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10082

Belfast Or Bust

Extramural Activity1 Comment

Two from Swiss artist Bust (ig | web) for HTN22, who describes his current work as “neo-pop”, combining pop art, cartoon characters, and traditional graffiti writing. The smaller piece is in Donegall Street, the multi-storey one can be seen from Kent St. A third, more casual, piece can be seen in Love, Loss, And Beyond .

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10277 X10202 X10276 [X10275]