Yesterday we featured the work of the “Ambassadors For Peace” on the Shankill-side gate on Northumberland Street, and today is the turn of the Falls-side gate. Like the upper gate, this one features figures holding hands, though this time on a bridge over a river.
The Museum Of Free Derry was officially opened last month (June, 2017). On the exterior wall is an engraved sound wave of the crowd singing We Shall Overcome on Bloody Sunday. The piece was created by Locky Morris (web). (BBC)
Commercial mural on a dog grooming shop on the Antrim Road at the Waterworks with a Game Of Thrones theme – “The north remembers” is the name of an episode in which the Direwolf “Grey Wind” appears.
Cromac Wood Court is home to a housing development – Hong Ling Gardens – aimed at Chinese people over 55. The street sign is thus in English, Chinese, and – because we’re in the Markets area – Irish: Cúırt Choıll Chromóıg.
An expansion is planned for the Radisson Blu at the Gasworks site, but the land is zoned for public housing. The plan is contested by Sınn Féın and the Housing Executive.
“Eelam” is the ancient Tamil name for Sri Lanka and “Tamil Eelam” is the name of a proposed Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka (shown on the right of the mural) that the Tigers were fighting for. After 26 years of war, the Tamil Tigers were defeated in 2009 but independence (from the majority Sinhalese) is “inevitable” according to this new mural. For an account of commemorations in both Belfast and Derry, see this TamilNet article.
Here are two images from UK GE 2017. Above, Sınn Féın placards in a variety of bright colours (plus one for unsuccessful North Belfast candidate John Finucane). Below, “Choose Christ” and you could find both security and change!
One of the first casualties of the Easter Rising, on the evening of Good Friday, was Belfast-born Charles Monahan (Charlie Monahan, Cathal Ó Monacháın/Ó Muıneacháın), who died along with Con Keating and Daniel Sheehan in a motor accident in Kerry, when their car – which only had one headlamp (see image #3) – was driven off a pier. His body was not found until October 30th. The driver, Tommy McInerney – shown here studying a map – survived. This mural is in the Markets; Monahan is also claimed by east Belfast and a 2006 mural to him survives to this day on Mountpottinger Road (Visual History).
“Born in Riley[‘s] Place in the Market area of Belfast, Charles was one of many people who left Belfast to take part in the events leading up to the Easter Rising. Charles[‘s] role was to meet up with 3 other vols and help guide Roger Casement land a ship full of weapons. On the 21st April, 1916, the driver took the wrong road and drove off the pier into the Laune at Ballykissane. Charles, 37, drowned along with two of his comrades.”
St James-area gang IBA (I’d Buck Anything) imitating the old (1990’s) Mr Muscle ads. It’s not clear what the “jobs” that need doing are … perhaps housebreaking?
Extramural Activity 