Here are two panels of Matt Sewell’s large-scale mural at the Donegall Street end of the North Street Arcade: above is an owl (held by a girl) and below is a jay (?). (For another owl, see Only When The Dusk Starts To Fall and for all the birds you’ll need, see his three volumes of bird illustrations.)
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Out-of-this-world work by Scottish artist (Mark) Lyken (Twitter | Fb) – signature at the top, in the middle – on the front of Menagerie (Tumblr) on University Street. Wide shot below.
Previously from Menagerie: The Piano Has Been Smoking | Eyes Wide Shut
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“”In my country we go to prison first and then become President” – Madiba, Nelson Mandela, freedom lover, friend of Ireland.”
Above is a new mural on Northumberland Street (not on Divis Street’s international wall) in honour of the ailing Nelson Mandela’s 95th birthday, on July 18th. Painted by Lucas Quigley (you can see a signature and a telephone number in the lower right), the mural features Mandela, the flags of Ireland and South Africa, and the Sinn Féin logo (in contrast with the dissident flyers further up to the left, shown on 2013-07-17). Detail below. The photo reproduced is probably this Getty image.
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“In Memory of the Belfast men who fought against fascism with the international brigade, Spanish civil war 1936 – 1939.” The colours of the international brigade (red, yellow and purple – here a lighter violet colour) serve as a background.
The board shows Belfast socialists walking at Bodenstown, 1934 as part of the annual Wolfe Tone commemoration, held each year in June. Tone, an Anglican and the founder of the United Irishmen, is buried in the Bodenstown graveyard. Sources report, however, that there was an attempt to exclude these marchers, from “Shankill Rd Belfast Branch”, from part of the 1934 commemoration. The reasons given vary: they were carrying a non-standard banner, they had communist leanings, and, they were Protestants. (See Paddy Byrne | WP1 – though a different banner is mentioned | WP2 – see “legacy” section | WP3 – see fn. 1).
The plaque to the right reads: “In memory of all those who fought in Spain against Fascism 1936-1939. This mural was erected by Teach Na Fáılte Republican Ex-Prisoners Support Group and Belfast City Council. It was unveiled on April 20th, 2013 (irsp.ie). Signed “[Fra] Maher 2013”.
Northumberland Street, west Belfast.
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Unattributed photo of the marchers.
Line drawing in Derry/Doıre by Carlos Latuff showing an army soldier, with “impunity” across his shoulders, taking aim at a blind-folded woman, representing martyrs’ families.
Latuff is a Brazilian political cartoonist (web site). This piece is outside the Free Museum of Derry (pictures of the piece in progress). Just out of shot (to the right) is an actual bullet-hole from Bloody Sunday. He also added a drawing to Free Derry corner (M08306). On the same visit (July 2012), he worked in Belfast on a mural expressing solidarity between Palestinian and republican POWs and also did a line drawing on a café wall. (See also: Latuff cartoon used in a flyer for a rally to End Impunity.)
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This piece in North Street, in the city centre, combines realistic buildings with honeycomb patterning run together with cloud-like spray-paint, threatening to envelope the impressionistic figure in the foreground. The surface is the shutter of a shop front. By emic/This Means Nothing for CNB 2012. (The hand in the bottom left can also be found around the corner in Garfield Street.)
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Another George Best reference in another mural at the Dark Horse/Duke of York. George Best quit Manchester United (temporarily) for Spain towards the end of the 1972 season (and quit United for good in 1974). The precise phrase — “Sod this, I’m off to Marbella” — and picture of Best playing keepsy-upsies in the sun come from a John Roberts book about Best. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 (WP). The Klondyke Bar was in (PUL) Sandy Row and bombed by the IRA in January, 1976.
This is just the left-most part of a large mural in the Dark Horse courtyard. (For the whole thing, see The Bar Is Called Heaven.) It is almost entirely black-and-white – the Guinness labels and betting slip from Eastwoods are exceptions. If you recognize any of the figures, please leave a comment. The photographer in the top right is Bill Kirk | some pictures at the RBG.
There is a signature of sorts in the top left: “Two cold, hungry muralists for hire. Phone Danny D[evenny] and Marty L[yons].”
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The place-name “Machaıre Bhotháın” perhaps gave rise to the name “The Marrow Bone”, the area around where the Park Inn was, between Ardoyne and Oldpark. (Machaıre – a plain, level land; botháın – hut, shed, cabin. Perhaps a reference to cattle grazing in summer pasture).
The three figures at the top are from left to right – Seán Mac Dıarmada (who was from Leitrim but was a boarder for a time in Butler Street), Pól DeLéıgh, Seán McCaughey; the mini-bus driver is Brendan Bradley. The green-and-yellow uniforms are from Coláıste Feırste. Signed “M Doc 2011” (Mıcheál Dochartaıgh).
With support from Glór [An Tuascırt] and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Great Hunger was previously on this wall (hence the plough). Ardoyne Avenue.
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A mural on the peace line at Cupar Way by Eoin O’Connor at artbyeoin.com. (On the other side of the fence we have Bombay St.)
Like the girl with the flaxen hair, it is written all over by every tourist who comes here in a black taxi or tourist bus.
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Belfast is getting two new pieces of streetart as part of the East Belfast Arts Festival, one by Friz and one by Hicks54. Both are a-political artists from outside Northern Ireland. Friz is now based in Belfast. Hicks is/was a member of the 54 collective, in Southampton, England.
Above is Friz completing her mural in Constance Street, Sept. 8th.
The muraling during the Festival is “in conjunction with the Lower Castlereagh Community Group, East Belfast Partnership, and kindly funded by the Lloyds TSB Foundation”.
Below is (Ed) Hicks54 in front of his project, on the Newtownards Rd … (across from McDonalds) and a wide shot of the whole scaffold …
There’s an even earlier development shot at his flickr account.
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Extramural Activity 