This Sandy Row mural commemorating the siege of London-/Derry is in pretty good shape, despite being more than 20 years old. It features the coat of arms of Londonderry – see this post – Vita, Veritas, Victoria – for some background. For more on the siege, and relief, of Derry, see Breaking The Boom. The siege ended in 1689; the battle of the Boyne was in 1690. It is in Linfield Avenue and is visible from Rowland Way, off Sandy Row.
Graffiti in Linfield Gardens (off Sandy Row) making reference to the banner shown in this post (on a bonfire) and on-going disputes over the routes established by the Parades Commission for Orange Order marches: They may have stole[n] our banner but they will never steal our culture.
The gable wall at the end of Columbia Street (on Ohio Street) has been rebuilt and the old WDA/Duke Elliott mural has been replaced. Above is the right side of the piece, which describes the transition from the Woodvale Defence Association to the Ulster Defence Association to the Ulster Freedom Fighters, and grounds all three in the Ulster Defence union of 1893.
In the second image, below, Ewart’s mill, on the Ardoyne side of the Crumlin Rd, can be seen in the background. From the WP page on the Crumlin Rd … “The mill was built for William Ewart, a cotton trader and politician who switched his interests to the production of linen, which at the time became the leading industry in the city. During the Second World War the mill was converted from the production of linen to the manufacture of munitions.” There is a statue diagonally across the street (at the corner of Cambrai and Crumlin Roads) of a millworker.
In 1971 in order to combat an increasingly aggressive republican movement, the WDA amalgamated with a number of other defence groups in form the UDA. This ensured a more organised and coherent response to the onslaught faced by the citizens of Northern Ireland.
The UFF was established in 1973 to take the war to republicanism. With tenacity, courage and resilience the members of the UFF distinguished themselves in battle by striking at the very heart of republican movement and ensuring that the attacks faced by their community didn’t go unanswered.
2013: The genesis of these groups can be traced right back to the formation of the UDU in 1893. Formed to resist Home Rule in the late 19th and 20th centuries, the UDU adapted the motto Quis Separabit. This motto was used by ulster defenders throughout the period known as “the troubles”.
A flyer/poster in the window (of an unmarked unit, but presumably a community resource centre – next to Sam Glenn’s butchers) exhorting residents of the Shankill area to register to vote, part of the recent trend of sentiments expressing Protestant marginalization. (See previously: Carrickfergus panels one | two)
The Israeli flag flies on a fence (along with other flags, not in shot) outside the Eastway social club in Rathcoole. On the wall of the club is a union flag with the letters “CYCFB” standing for “Cloughfern Young Conquerors Flute Band”. The band will next parade in the area on August 17th. The “T” of “Eastway” is the Tennent’s Lager brand.
Shamrock, thistle, and rose are shown in this South East Antrim Ulster Defence Union mural but the daffodil is not, even though the Welsh “Red Dragon” is included alongside the Scottish Saltire, the flag of Northern Ireland, and Queen Elizabeth II’s royal standard.
The Ulster Defence Union was a loyalist organization founded to fight against Home Rule, launched on 17 March 1893. The name is now used by the post-ceasefire UDA (beginning in 2007: Newsletter | Remembrance Day Statement at CAIN).
Two more of the panels next to the new UVF ‘Inclusion’ mural in Carrickfergus, one decrying the use of force against loyalists, the other explaining the composition of the union flag, involving the St. Patrick’s saltire.
Three panels adjacent to the new UVF ‘Inclusion’ mural in Carrickfergus, two of which protest perceived discrimination against Protestants. The panels at left (“End political cencorship [sic] of Ulsters [sic] Protestants”) and right (“Stop PSNI violence & brutality against Ulsters [sic] Protestants”) mention the PSNI, while in the left one the BBC and UTV and the judiciary and courts are mentioned in addition. The sponsoring group – Carrickfergus United Loyalists – have a Facebook page.
Extramural Activity 