Onwards & Upwards

Here are two images of the four-leaf clover used by Ardoyne Youth Club (tw) as their emblem. The image above shows the doors of the club off Havana Way, while the one below is from the recently-completed mural at the top of the road Stronger Together. Compare with the emblem of Celtic FC, as in Just Can’t Get Enough.

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Crom Abú

O’Donovan Rossa GAC (web | tw | Fb) dates back to 1916, just one year after the death of republican Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa (at whose funeral Padraig Pearse gave the oration – “The fools, the fools …”). “Crom abú” is a war-cry of the ancient FitzGeralds as they attacked the O’Donovan fortress at Crom, Co. Limerick. Some of those fleeing eventually settled in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork, which is where Jeremiah was born in 1831. The sword is a symbol of justice, the snake of wisdom.

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Our Wee Country

The Irish Football Association (web | tw) is the governing body for Northern Irish soccer, overseeing both domestic and international events. The original Our Wee Country (fan organisation Web | tw) mural was in Carnforth Street, east Belfast. For another and one of the emblem with Ulster banner and Union flags, see Irish Football Association and Our Wee Country.

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Hoops, Stripes, Rings

Lisburn boxer James “The Assassin” Tennyson, current Irish super-featherweight champion, (BoxRec | tw) provides the centre-piece between soccer and gaelic games in this Glenbawn mural: on the left, the Celtic Boys Club (tw | web), established 1983) and Gaelic games club Seán Uí Mhistéil (web | Fb) originally formed in the New Lodge in 1899.

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Stronger Together

Here are eight images of the new Ardoyne mural featuring (from left to right in the image below) Ardoyne Youth Club, Ard Eoın Kickhams, and the John Paul II Youth Club as alternatives to bullying, racism, homophobia, addiction and other social ills. In addition to Irish dancing, soccer, and Gaelic games, there are also images of young people practicing martial arts, DJing, and boxing.

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X04699 X04698 X04697 X04700 X04701 X04666 X04672 X04696 Havana Way Ardoyne Youth Enterprise

School Of Champions

Olympic boxing champion (and former Ireland soccer player) Katie Taylor is currently 6-0 in her professional career. Her image is being used here as an inspiration (or warning?) to the children of Victoria nursery in the New Lodge. She was also featured in a mural outside Coláiste Feirste in west Belfast.

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Come On You Boys In Green

New Lodge soccer club St Patrick’s (Fb) have a new mural on the New Lodge Road, painted earlier this month by Ed Reynolds (steadyhanded.com | tw).

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Bunscoıl Croí Sácráılte

Fáılte go dtí bunscoıl Croí Sácráılte (Welcome to Sacred Heart primary school). Three school-children are shown in Cliftonville soccer and Antrim hurling strips, as well as in the school’s black uniform.

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Ard Mhacha

Armagh were All-Ireland Senior Football champions in 2002, beating Kerry by 1-12 to 14 points – their first and (so far) only All-Ireland.

For the Ryan Burnett board to the right in the wide shot, see Undisputed Champion.

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Undisputed Champion

Belfast’s Ryan Burnett is IBF bantamweight world champion. What was initially given as a split decision was later corrected to unanimous due to a judge mixing up the boxers on his card (Telegraph). The mural above, by Glen Molloy, is on Cassidy’s on the Antrim Road, near Bearnageeha where Burnett (and Paddy Barnes) went to school.

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