“Welcome to the homeland of Tiger’s Bay Loyal flute band. “He is our God, and we are the people.”” Tiger’s Bay Loyal [Fb] is a new flute band, formed in 2025.
Ten local streets are named around the central tiger: Robina Street, Edlingham Street, Mervue Street, Upper Mervue Street, Hallidays Road, Mackey Street, Cosgrave Heights, North Queen Street, Canning Street, Hogarth Street.
For Remembrance Sunday, rows of hand-painted wooden medallions were attached to the railings at West Kirk Presbyterian to pay homage to the dead of the British armed forces.
The 1st Ranger Battalion was formed in 1942 as the United States Army’s equivalent to the British Army’s Commandos and – after training at a camp in Carrickfergus – it saw action in France (at Dieppe (SOF History), resulting in the first US casualties of the war – WP), Algeria, Tunisia, and Italy. (There are four information panels at the Sunnylands shops about the formation and training of the unit.)
The insignia shown – which is here placed on top of the beret patch – is the insignia of the modern (75th Regiment) Rangers, with the lightning-bolt indicating the unit’s quick-strike abilities (SOF History); these are also alluded to by the motto “sua sponte”, meaning “of its/their own accord”.
This new art is by Dan Kitchener (web) in Victoria Parade, Carrickfergus, just outside the train station, produced in co-operation with Wonder Arts, the Communities In Transition programme from the Executive Office (web) and Carrickfergus Alternatives’ Peace Impact Programme (Fb).
It has been criticized by street-artist Wee Nuls (web) as glorifying conflict (ig), a charge the artist rejects, saying that it was produced in co-operation with locals and has been well received by them (MSN). (See also the reactions on the Let’s Talk Loyalism Fb page.)
The tank might be the M4 Sherman “Fury”. The tank appeared in the 2014 film of the same name (Bovington Tank Museum) used by the 66th Armor Regiment under the command of Brad Pitt; the film is perhaps the inspiration for the image (e.g. the scene in which the town of Kirchohsen is captured – youtube).
“Great love hath no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends – John 15:13”
Wreaths were laid for Remembrance Sunday at the base of the stone on Maritime Drive in Carrickfergus, “erected in A.D. 1972 as a memorial to those citizens of the borough who gave their lives in two World Wars, 1914-1918, 1939-1945 and in subsequent conflicts.”
Among those laying wreaths were Mid- And East-Antrim Borough Council, UDR Veterans’ Association, RBP 17, PSNI, Woodburn junior LOL 258, Retired Police Officers’ Association, Ulidia Integrated College, DUP, PUP, UUP, ABOD, Royal Arch Purple, and others.
This year’s internment bonfire in Derry’s Bogside was swathed in flags prior to being set alight. The flags of the UK, Northern Ireland, and Israel can be seen in numbers, as well as flags of the SAS, Paras, IDF, UVF, LVF, UDA, ABOD, various flute bands, King Billy, King Charles, “deport, not support”, and … Bohemians FC, in connection with rioting at a match in July (BBC | BBC).
While it was being built, one person fell from the bonfire and broke a bone (BelTel), and it carried a message of support for Gaza (Derry Journal). The Creggan bonfire caused controversy for a board that named as targets police officer John Caldwell and Tullyally youth Kyle Bonnes who died (in 2010) in the river Faughan while fleeing police (BBC | Ombudsman).
This mural celebrates the Irish-language institutions in west Belfast. From left to right, the buildings by the loch are: Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoıghe, Bunscoıl Phobal Feırste, Raıdıó Fáılte, An Chultúrlann, Teach Ard Na bhFeá, Coláıste Feırste, and Áras Na bhFál. In a sense they are all ripples from the initial drop that was the Shaw’s Road Gaeltacht, established in 1969 and which led quickly to the bunscoıl in 1971 (WP). The NVTv documentary about the Shaw’s Road gaeltacht borrows its title from the slogan motivating the early efforts, “Ná habaır é, déan é” [Don’t say it, do it] – the bunscoıl was not officially recognised until 1985.
Among the pioneers (“ceannródaıthe”) of those early ventures were the Mac Seáın family, who grew up in a house adjacent to the wall on which the new mural is painted: “Tógadh Séamus Mac Seáın, Seán Mac Seáın, agus Caıtlín Mıstéıl (née Mhıc Sheáın) sa teach seo. Bhí an trıúr seo ı measc na gceannródaıthe a bhunaıgh Gaeltacht Bhóthar Seoıghe.”
The mural was commissioned by Spórtlann Na hÉıreann’s Irish-language heritage project “Gael Staır” (Meon Eıle | Belfast Media), with support from Mary’s Gift (Belfast Media), and painted by Aodán Ó Manacháın (Fb). It was unveiled Sunday 10th.
“We stand with Kneecap” – Kneecap have announced a ten-date November tour of Scotland, Wales, and England, adding on to a jam-packed schedule of upcoming gigs that includes a string of European festivals and a tour of the United States. (The trio’s full schedule can be found at their web-site.) In between the France and Belgium dates, on August 20th, Lıam Óg Ó hAnnaıdh will make a different kind of appearance, in court, to face terrorism charges stemming from his display of a Hezbollah flag at a gig.
This tarp is on the Felons’ Club/Cumann Na Méırleach Poblachtach Éıreannach, replacing Seas Leıs An Phalaıstín. The ‘Kneecap Balaclava’ is for sale nearby, while the stencil is in the middle Falls.
“The Shamrock supports Kneecap”. Kneecap member Mo Chara (Lıam Óg Ó hAnnaıdh) appeared in court (in London) last week to face charges of displaying a flag of a proscribed organisation (Hezbollah). He was released on bail and will return on August 20th. (BBC | AP) In the meantime, the group appeared in front of 10,000 fans on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury on Saturday (June 28th) despite criticism from UK prime minister Keir Starmer (BBC).
The Shamrock Sport & Social Club (Fb) in Ardoyne is running a promotion by which people who post their selfies in front of the new mural in supoprt of Kneecap on social media can claim a bottle of Le Grá lager (web).
“The ‘Ulster Military Memorial Arch’ was funded by the generosity of the local business community, local residents, and our friends from Scotland. The arch was designed entirely by the people of the Greater Shankill, and erected to coincide with the 80th anniversary of VE Day 8th May 1945 – 8th May 2025. Our servicemen and women are proudly remembered.” For images of the VE Day launch, see the BelTel.
Pictured on Peter’s Hill side of the arch (bearing the quote “With pride and loyalty they served this land”) are (left to right) … Private Bernard McQuirt (a VC winner in 1858 during the Indian Rebellion) and Lt Colonel John Henry Patterson Monica De Wichfeld (raised in Fermanagh and Danish resistance member), Jessie Roberts (a nurse for the Ulster Volunteers and (in WWI) for the Volunteer Aid Detachment, serving in Birmingham and in Wimereux, France; she gets a very long entry on the info panels around the legs of the arch, as her biography is not available on-line), a (unidentified) nurse, Corporal Channing Day (a medic killed in Afghanistan, 2012), Princess Elizabeth Private William Frederick McFadzean and Sergeant Robert Quigg the tomb of “the unknown warrior” (central panel) Leading Seaman James Joseph Magennis and Lt Colonel Robert Blair ‘Paddy’ Mayne Field Marshal Alan Francis Brooke and Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery Field Marshal Sir Henry Hughes Wilson and Sir James Craig
On the other/Shankill side of the arch, bearing the quote “Throughout the long years of struggle … the men and women of Ulster have proved how nobly they fight and die”, the ‘WWII’ panel includes (top right) Warrant Officer David O’Neill, a Canadian Air Force pilot hailing from Ballymena, lost in 1943, and the ‘Northern Ireland’ panel features (left) Corporal Heather CJ Kerrigan, a UDR Greenfinch killed by the IRA in 1984. These two are also profiled in the info panels around the legs of the arch, along with Corporal Bryan James Budd, a 3rd Para soldier killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, 2006.
Also included is JF Willcocks’s poem Poppies (sometimes called The Inquisitive Mind Of A Child): Why are they selling poppies, Mummy? Selling poppies in town today./The poppies, child, are flowers of love. For the men who marched away./But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy? Why not a beautiful rose?/Because my child, men fought and died in the fields where the poppies grow./But why are the poppies so red, Mummy? Why are the poppies so red?/Red is the colour of blood, my child. The blood that our soldiers shed./The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy. Why does it have to be black?/Black, my child, is the symbol of grief. For the men who never came back./But why, Mummy are you crying so? Your tears are giving you pain./My tears are my fears for you my child. For the world is forgetting again.”
Andersonstown boxer Anto “The Apache” Cacace (ig) successfully defended his IBO super-featherweight title on May 10th, defeating Leigh Wood of (and in) Nottingham (BBC). Cacace originally won the title in May last year (2024) and was honoured by a mural in South Link.
This commercial hoarding depicts Cacace as the godfather, perhaps a reference to his father’s Italian heritage (DAZN) and/or to Joel Cacace of the Colombo mafia in New York (WP).
Extramural Activity 