cultural

They Sleep Beyond Ulster’s Foam

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Here are three details from the metalworks in the Mount Vernon WWI memorial garden, showing scenes from the conflict and a map of the area around Messines (photoshopped in red). For more, including the panels to John Cordon and William McFadzean, see M07770.

Update: As the images below from 2017 and 2018 show, the metalworks themselves have also been repainted (and replaced in a slightly different configuration), a new gate has been installed and the boards on the surrounding wall have been restored, against a freshly-painted background of green. The boards have verses from Laurence Binyon’s For The Fallen. “They mingle not with their laughing comrades again/They sit no more at familiar tables of home/They have no lot in our labour of the day-time/They sleep beyond Ulster’s [originally, England’s] foam.”

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Copyright © 2011/2017/2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Victoria By The Seaside

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Queen Victoria and entourage paddle along the Irish shore at the end of the Great Hunger. (Here are one | two discussions of her visit and (un)involvement with famine relief.) Work by Rosie McGurran (Fb) in Linden Street, Belfast.

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Copyright © 2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Under Ben Madigan

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Titanic sails (impossibly) between the Giant’s Causeway (on the left) and one of the Harland & Wolff cranes – all under Napoleon’s Nose and Cave Hill.

This mural replaced a UDA mural in Downing Street, Belfast.

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Copyright © 2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Flight Of The Earls

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In 1607 – “400 blıaın” after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland – 50 years of newly-asserted English control, most recently at the hands of Charles Blount – who defeated the pair in the Nine Years’ War – and Arthur Chichester – who, as O’Donnell is shown reading, was “appointed Lord Deputy in Ireland” in 1605 – compelled Earls Hugh O’Neill of Tyrone and Rory O’Donnell of Tyrconnell to depart Ireland on a ship bound for Spain in order to petition for Spanish support in reclaiming the lands and status they were losing under English rule. They ended up in Rome instead and never returned, ending the period of Gaelic chiefs’ rule in Ireland and making way for the plantation of Ulster.

The pair of plaques on the left indicate that the mural was painted as part of the Re-Imaging Communities Programme’ (top) and launched by President Mary McAleese on June 19th (bottom). Even though the subject was historical, the state funding for the project required the removal of a sword from O’Neill’s right hand; he is shown instead clutching the collar of his cloak. For more on the re-imaging programme, see Visual History 10.

“Imeacht na nIarlaí. I ndıadh 400 blıaın … that the eternal values of liberty and democracy have prevailed and the sons and daughters of the planter and the Gael have found a way to share the land of their birth and live together in peace.”

Ardoyne Avenue, Belfast

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Is Fearr Gaeılge Bhrıste Ná Béarla Clıste

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“Broken Irish is preferable to skilful English”, itself written in somewhat broken Irish. In each corner is a gold ring (fáınne óır), sometimes worn by fluent Irish-speakers. The top hat and the ?daisies? alongside the harp, shamrock, and ?flute? are unusual; if you can explain their appearance here, please comment or get in touch.

Iveagh Youth mural in Iveagh Drive/Céıde Uíbh Eachach

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Celtic Football Club

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Glasgow Celtic football club was founded in 1888 by Brother Walfrid who is partially obscured here by a leaf to the left of centre. Joining him in the apex are (from left to right) Charlie Tully (of Belfast and Glasgow Celtic), Willie Maley (the first manager), [Wilfrid], Billy McNeil lifting the European Cup in 1967, Jock Stein (player 1951-1957 and manager 1965-1978). On the field are former players Henrik Larsson (1997-2004) and Jimmy Johnstone (1962-1965) on either side of the team “doing the huddle”.

Friendly Street, south Belfast

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The People’s Champion

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Alex “Hurricane” Higgins died on July 24th, and a new mural has been painted in his memory outside The Royal at the top of Sandy Row (shown above).

It joins a slightly older mural on Donegall Avenue, at the end of the street where Higgins grew up, Abingdon Street (which is now Abingdon Drive).

Both are near the clubs where he learned the game – the Jam Pot and the YMCA – before going on to twice become world snooker champion, in 1972 and 1982. He was a heavy smoker and suffered mouth and throat cancers. (WP)

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Gary Hamilton

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“Gary Hamilton – world kickboxing champion – www.prokick.com“. Hamilton held the featherweight full contact world title from 2002-2009 (WP). The Prokick gym is in east Belfast.

Broadway, Village, south Belfast.

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Stand United Or Hang Alone

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Above and below are images from the August 15th (feast of the assumption) march of the Ancient Order Of Hibernians, taken at Milltown Cemetery where AOH leader Joe Devlin is buried. The first two show  banners of the Gortrighey division (387) – the first includes an image of a priest celebrating the nativity on Christmas morning at a mass rock in the penal days which is also reproduced in an Ardoyne mural. The Glassdrummand banner shown next includes a very similar image.

We then have two showing the assumption of our lady, the first from the first Derry division and the second from Rosnashane.

The final banner, from Randalstown, shows ‘Our Lady Queen Of Ireland”.

The final two images are of the lapels of a well-traveled Newry member, with badges from Michigan and Pennsylvania alongside a pike (1798), an easter lily (1916) and commemorations of Bloody Sunday and the hunger strikers, and of the side entrance to the local Clonard AOH lodge, division 58, which hosted the gathering.

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bleed Black & White

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St Oliver Plunkett FC, [founded] 1969, (Fb) with portraits of Philip Mulryne, Anton Rogan, Jim Magillen, Paul McVeigh, Jackie, next to Lenadoon Park, where the team plays its home games.

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Copyright © 2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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