Men In Black

2014-08-25 SEAntrimUFF+

Two masked men with assault rifles flank the red fist and white star emblem of the Ulster Freedom Fighters. The figure on the left is shown in detail below. The South East Antrim UDA’s tumultuous history is substantial enough to warrant its own WP page.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Scaırt Amach

2014-08-09 ScairtAmach+

Scaırt Amach (“Shout Out”) is a magazine containing articles by republican prisoners in Portlaoise, Maghaberry, and Hydebank prisons. The cover is reproduced in the mural above on the International Wall.

Replaces the black-and-white ‘End Internment’ mural and between Where Is The World? and The Sagart.

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Third-Class Citizens

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Hugh Smyth OBE was born in the Woodvale area and represented the upper Shankill as an Independent Unionist and then a Progressive Unionist in Belfast City Council for forty-one years, until the year before his death in May 2014, including a term as Lord mayor in 1994-1995 – he is pictured in the main image (above) in his mayoral robes.

The portrait on the right (shown solo below) was taken by Bobbie Hanvey and is kept in a Boston College archive; more from the archive of 50,000 images can be seen at BC.edu and on Flickr.

As the quote (shown in the final image below) indicates, his politics were oriented towards the working class: “Historically, Unionist politicians fed their electorate the myth that they were first class citizens…  and without question people believed them. Historically, Republican/Nationalist politicians fed their electorate the myth that they were second class citizens… and without question the people believed them. In reality, the truth of the matter was that we all, Protestant and Catholic, were third class citizen, and none of us realised it!” The board was officially launched on June 19th.

Replaces 90 Years Of Resistance.

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X02044 X02045 X02046 canmore st 40 years’ service to the people of the shankill 1939-2014

Kieran Doherty

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Kieran Doherty died on this date (August 2nd) 1981 after 73 days on hunger-strike. The new mural above depicts scenes from his funeral on 1981-08-04. The portrait of Doherty in the top left replaces a similar one in the same location; the plaque at the portrait’s top-right corner remains from before. The angled panel shows Doherty’s parents, Alfie and Margaret.

Below are two details – the hearse and the volley – taken in early July but at that time largely complete. At this time, the (in-progress) mural drew criticism for featuring masked gunmen (BBC |  Tele). Finally, there is a shot of the whole wall at an early stage.

There is video of the launch on youtube.

The photograph on which the central panel is based is by Derek Spiers; see also this set at hungerstrikes.org. The volley took place outside the Doherty family home in nearby Commedagh Drive (Belfast Media).

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X02030 X02017 X02018 X02016 vol. kieran doherty t.d. oglaigh na heireann age 25 commenced his hunger strike on may 22 and tragically died on sunday afternoon 2 aug 1981 was elected by the people of cavan and monaghan in their support of the prisoners campaign for political status bobby sand francis hughes raymond mccreesh patsy o’hara joe mcdonnell martin hurson kevin lynch thomas mcelwee michael devine we support the hunger strikers it is not those who inflict the most but those who endure the most who shall conquer in the end terence macswiney

Freedom In Arabic

2014-08-03 McQuillanResistance+

“Oppression breeds resistance”, in the form of Leila Khaled and an IRA gunman, and a clenched fist in the colours of the Palestinian flag. This is a new pro-Gaza mural in McQuillan Street with Irish “Tıocfaıdh ár lá” [our day will come] and Arabic “يومنا قادم” [our day is coming] (and in the shields “Saoırse” and “حرية”[freedom]).

The artist is DD Walker (“Rebel Rebel”), who painted the “Against Established Law” Che Guevara mural last (2013) October which this replaces.

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Stoneyford

2014-06-24 StonyfordFlag+

An Ulster Banner tops an electrical pole in Stoneyford sporting a picture of an Orange Order collarette and the red hand in barbed wire of the Loyalist Prisoners Association.

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Fallen Comrades

2014-06-28 INLAFallen+

INLA volunteers Paul McCann, Matt McLarnon, Danny Loughran, and Gino Gallagher are commemorated in a new board unveiled today (2014-06-29) on Northumberland Street. The work shows the four in uniform against a backdrop of Divis flats, St. Peters, and the plough in the stars. Information about the deaths of each of the four can be found via this IRSP page. The IRSP/Teach na Fáilte sponsored the piece, which is by Fra Maher and covers over the centre part of the yellow IRSP mural. Maher also did the anti-fascist/Spanish civil war mural  at the left edge of the image above.

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X02000 republican socialist ex-prisoners support group seamus costello 1939-1977 i owe my allegiance to the working class

More British Troops

“There are more British troops in Ireland than in Iraq.” Éırígí (web) stencil in Slemish Way, Belfast.

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Re-Replaced

2014-05-30 KevinLynch+

The images below (taken in January 2014) show part of the old Kevin Lynch mural revealed by the removal of the board that was part of the Marian Price mural (featured previously). The new version of the Lynch mural – shown above – is almost identical to the previous one. It shows Lynch’s likeness framed by the red star and yellow background of the IRSP (Irish Republican Socialist Party) – see also the Mickey Devine mural in Mount Pottinger.

For background information on Lynch – INLA member and hunger-striker – see this post featuring a Lynch mural in Dún Geımhın/Dungiven.

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PSNI Out

“Republican lower Ormeau – PSNI out.”

Graffiti in Dromara Street, south Belfast.

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