CNR west Belfast, but not that rising. Rather these two placards on the Falls Road encourage reactions to risings of the Christian kind – we should “repent” our sins even as they forgiven; the shroud of Turin dates to roughly 1300 but is a symbol of Jesus of Nazareth in the tomb between crucifixion and resurrection – and of the inflationary kind – Lasaır Dhearg (web) declares “Costs are rising. And so must we!”
A new braille plaque bearing the now-iconic saying “You are now enterting Free Derry” was unveiled last Tuesday (January 24th) by the founder of Children In Crossfire Richard Moore (featured previously in The Derry Lama) who was blinded in 1972 when he was hit with a rubber bullet.
BUILD Shankill now has a website that promises to provide (in the future) “a full inventory of vacant and derelict land in the area”. In the meantime, the campaign to bring attention to housing issues in the area continues with placards and tarps:
“Our children deserve more than dereliction – Better Understanding In Local Development (BUILD)”
“Did you know? The Shankill has over 80 waste sites the size of 62 football pitches with the space to build 3300 homes. #BuildShankill.” For a mural-sized version of this tarp (in the third image) over one of the pieces of waste ground, see #BuildShankill.
After much delay and finger-pointing (BelTel | Belfast Live) – and this complaint from east Belfast graffitist Hallion – details were published yesterday (December 30th) about how people will receive a £600 pound direct debit (or a voucher redeemable at the Post Office) to help with energy bills (uk.gov). The £600 comprises £400 from the Energy Bills Support Scheme (approved back in April, 2022 – uk.gov) and a £200 “Alternative Fuel Payment” (announced in August – uk.gov). The £200 AFP is due to the high percentage of homes using home-heating oil in Northern Ireland as compared with Britain (Belfast Live).
“Where is our 400 600 quid? Cost of living, innit. – Hallion2″
The young people of Sunnylands (Carrickfergus) are encouraged to “follow your dreams”. On the left, a young man dreams of being a film-maker; on the right, a young woman dreams of being a cosmetician. There is also a lot of soccer: Leeds United, The Northern Ireland team, Glasgow Rangers (“55“), and Carrickfergus Rangers are all included. Follow the example of Scooby Doo, who “don’t doo drugs” and celebrate the centenary of Northern Ireland by “chill”ing in your Orange Order sash on the bonfire (seen previously in Stop Sign).
“Think before you drink” – broken bottles, broken loves, and broken lives in Seymour Hill. Help can be sought from the organisations on the adjacent board: FRANK, ASCERT, Community Addiction Team, FASA, and Daisy.
Noah Donohoe would have been 17 last Friday (November 25th). The inquest had been due to start on the 28th, but after the Coroner Joe McCrisker ruled at the end of October that it should take place in front of a jury, a preliminary hearing will be held on December 9th at which a new date might be set (Belfast Media | Sunday World).
“90% of young people in this area say (based on consultation with 250 young people) it’s easy to access drugs/alcohol. Are you surprised?” For more on this campaign by Greater Shankill Youth Connects (Fb) promoting their “Shankill Talks” forums, see Belfast Live.
What’s most unusual here is the tree cross-section (or “tree disk”) (on the left) that has been decorated with a hooded gunman and the insignia of the (east Belfast) UVF and YCV – the final image shows a close-up.
“The uniform may have changed but the cause remains the same. Ulster Volunteer Force. Fallen, not forgotten.” There is a very close variant of this wording on a mural in Bowtown (Newtownards).
RTÉ has video of James Callaghan touring the Bogside (9m 40s onwards) in August 1969, during which the crowd sings We Shall Overcome, originally a hymn in the US but by 1969 the anthem of the civil rights movements around the world. The white handkerchief waved by Edward Daly ahead of four men carrying the body of Jackie Duddy on Bloody Sunday has become emblematic of the day, as it was shown on televsion coverage and in the Fulvio Grimaldi photograph that was used for the Bloody Sunday/Civil Rights mural next to Free Derry Corner.
“Maggie smoothes and folds/A white cotton handkerchief/For a priest’s pocket.//Women have laid out/Their menfolk’s prized Sunday best/For Mass and the march.//Flocking in chapel/A last communion wafer/Soft-melts on their tongues.//Under blue-crisp skies/Voices rise in unison – /We shall overcome.//Silent coffins weep/What was the price of protest?/Only everything – Rosaline Callaghan”
Painted by Peaball (Fb) in Rossville Street, Derry.
Extramural Activity 