“Free Maduro! Free Flores! Prisoners of war.” Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn (New York) detention centre since they entered “not guilty” pleas on January 5th. The next hearing has been moved from March 17th to March 26th (Roya).
This is a Lasaır Dhearg (web) banner in the railings of the Falls Park, next to the Ógra Shınn Féın (web) banner shown in Hands Off Venezuela.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15892
“Hands off Venezuela – Dlúthpháırtíocht le muınt[ı]r Veınıséala [Solidarity with the people of Venezuela]” Commentary from Ógra Shınn Féın (web) on the recent US actions against Venezuela, which have included attacks on small boats beginning in September 2025 (WP), an embargo on oil leaving the country announced in December 2025 (Guardian), and most recently (January 2nd) air-strikes on targets in and around Caracas and the capture of Nicolás Meduro and Cilia Flores (BBC). After the removal of Meduro, US President Donald Trump said that the US would run Venezuela and that between 30 and 50 million barrels-worth of Venezuelan oil would be shipped to the US, sold, and the proceeds disbursed by Trump himself “to ensure it used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States” (AP).
For a history of the image, which shows a Venezuelan hand grabbing a US hand, see England, Get Out Of Ireland.
Falls Road, west Belfast
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15874
“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.
The banner itself is in Mervue Street. The Tiger’s Bay First Flute mural remains.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15854 X15853
“25 years from home. In proud and loving memory of Inky & Candy. Gone but not forgotten.”
October 2000 was a violent month in Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast, as the UDA and UVF feuded. David “Candy” Annesley (commonly known as David Greer – BelTel) was shot in Mountcollyer Street on October 28th by the UVF. On the 31st, Bertie Rice, veteran UVF member and canvasser for the PUP, was killed by the UDA at his Canning Street house. Later the same day, Tommy “Inky” English – UDA commander in north Belfast who had previously lived in Tiger’s Bay – was shot death by the UVF at his Ballyduff home. Mark Quail of the UVF was shot in Rathcoole on November 1st. (BBC | BBC | WP) There were fears that the feud would end (An Phoblacht) but it was formally ended on December 15th, with a joint statement by both groups (RTÉ).
This twenty-fifth anniversary tarp is on the multi-use pitch on North Queen Street at Upper Canning Street.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15799 X15801 X15802 X15800
“Support Gaza”, “Human rights for Gaza”. Supper for Gazans on a placard and a tarp on the railings in Lecky Road, below the Bloody Sunday mural.
Lecky Road, Bogside, Derry
The trailer with “Israeli war criminals” and an old stencil of “DUP, go back to work” is on Clooney Road at the Caw roundabout.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
X15775 X15776 X15777 X15777
This is a new tarp on Dee Street, east Belfast, in which a child asks a sleeping lion to “wake up”. Both are wrapped in the Union Flag. The (probable) context for the image is the idea that foreigners – and in particular, non-white, non-Christian, foreigners – have been moving to the UK and that over time their numbers have increased, without much notice, to such a level that English (or more broadly, the UK) people need to rouse themselves in order to notice and counter this.
We have a working principle that the level of investment in a piece’s production is an indicator of the extent to which the producer(s) believes it will be accepted (or at least countenanced) by the community in which it appears. This printed tarp is, as far as we know, the most sophisticated expression of anti-immigrant feeling so far (or at least, the most expensive to produce). Prior to this, there have been placards (One Big Clean-Up | Not A Dumping Ground | If Necessary We Must Shed Blood), a simple stencil (I Was A Stranger), a short-lived printed paste-up (Multiculturalism Is Genocide), and various appearances of “locals only” graffiti (2025 | 2024 | 2014 | 2014). According to a 2023 study from KCL, 32% of UK residents think the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory is “definitely” or “probably” true, while 22% of Irish people (in 2024) think so (Gript/Electoral Commission).
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15762 X15763
“The PSNI has arrested and charged almost twice as many ‘Catholics’ than ‘Protestants’ in recent years. Degrading spit hoods used 2.5 times more on ‘Catholics’ than ‘Protestants’. There is nothing ‘normal’ about the PSNI”.
This Lasaır Dhearg (web) tarp was mounted on the hoarding around Casement Park in Andersonstown and was quickly removed. (See Build Casement Now!) Below is a stencil with the same message on the Falls Road.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15617 X15659
“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.
For a Kneecap chocolate bar, see Seas Le Kneecap. See also Free Palestine/Victory To Kneecap.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15654 X15652
The central space in Ardoyne’s Easter Rising centenary wall, combining stencils of the signatories to the Proclamation around a tarp of the document (see In Commemoration Of 1916) has been empty – except for some electoral signs – since 2019’s board marking the centenary of Sınn Féın (see Still The People Spoke). This new tarp returns to the Proclamation and Easter lily and matches the frame of signatories once more.
The last full mural on the wall fell down in 2014 and there does not appear to have been the energy to paint another full mural since then – but perhaps the fading paint around Clarke and Connolly will provoke a complete re-do.
For the stone in the right-hand corner, see the Peter Moloney collection.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15458
At the heart of this east Belfast homage to the healing power of soccer are German and British soldiers shaking hands over a ball in ‘no man’s land’ on the Western Front, on Christmas Day, 1914. The image is not from a contemporary photograph but a modern one of a 2014 sculpture depicting such an even by Andy Edwards (TruceStatue) (who also did the Pat Jennings sculpture in Newry – seen in Pat Jennings). For more images of the WWI soccer statue, see WWI Cemeteries.
It’s not clear that matches between opposing forces – rather than simple fraternisation – were actually played; see Wikipedia for a review of the evidence.
Dee Street, east Belfast.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15350 X15349 [X15351]
Extramural Activity 