graffiti/writing

Charlatans Wear Dead Men’s Shoes And Rattle Dead Men’s Bones

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Queen’s University’s “Agreement 25” conference wrapped up yesterday with speeches from Bill Clinton, Hilary Clinton, Ursula von der Leyen, Charles Michel, Joe Kennedy III, Leo Varadkar, and Rishi Sunak. The anniversary is commemorated slightly differently on Free Derry Corner: “GFA25 – partition is injustice. ‘In the ashes of our broken dreams we’ve lost sight of our goal’, the republic!”

The quotation is from Liam Weldon’s song ‘Dark Horse On The Wind’ (youtube).

For the braille, see A Wall For All.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
X12246 X12247 X12245

Alternative Ulster

Extramural Activity2 Comments

“Where is our Alternative Ulster?” Alternative Ulster was a fanzine (Fb | Musical Revolutions) and later a magazine (Issuu) and radio show covering the Belfast music and arts scene until March 2012; the name was then used for the Stiff Little Fingers’ song (youtube) in 1978. By Verz (Fb) and Belfast One (web) in Fountain Street, Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X10718

The United Nations

Extramural Activity1 Comment

A trio of international causes aimed at the visiting Joe Biden, president of the United States, from Gael Force Art and People Before Profit. What’s new here is the “No 2 NATO” under the Irish Tricolour. The other two parts have been on the mountain previously: the Cuban flag with “unblock Cuba” reprises the maassive Cuban flag on the mountain in 2021, which was depicted in the La Solidaridad Invariable mural on Divis St, and the Palestinian flag with “BDS” [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] in 2018’s #BDS.

The third image shows the Cuban flag being rolled out; Bayview Media has a video of the installation on twitter.

For more on Biden’s visit, see Joe Biden, Globalist.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X12227 [X12221] X12222 X12228

Derry Remembers

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Why did you do it? Have you not the guts to say?” The question is for David Holden, who in 1988 was an 18-year-old Grenadier Guardsman, manning a checkpoint in Aughnacloy, Co. Tyrone. On February 21st, Holden shot Aidan McAnespie as he was walking to the nearby GAA club. Holden was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence (BBC | Belfast Live) and was sentenced in February to three years, suspended for three years. The family expressed disappointment, saying that Holden did give a clear account of what happened nor express remorse (Sky News | Journal). Holden has now decided to appeal his conviction (BBC | RTÉ).

See previously: Operation Banner.

The lark in barbed wire is used here not as a symbol of political prisoners but of the struggle for justice in the UK system. (See the Visual History page on the lark and the dove.)

Also visible is the recently-added Braille translation of “You are now entering Free Derry”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
X12142 X12139 X12140 X12141

Seymour Hill In The Wars

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Seymour Hill WWII mural will be 14 years old this coming July (2023) but it is hanging on fairly well. It is quite faded – especially the parachutes at the top – but there is no graffiti on the wall itself, only on the wall below it. For the mural when new and information about the US camp and portrait of Colditz prisoner William Harbinson, see M04776.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11913 X11906 [X11907] [X11908] X11909 X11910 X11911 X11914 [X11912]

Season’s Greetings From Belfast

Extramural Activity4 Comments

“Merry Christmas, yis cunts yis” – happy holidays from Belfast city centre. Stan Carey from the blog Strong Language suggests the name “pronominal split reduplication” for the repeated “yis”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11961 X11960

Where’s Our 600 Quid?

Extramural Activity1 Comment

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″

Previous work by Hallion: Wash Your Hands | It Hasn’t Gone Away | Wear A Mask Or The Easter Bunny Gets It | к черту Путина/Thran Rights Nai. For the fake shop-fronts, see previously: Semiotics.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11935 lord of the pigeons

It’s Christmas After All

Extramural Activity1 Comment

“Merry Christmas from the loyalist Village – fuck the protocol – FGAU”.

More recent anti-Protocol graffiti – see Peace Or Protocol – and posters – A Return To Violence (for most background) and Political Leaders Are Not Listening.

Glenmachan Street, Belfast, just below Frenchpark Street.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11962

Political Leaders Are Not Listening

Extramural Activity1 Comment

Here is a second set of images showing the “peace or protocol” poster that has appeared in PUL areas in the city, three in east Belfast – along the Newtownards Road. Two others in north Belfast were seen previously in A Return To Violence, which also explains the poster.

For the murals along “Freedom Corner” see 50th Anniversary; for the black-and-white mural, see Please Pay Here. See also Choose One Or The Other.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11932 X11933 X11934 X11936 X11951 X11938

No Room At The Inn

Extramural Activity1 Comment

“PSNIRA Out” graffiti below the Holiday Inn in Sandy Row, Belfast.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X11888