painted wall

Horsey Hill

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The Lagan river between Belfast and Lisburn was made navigable in 1763 after seven years of work. The remaining distance between there and Lough Neagh (and the coalfields of east Tyrone, which were connected to Lough Neagh and then Portadown and Newry) required a canal, which finally opened on January 1st, 1794. The were 27 locks on the route between Belfast and the lough, and horses walking on the tow-parth would pull the barges up river (WP | Lagan Valley | Lagan Navigation has photographs of horses at work). Horsey Hill was perhaps the site of stables in south Belfast; it is now the name of the alley that continues on towards the river from the Ukraine sunflower mural off Harrow Street in the Holylands.

Forward South Partnership/Connor McKernan’s video about the history of the Holylands, including Horsey Hill, can be seen on youtube.

Painted by Daniela Balmaverde (ig) and DMC. At the bottom of Horsey Hill, along the embankment, are Animals Two By Two.

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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Sister Clare’s Prayer

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This is the second mural in Derry to Sister Clare Crockett – the first was in her Brandywell home (see All Or Northing!) while this one is in Shantallow.

Crockett became a nun in 2001 and died in 2016 at the age of 33 in an earthquake in Ecuador – the mass for the seventh anniversary of her death was held last month (youtube).

A documentary film about Crockett’s life is available on youtube.

(Update, Jan 2025: Crockett is to be beatified – Irish Times)

Painted by Razer (ig) in Racecourse Road, Shantallow, Derry.

The info board reads:

“Sr Clare Crockett was born in Derry 14th November 1982. The daughter of Gerard and Margaret Crockett. During a Holy Week Retreat in Spain in the year 2000 she experienced the intensity of the Lord’s Death and Resurrection that led to a deep conversion of her life. Sr Clare entered the Servant Sisters of the House of the Mother 11th August 2001. She went to found a new community in Jacksonville, Florida in October 2006. Sr Clare took Perpetual vows 8th September 2010. In 2014, Sr Clare undertook the mission in Ecuador. She died in an Earthquake, protecting her pupils 16th April 2016. She was buried in Derry 2nd May 2016.”

“Sister Clare’s Prayer: Heavenly Father, for your Glory, that or [of] your beloved Son, that of the Holy Spirit and that of the Mother Of God, we ask that grant us the grace (mention your request in the silence of your heart) … as a sign that the life of our Sister Clare Theresa Crockett has been pleasing to you on this earth and that she is now rejoicing with you in Heaven. We ask this through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

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Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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One Struggle!

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“Ireland – Palestine – one struggle!” Carlos Latuff’s Belfast piece with Rısteard Ó Murchú about Palestinian hunger-striker Khader Adnan was featured yesterday in They Hungered For Justice And Freedom. Here is the piece Latuff did on Free Derry Corner with local artist Razer (Fb), showing Irish and Palestinian hands together throwing a Molotov cocktail.

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Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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Ready To Rumble

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Art by Danny Rumbl (ig), HMConstance (ig), KMG (ig), Zippy (ig), Codo (ig), and various writers on the Cupar Way “peace” line, on top of pieces from last year by Bust, Lobster, and others – New Levels, Same Devils.

For a history of the wall, see State Art Vs Graffiti On The West Belfast “Peace” Line.

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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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They Hungered For Justice And Freedom

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Long-time Palestinian activist and former spokesperson for Islamic Jihad Khader Adnan died on May 2nd, at the age of 45, after 87 days on hunger strike in Ramla prison, in central Israel (Al Jazeera).

This was Adnan’s fifth time on hunger strike. In 2017, he spent 58 days on hunger strike and in 2015, 56 days. The strike in 2011-2012 lasted 66 days, during which time a mural was painted just to left of the mural shown here, featuring Adnan and Hanna Shalabi; they, along with many other prisoners, were on hunger strike to protest the “administrative detention” (imprisonment without trial) of more than 300 Palestinians – see Administrative Detention. Earlier, shorter, strikes took place in 2002 and in 2000, when he was imprisoned by the Palestinian National Authority for directing a protest against Lionel Jospin, then French Prime Minister (Gulf News).

According to Amnesty International, there are currently more than 1,000 Palestinians being held on ‘administrative detention’ (Amnesty).

As can be seen from the in-progress shots below, Rısteard Ó Murchú painted Latuff’s cartoon, with Latuff looking on.

Cartoons by Latuff himself, in Belfast: Pacifying The Six Counties and in Derry: Killing With Impunity.
Latuff-based murals: The Butcher’s Apron | Do Not Disturb | Hand Across The Yard. Poster: End Impunity

This mural takes the place of the No To PII mural on the “International Wall”, Divis Street – see the Visual History page for the wall.

Also included is a “March for Palestine – 75 Years Of Nakba” poster on the Saber Al-Ashkar mural.

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The Spiritual And The Temporal

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Work by emic (ig) in Castle Lane, Belfast, perhaps picking up a theme from Friz’s Under The Cherry Blossoms in Castle Arcade which focused on the castle and grounds in the era of Arthur Chichester. Chichester’s castle burned down in 1708 and by 1800 the castle and its grounds were vanishing under buildings akin to the nearby corn market and Belfast entries (WP).

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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Hit The North – Union Street

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This is a gallery of the new Hit The North pieces on Union Street south of Kent Street. There is a separate post for the new pieces on Union Street north of Kent Street.

From north to south (top to bottom in this post) the works are by:
Conor McClure (ig)
All The Doodz (ig)
Wee Nuls (ig)
Glen Molloy x2 (ig)
Hixxy (ig)
Ed Hicks (ig) – on the Sunflower side of the street
Danny Rumbl (ig)
NOL (ig)
Andrey Palval (ig)

[Nol faces] see the Paddy Duffy collection

[Owl] see the Paddy Duffy collection

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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Hit The North – Kent Street

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Here is a gallery of the new pieces from Hit The North 2023 on the north side of Kent Street (there is a separate post for the south side and there is a separate post at Paddy Duffy’s site for Kent Street above Union Street).

From left to right (top to bottom in this post), the artists are:

Zippy (ig)
Alana McDowell (ig)
Asbestos (ig)
Angry Dan (ig)
?TMN krew?
Sufek West
Hallion – “Цe нaшe поле до біса” [this is our hell on earth] – a common description of the battle for Bakhmut by Ukranian soldiers (AP | France24 | CNN); this was the last of several slogans painted by Hallion throughout the festival (tw)
RASK (ig) + STER (ig) + SUMS (ig)

[writing]

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Ceci N’Est Pas Une Pint (Hit The North – Wasteground)

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Davd J McMillan (ig) returned to Belfast from Bristol for HTN2023, which this year used the interior walls of the wasteground opposite the Sunflower. The writing appears to read “Ce nas pas une pint” but based on the pipe in the other hand, presumably should be “Ceci n’est pas une pint” in homage to Magritte’s famous non-pipe “Treachery Of Images” (or perhaps, based on the sketch, “Je n’ai pas une pint”).

Also included are various pieces of graffiti art, including a tiger-cat by PENS (ig) and a red-nosed boy by KVLR (ig).

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Copyright © 2023/2025 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Fox’s Classier Tints

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Annatomix (web) painted a giant fox for HTN23 over DanLeo’s 2016 Palm Cockatoo and (as the wide shot below shows) next to BUST’s Dry Gin.

Union Street, Belfast.

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