painted wall

Áras Uí Chonghaıle

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James Connolly worked in Belfast from 1910 or 1911 to 1916 as a labour organizer, before being executed on May 12th, 1916, for his part in the Easter Rising. He lived in Glenalina Terrace on the Falls Road (An Phoblacht | the plaque over the door) a few blocks above the visitor centre in his honour which opened in spring 2019. (There is video from each of the Official Opening and the Grand Opening, which NVTv also covered extensively.)

The new mural shown here is on the International Wall on Divis Street, next to Welcome To West Belfast and Merdeka.

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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Welcome To West Belfast

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Tourists to West Belfast/Feırste Thıar are given a tour of the sights on a black taxi tour: (clockwise from left) the entrance to Milltown Cemetery at the edge of Andersonstown, a trio of murals (the Bobby Sands mural on the side of the Sınn Féın offices; the Easter Rising mural in Beechmount Ave; the Acht Anoıs fáınne on Divis Street (also in Ardoyne)) with a march taking place, Cultúrlann McAdam-Ó Fıaıch, gaelic football and hurling, Divis tower, Conway mill, and the Falls library. This is the third such tourist mural in the area, after one at Divis tower (Gateway To West Belfast) and one on the offices of Fáılte Feırste Thıar (Go West! | Fáılte Feırste Thıar | The Conlan Revolution).

Replaces Willowbank Huts from the centenary mural.

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A Living Hell For Children

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Civil war continues in Yemen with 111 soldiers killed, allegedly by Houthi rebels, in a missile attack on a military mosque on January 18th (BBC). The country remains the country with the most humanitarian need: according to the UN, 24 million people, 80% of the population, are in need. The mural on west Belfast’s International Wall from April 2019 has been completed with the flags of Spain, Canada, and China being added to those of the US, UK, and France on the missiles raining down (now in two ranks) on civilians, blood dripping from cash-filled Saudi hands, and a UNICEF statistic included in our original post: “1 child dies every 10 minutes as a result of the war in Yemen”

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The Price Of Art

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Rob Hilken’s (web) ‘Spicy Hot Cash’ (next to Verz’s big fishie web) might have had the imprimatur of Belfast crew TMN when it was painted in May last year for HTN 2019, but ROMPS thinks the money has run out.

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Ulster Tourist

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In 1777 Viscount Enniskillen built Bundoran Lodge as a summer home (now called Homefield House) and set a trend that made Bundoran town one of Ireland’s top resorts. To accommodate the increase in tourism, hotels sprung up, including the 1830 Ulster Tourist House. The building still stands, but has long since ceased to function as a hotel.

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Copyright © 2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Joint Forces

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At the end of September, York Road Historical Society (which does not appear to have an on-line presence) launched a new garden of remembrance to British WWI service-members in the “Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force”, symbolised by the crest of Strategic Command (formerly the Joint Forces Command).

The garden is next to the Times Bar (one | two | three | four | five) and opposite Arts For All/John Luke Gallery (one | two | three).

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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06950 X06949 “”I am not an Ulsterman but yesterday 1st July as I followed their amazing attack I felt I would rather be an Ulsterman than anything else in the world” – Captain Wilfred [Wilfrid] Spender, the Somme 1916.” at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them lest we forget

Better To Die On Your Feet

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UDA volunteers in balaclavas stand ready to defend Erskine Park (Ballyclare) against forces from the south. “South East Antrim Brigade – “Better to die on your feet than to live on your knees in an Irish republic.” (A slogan from Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata.)

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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06940 X06939 [X06938] X06937 John Stewart 

Turning Towards The Sun

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Sunflowers fare better than stoney-faced humans in the glare of the sun. Street art (perhaps by Niko the TMN member and one-time graffitist) on the outside wall of the Red Barn Gallery, off Rosemary Street.

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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Jonathan Rea

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Jonathan Rea, riding for Kawasaki, became Superbike World Champion for a fifth consecutive time with wins in the final three stops of the year, in France, Argentina, and Qatar (WP). He grew up in Ballynure, near Ballyclare. (Belfast Live has a profile.) This mural, by Noel Morrison (Fb), is in Blenheim Drive in the Westwinds estate, Newtownards. (BelTel has a write-up. BBC Bikes has video showing Morrison adding “2019” to the mural after Rea’s recent win.)

The mural replaces The Union Jack. There is a small piece to rider Joey Dunlop at the shops – see The Pride Of Ulster.

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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06860 X06859 housing executive westwinds social and cultural

Merdeka

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Merdeka! Independence! West Papuans live under Indonesian rule since 1962 when United States, in the guise of the UN, “entrusted” the territory to Indonesia in exchange for a captured CIA pilot (WP). Leader-in-exile Benny Wenda is shown here against a backdrop of the flag of (independent) West Papua, the Morning Star, shown here hanging vertically.

The adjacent mural expresses solidarity with the Syrian Kurds – see Rojava Offensive.

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X06839 X06840 divis st Mickey Doherty