In the window of a house on Beechmount Avenue/Ascaıll Ard Na bhFeá the Blessed Virgin Mary is joined by support for Gaza and Palestine and commemorations of the 1981 hunger strikers, particularly Mickey Devine, who died on August 20th.
SWANK Street Theatre characters Madame Fondant and Mademoiselle Patti Cerie, who graced Festival Of Fools 2014 in May, have been immortalized in a paste-up in Garfield Street (below) and Kent Street (bottom).
Here is video of two other SWANK characters, usherettes Pearl & Deanie.
The pro-Union NI21 party was founded in June of last year (2013) and is contesting council and European elections today. Above is an Irish-language hoarding in support of Europe candidate Tina McKenzie who hails from republican west Belfast. “Is é seo #freshpolitics. Vótáıl McKenzie 1 do Eoraıp” – “This is #freshpolitics. Vote McKenzie 1 for Europe.”
Poster from the junction of Whiterock and Springfield Roads: “It’s not joyriding, it’s murder. Debbie McComb Aged 15 Killed by car thieves, March 1, 2002.” McComb died of her injuries after being hit by Henry Marley, who was driving a stolen car and drove through a red light. Her death and other deaths led to a substantial campaign against “death drivers” in 2002 (see, for example, An Phoblacht | The (Sunday) People). Marley was sentenced in April of this year for colliding into two other cars (Newsletter).
The poster above – seen in east and south Belfast – has been called “racist” by the Alliance party. “What happened to local jobs for local people? Why are local skilled workers denied job opportunities? Why is outside labour being used in their place? Why are hundreds of overseas workers employed at present on higher wages? Why are they not paying UK tax? Why are they not paying national insurance?”
The poster concerns the 600 temporary jobs at H&W refurbishing the oil rig ‘Blackford Dolphin‘. According to the BBC (video) only one third of the jobs could be filled from the Northern Irish workforce. A BelTel article from November 2013 specifies that another third came from Britain and the final third from “Poland and Lithuania”.
Below: Some posters with the H&W cranes in the background, just off the Newtownards Road.
Protestants and the Irish language (Gaeılge) have been in the news again this week, as UUP councillors walked out of a North Down Council meeting ahead of a presentation on Protestants and Irish on Tuesday (BBC). This follows remarks by a Grand Master of the Orange Order, George Chittick, that Protestants should not learn Irish (video at BBC) prompted by the construction of a floor of the Skainos Centre for Irish-language instruction (BelTel).
The hoarding shown above (this one on the Andersonstown Road) is for a 2011 NI Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure initiative which hopes to make 4,000 people fluent in Irish by 2015. It features three Gaelic words which have passed into English – craıc, smıdıríní (smithereens) and bróg.
Above is an advertising hoarding (this one is at the junction of the Antrim and Limestone Roads) for an Irish-language one-man show entitled “The Wheelchair Monologues” by Gearóıd Ó Caırealláın, director of the Cultúrlann and Irish-language activist, about the stroke (in 2006) that has left him paralyzed on his left side. Below is a detail from the boards that surrounded the Cultúrlann during its renovation.
These protesters are outside the Antrim Road Tesco’s, with placards bearing messages about globalisation: “Politicians, we need support against Tesco globalisation”, “No more! Unfair, non-transparent and collusive tendering practices”, “Support local companies in their fight against Tesco”.
The language of “civil rights” and “equality” is being used at the Twaddell site, as can be seen in the placard shown here there are three copies of this sign: the second image, below, is of one on the north side of the street (visible in the previous set of Twaddell pictures) and the third image shows an additional copy on the electrical box on the south side of the street.
“Established to campaign for Equality. Civil Rights. Welcome to all who support the campaign. The two main objectives are to see the Ligoniel lodges, bands and supporters complete their 12th july parade; to have the current parades commission removed. Please note the camp and the surrounding area is an alcohol free zone. All music must finish by 9 p.m. and the wishes of the local residents fully respected. Thank you for your support. United we stand – divided we fall.”