“Welcome: When you Enter this Loving school Consider yourself One of the special Members of an Extraordinary family”. Two images from St Patrick’s primary on the edge of the New Lodge. The “Hail Mary’ is written in Irish
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“Active service” on paramilitary plaques means death by a premature bomb explosion rather than at the hands of enemy forces. All three of the IRA volunteers named here died in this way: Paul Fox in King Street in 1975, Sean Bailey in nearby Nansen Street in 1976, and Paul Marlowe on the Ormeau Road later that same year (Sutton). The central plaque (shown below) has been in place since at least 2006 but was augmented last year with portraits. The fourth is Tony Campbell, also from the 2nd battalion, dead by natural causes in 1985.
“I ndíl [ndıl] chuımhne ar Óglach Paul Fox A-Coy 2 Batt Belfast Brigade, died on active service 1-12-1975, Óglach Sean Bailey A-Coy 2 Batt Belfast Brigade, died at this location on active service 13-2-1976, Óglach Paul Marlowe A-Coy 2 Batt Belfast Brigade, died on active service 16-10-1976, Óglach Tony Campbell died of natural causes 4-8-1985. I measc laochra na hÉıreann atá sıad. In every generation we have renewed the struggle and so it will be to the end. When England thinks she has trampled out our blood in battle, some brave men and women rise and rally us again.”
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Due to the coronavirus pandemic, people celebrating the Twelfth yesterday were encouraged to maintain physical distance from others by staying in their gardens as the bands marched by. Homeowners decorated their properties (perhaps using these Twelfth At Home packs in Lurgan). Here is video from the Belfast Telegraph of yesterday’s marches.
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Flags are flying in east Belfast in preparation for this year’s marching season (and the 75th anniversary of VE Day. All seems normal but the coronavirus epidemic has meant the cancellation of many parades for this year’s Twelfth (which will be celebrated on Monday, the 13th) and a social media campaign to get people to stay at their homes and “let the band come to you” (Newsletter | Irish Times | BBC).
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“Community warning. This area is being monitored for antisocial behaviour. Your behaviour has consquences. Think of your community. Don’t do anything you might later regret. This sign was amended by Lasaır Dhearg [web | tw] as part of our campaign against imperialism and PSNI normalisation.” The substitute version is from the Fall Road, the original (below) is from Ballysillan Road.
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“Ar an 9ú Iúıl 1972 maraíodh Margaret Gargan 13 blıana d’aoıs, David McCafferty 15 d’aoıs, John Dougal 16 d’aoıs, Paddy Butler fear pósta le 6 claınne aıge agus sagaırt áıtiúıl an tAthaır Noel Fitzpatrick, scaoılt ag Arm na Breataıne. B’as Clós Adhmaıd Corry’s sa cheantar Springhill/Westrock a bhí na saıghdıúrí ag feıdhmıú.” “‘And I’ll keep on praying for Ireland/The way I pray for you’ – from the poem “The Springhill Massacre” by Martin Dudley”. The new plaque was launched on July 9th, 2019 by Dudley and Brian Pettigrew, both of whom were wounded in the attack. Here is a gallery of images from the launch from Relatives For Justice.
For the board to the left, see Springhill-Westrock Massacre.
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“Parasite drug dealers – leave our kids alone”. Saoradh (web | Fb) has a new board on Ardoyne Avenue, Belfast, trying to combat drug dealing in north Belfast (A list of alleged dealers was distributed last July (BelTel) | arrests for dealing cocaine were made in 2019-10 (BelTel) and 2020-02 (BelfastLive).
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Students from Coláıste Feırste, from Beechmount, west Belfast (tw), and Ashfield Girls’ High School, from Sydenham, east Belfast (tw) were involved in the exhibition Idır Dhá Aıgne in Cultúrlann in 2014 and the two schools again combined their artistic talents to produce these five collages of inspirational women: Katie Taylor and Noelle Ryan (by students from Coláıste Feırste), and the Brontë sisters, Ellen Degeneres, and Rosa Parks (by students from Ashfield Girls’).
With sponsorship from the Northern Ireland Executive and Féıle An Phobaıl. The mural is on the shoulder of the “peace” line, where North Howard Street meets Cupar Way, between This World Isn’t Worth Your Soul and Sinn Feins Stradgey, and above A Dialogue On The Nature Of Art.
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“Seasaıgí an fód ın aghaıdh an chıníochaıs – Stand [your ground] against racism”. The back of Free Derry Corner has been given a Sınn Féın board in support of the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In the foreground is a banner in support of (former) ETA member Patxi Ruiz, who quit his 31-day hunger strike protesting prison abuse yesterday (2020-06-10). He is serving 30 years for the 1998 murder of a Pamplona city councillor (ABC). “Tá muıd lıbh! [We are with you!] Espetxeak apurtu! [Break the prisons!]”
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Copyright © 2020 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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“VE Day” in large letters composed of images, portraits of servicemen, and newspaper front pages (“It’s Over In Europe”, “Germany Quits” and so on) from the period at the end of WWII in Europe, installed along the Shore Road, Belfast, for the 75th anniversary of the event.
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Extramural Activity 