printed board/placard

The Silent Unseen

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03420 2016-05-01 Sosabowski top+

Stanislaw Sosabowski — who appears in the apex of this new mural in east Belfast — survived the first World War (fighting for Austria-Hungary), the occupation of Poland in 1939, and escaped from a prisoner-of-war camp before crossing Europe and taking command, in Britain, of the 1st Polish Paras. The unit fought in Operation Market Garden at the Battle Of Arnhem. (WP | Polish Heritage Society for a booklet of text and images)

His memoirs have been published as Freely I Served and interviews about his service were collected for a film called A Debt Of Dishonour (youtube) – the title comes from the fact that Sosabowski was blamed for the failure of the Operation, perhaps as a bargaining tactic in negotiations between Britain, Russia, and Poland.

Across the middle of the mural are airmen from the 303 Polish Squadron, which was celebrated in a Shankill mural last year: Love Demands Sacrifice. In the foreground is a modern British paratrooper in field gear.

For images of the launch last week, see WWIIPolesNI.

See a recent post at (the blog) We In Coming Days May Be for a report on the East Belfast electoral constituency. Here is a report on Polish Residents In Belfast from the Belfast Interface Project. Attacks on Poles in east Belfast reached a peak in the first few months of 2014; see previously Romanian Housebreakers Beware and e.g. this Telegraph article. See also: Multiculturalism Is Genocide | Never Actually Existed | Belfast You’re Melting My Head

03418 2016-05-01 Sosabowski+

03419 2016-05-01 Sosabowski rope+

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X03420 X03418 X03419 Dee Craig cichociemni silent unseen first polish independent parachute brigade ballymac emma pengelly sammy douglas

In The Cause Of Irish Freedom

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03395 2016-04-12 Ardoyne 2016 Salute+

A lily and written ‘salute’ have been added to the Fıanna Éıreann wall at the top of Berwick Road/Paráıd An Ardghleanna for the centenary of the Easter Rising: “1916 – 2016 – We salute the memory of those who have given their lives in the cause of Irish freedom.”

For the plaque and the tarp to the right (both of which commemorate four local teenagers), see Purity In Our Hearts.

In the left-hand corner is an RNU sunburst in green, white, and orange.

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I Could Hardly Wait To Keep Our Date

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03384 2016-04-23 People's Parade+

Two competing posters for two competing dates for two (competing?) Easter Rising parades: the People’s Parade (above) was held today, April 24th, the date of the Rising in 1916; the other was held on this year’s Easter Sunday, March 27th, as the parade is annually held on Easter Sunday.

03383 2016-04-08 Easter Parade+

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X03384 X03385 beechmount ave glen rd easter parade 1916 2016 assemble divis tower 11.30 am parade leaves 12.00 pm sharp speaker gerry adams TD honour ireland’s patriot dead wear an easter lily cumann uaigheann na laochra gael national graves assocition easter commemoration committee belfast leaving barrack street for milltown at 12 noon

Brits Out!

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03381 2016-04-19 Leave EU+

“Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues” — commentary on the “Brexit” vote, coming up on June 23rd, from the Tiger’s Bay community in north Belfast, likening the EU to Babylon — “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth”, “the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird”, “that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth” — whose destruction is prophesied in the book of Revelation. Hence: “Vote Leave E.U.”.

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X03381 n. queen st bible revelation rev 18:4 whore of babylon sin corruption

In Commemoration Of Easter 1916

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03376 2016-04-12 In Commemoration Easter 1916+

Tom Clarke is at the head of his fellow signatories as he looks down over a printed tarp reproducing photographs of events surrounding the Easter Rising of 1916, including soldiers from the Irish Citizen Army on a rooftop (see the original in this Spectator article) and members of Cumann Na mBan on parade. For the photo of the building in the top left, see this Irish Times article.

The previous Ardoyne – Bone – Ligoniel mural fell down almost as soon as it was completed, leaving only the portraits of locals killed during the troubles

03377 2016-04-12 A Commemoration Easter 1916 mid+

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X03376 X03377 céad blıaın an fíorú na poblachta irish republic to the people of ireland proclamation Joseph Plunkett, Sean MacDiarmada, James Connolly, Padraig Pearse, Éamonn Ceannt, Thomas MacDonagh.

Broadway United FC

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03182 2015-11-12 Broadway United+

Information on-line is scarce concerning Broadway United FC. They might have been an intermediate team but are said to have won the junior Irish Cup in 1912 — the date of the image above in which the team poses with its trophies — beating Black Watch FC 1–0.

Liverpool’s longest serving player, goalkeeper Elisha Scott (WP), began his career at Broadway United, playing there for two years before making 402 appearances at Anfield and then going to Belfast Celtic as player and manager. The Irish Times has a profile of Elisha and his brother Billy, goalkeeper at Everton. (Thanks to John Duffin for these links.)

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X03182 donegall rd

Culture Threatens No One

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03364 2016-04-05 Culture Threatens No One close+

Three bandsmen – the first two of which, at least, are members of the UVF Regimental Flute Band, one in a vintage and another in a modern uniform – parade together in a new mural in Pitt Park. The UVF Regimental will be going to France for the centenary commemorations of the Battle of the Somme.

For images of the boards being painted see the Ballymac Friendship Centre Facebook page.

03363 2016-04-05 Culture Threatens No One+

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X03364 X03363 flute drums

Roulette

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03289 2016-02-16 McLean Bookies+

The images in the windows of the McLean’s bookies on the Shankill Road suggest that betting on sports – even on George Best – is like playing roulette. The gate to the left (with barbed wire on top) is marked with the letters “U” and “R” of the nearby Ulster Rangers supporters club. (For two murals there, see previously: Save The Shankill | Doing Her Duty).

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X03289 northern ireland football wheel

Fly The Flag

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03207 2015-12-04 Sky Lantern+

You can let your Union flag fly across the rooftops with this “sky lantern”, for sale in the window of a shop on the Newtownards Road. “Ready to light … lift … and launch.”

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Top Of The Pops

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03184 2015-11-12 Ruby Murray+

In 1955, Ruby Murray — who was born and raised on Donegall Road — had a #1 hit with Softly, Softly (youtube) and it stayed at the top for three weeks. She went on to have six other top-ten hits that year and in one week five of her songs were in the top twenty.

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X03184 donegall rd