Seasonal greeting in support of Republican political prisoners – with candles at base – in Northumberland St. This is the centre part of a wider mural-board composite – left and right shots below.
The “Nollaıg shona” and board in the picture just above together replace the previous “human rights” mural; the area below the “doors” hoarding, where the phoenix now appears, was previously blank.
Here is a board bearing Carson’s image, on the Newtownards Road at Welland Street, opposite the junction with the Albertbridge Road, below a banner to East Belfast Protestant Boys. Carson also appears in a variety of other murals concerning the Ulster Covenant and the threat of Home Rule.
A new board commemorating Pat Finucane (WP), on Beechmount Avenue. A British report into his death was published yesterday, 2012-12-12 (Tele | BBC-NI | Slugger).
The gate and peace line at the eastern end of Cupar Way. The boards are on the republican side, on North Howard Street, encouraging interaction between Catholics and Protestants: “There’s more in common … than what divides us.”
For the 40th anniversary, a painted shopfront and plaques to the victims of the McGurk’s Bar Bombing were added last December (2011) to the Celtic Cross and plaque already at the site. The text on the info board to the right is ad follows: “At 8.48 pm on Saturday 4th December 1971, a no-warning bomb, planted by British terrorists, exploded on the doorstep of family-run McGurk’s Bar. Fifteen innocent men, women and children perished. Those who were not crushed or slowly asphyxiated by masonry where [sic] horrifically burned to death when shattered gas mains burst into flames beneath the rubble. Nearly the same again were dragged from the debris alive. In the aftermath of the atrocity, the British and Unionist Governments, RUC police force and British military disseminated disinformation that the bomb was in-transit and that the innocent civilians were guilty by association, if not complicit in this act of terrorism. This is despite a mountain of forensic evidence and a witness who saw the bomb being planted and lit before watching the British terrorists escape into the night. From the moment the bomb exploded, and for 40 years since, the families and friends of those murdered have campaigned constitutionally and with great dignity to clear the names of their loved ones. It is a Campaign for Truth that continues to this day. Join us at www.themcgurksbar.com.”
As you walk along Conway Street from the Shankill Road, these three boards recalling the Balmoral Review are to be seen on either side of the road. On April 9th (Easter Tuesday), 1912, 100,000 unionists rallied in Balmoral show grounds for review by Bonar Law, the head of the Conservative party – here is a postcard of the Wicklow contingent. The 2012 commemoration drew about 10,000 people to Ormeau Park (Slugger). A gable-sized tarp was mounted on Lawnbrook Street on the Shankill Road – see M08226.
The nameplate on the lower corner of Northland Street now reads “Thiepval Street” and the Thiepval board above adorns the end wall (replacing an earlier mural to UVF A Company 5th platoon; the stone shown below, although not present in 2006, perhaps belongs to the era of the previous mural). On the other side of Conway Street is/was North Howard Walk where a plate now reads “Passchendaele Court“. It’s not clear whether the names have been changed officially or not. The names are unofficial (as of November 15th, 2012). In the New Lodge earlier this year (April-May, 2012), Fishers Court became McGurk’s Way (U.tv | BBC-NI).
All of these images are of different parts of the Somme memorial next to the Shankill graveyard. There is an opening in the graveyard boundary wall which leads into the Somme memorial garden. The Mountainview Tavern, which featured several times during the troubles, can be seen behind the memorial, as well as the spire of St. Matthew’s Church.
oh you who sleep in flanders fields sleep sweet to rise anew we caught the torch you threw and holding high we keep the faith with all who died, we cherish too the poppy red that grows on fields were valour led, it seems to signal to the skies that blood of heroes never dies but lends a lustre to the red of the flower that blooms above the dead in flanders fields, and now the torch and poppy red we wear in honour of our dead fear not that ye have died for naught we’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought in flanders fields carson inspects local volunteers at fernhill house glencairn 36th ulster division, ulster volunteer force, the 2nd west belfast battalion
Extramural Activity 