“In this together. No one left behind. Ireland thanks you.” Essential workers – “NHS – Store Workers – Call Centre Workers – Transport Workers – Factory Workers” – have carried on working for the last seven weeks despite the lockdown to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Next to The Great Hunger.
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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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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Kashmir has remained a disputed territory since the partition of India in 1947. It remains under Indian administration, despite different groups rebelling since 1987, some seeking union with Pakistan and others an independent Kashmir. Indian forces have been accused of human rights abuses against Kashmiris. For the mural on the right, see This Is Our Republic.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“There’s always hope, there’s always help” for mental health issues, from organisations such as Lighthouse, Lifeline, the Simon Community, Childline, the Samaritans, PIPS. Two other unusual things about the mural: it invites passers-by not only to sign the mural (like the latest version of Build Homes Now to its left) but to “write a message of hope” (as occurs on the so-called “peace” line in Cupar Way); and it explicitly says that “this space is kindly on loan from the Workers Party” (replacing the long-standing ‘Bring Down The Walls’ mural).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Britain out of Ireland – Ireland out of the EU.” This Saoradh stencil is in Ardoyne, north Belfast. Saoradh does not stand candidates in elections; it also currently lacks a national on-line presence and is banned from Twitter and Facebook (in the wake of the death of Lyra McKee).
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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“S[inn] F[éin] IRA – No Shame” in reference to Shankill bomber Sean Kelly (on the right) campaigning for SF Belfast North candidate John Finucane (on the left) on Lanark Way and Cupar Way. See Steeped In Blood for more. Voters go to the polls on Thursday (December 12th).
With “patronising slogans” by tourists from around the world: “Peace for everyone”, “Stop the walls”, “Can’t you all just get along?”, “Share love – help one another”, and “Impeach Trump”.
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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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In the Workers’ Republic of February 12th, 1916, James Connolly posed the question “What is a free nation?” and, further, whether the Home Rule bill would make Ireland free in the requisite sense. “No” was his answer to the latter, and instead sovereignty would have to be reclaimed, by force if necessary: “There can be no perfect Europe in which Ireland is denied even the least of its national rights; there can be no worthy Ireland whose children brook tamely such denial. If such denial has been accepted by soulless slaves of politicians then it must be repudiated by Irish men and women whose souls are still their own. … A destiny not of our fashioning has chosen this generation as the one called upon for the supreme act of self-sacrifice – to die if need be that our race might live in freedom.”
For the previous Connolly quote in this location see A Word Of Conjure With.
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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A small white hand within a larger black hand. Another piece from Lanark Way: You Are Not Of This World.
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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“In solidarity with the Kurdish fighters YPG/YPJ. Against ISIS, fundamentalism & patriarchy.” Turkey commenced its ‘Rojava Offensive’ on Tuesday (October 9th) with airstrikes along the border with northern Syria in the autonomous area of Rojava (Guardian). Its aim is to establish a “safe zone” 20 miles deep along the entire length of Kurdish-controlled Syria. Standing against them are the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces), including YPG and YPJ units – Yekîneyên Parastina Jin are the Women’s Defense Units, an all-female militia from Rojava founded in 2013 (WP).
Not involved are US forces – US President Trump withdrew American forces in advance of the attack, a move decried by both Democrats and Republicans as a betrayal of Kurdish partnership in the campaign against ISIS, which took 11,00 Kurdish lives (WP). Trump added insult to injury by defending the move on the grounds that the Kurds “did not help us with Normandy” (Guardian). You would expect no less from the man who on Monday touted his own “great and unmatched wisdom” (tw).
The mural above, which reproduces a popular poster on social media, is on the International Wall.
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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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An outline, presumably by Leo Boyd (ig), from one of his tech heads pieces, which in this colour-scheme particularly reminds us of the Handmaid’s Tale tech head: She Is My Spy As I Am Hers.
Replaces the ‘This machine kills machines‘ posters for Hit The East 2017 in the alley off Bloomfield Avenue.
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Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 