The Memory Of Our Dead

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Beır bua – It is the responsibility of the living to keep alive the memory of the dead.” This is the second ‘Working Class Heroes’ piece in Ballymurphy. The other, from 2014, features Tommy “Toddler” Tolan, who appears here to the left of the phoenix.

The plaque on the right reads “This mural was unveiled by Johnny Doc and Maureen Tolan, 5th November, 2023.” There is video of the launch on Facebook, which contains a reading of the names of all the people pictured from the 1m 57s mark onwards.

Glenalina Crescent, Ballymurphy, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15311 X15312 X15310

Writing On The Wall

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This new piece from Belfast One BID is full of literary references (web). The blackberries (top left of the image above) are perhaps for Seamus Heaney, and the kites (bottom right of the image above) are perhaps for John Hewitt. Comment/Get in touch if you can identify others.

Below the Linen Hall library in Fountain Street, Belfast city centre.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Fintan Woods
X15470 X15469

Free As A Bird

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Guinness toucans – invented in the 1930s by John Gilroy (Collectors’ Weekly | Guinness Project) – balance pints of “Guinness 0.0” on their beaks as they fly over Clonard Monastery and the houses and shops along the Springfield Road, including (in white) Dan’s Bar (Fb), which is the site of this large poster (on its Cupar Street side).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15331 X15332

Saoırse Don Phalaıstín

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Saoırse don Phalaıstín [Freedom for Palestine]. On August 9th, 2024, Irish-language rappers Kneecap launched a third mural in Hawthorn Street/Sráıd Na Sceıthe, (joining Incendiary Device and England Get Out Of Ireland,) which blows up a sticker seen on a nearby street-sign (seen previously in Land Grab) into a mural and which imitates the version from England Get Out Of Ireland which shows Britain grabbing a piece of Ireland.

For images from the launch, see the Paddy Duffy collection.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15308 X15307 X15306

Dark Dreamer

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The info plaque next to this new piece of street art in north Belfast reads: “The Dark Dreamer – The Silkie mural by Loretta Lizzio is a recreation of the oil painting “Dark Dreamer” by world-famous Irish artist Patrick Jones who lived here in the family home.”

Patrick J. Jones (web) grew up in Belfast before leaving for London, England, in 1984 and Brisbane, Australia, in 1997. Lizzio, (web), who is also from Australia, reproduced Jones’s original (Fb) on the side of the Stax coffee-shop on the Cliftonville Road, renaming it ‘The Silkie’, though it depicts a mermaid rather than one of the seal-folk; compare with KMG’s interpretation of the Selkie myth in the city centre.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15301 X15300

Light Of The World

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a second piece of street art by Dan Kitchener (web) in Bank Square, next to his painting of fast cars (Fast Enough So We Can Fly Away?): a painting of Jesus Of Nazareth for Crown Jesus Ministeries (web).

Replaces JMK’s The Whisper And The Wish.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15290 X15291

Take America Back

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Voters in the United States Of America went to the polls on November 5th (2024) to cast their ballots for a variety of positions, most prominently the offices of President and Vice President.

The new President is Donald Trump and the Vice President is JD Vance. This will be (starting in January, 2025) Trump’s second term as President and he is expected to be much more aggressive in pursuing his agenda than in his first term; priorities include reducing prices “on day one”, mass deportations, tarrifs, tax cuts, lowering or eliminating subsidies for health-care and electric vehicles, gutting federal departments (particularly the Department Of Education, which is seen as a haven of “DEI”), making America “healthy again” by changing vaccine recommendations, as well as granting pardons to (Trump) loyalists and using the Department Of Justice to pursue his enemies (Republican Party | Project 2025 (pdf) | CNN | CBS).

This Northern Irish supporter is showing his support with a variety of flags hung from a balcony on the (Northern Ireland) loyalist Shore Road in north Belfast.

Other “Trump” appearances in Belfast: Make Israel Great Again | Your Wall, Your Border

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15276 X15275

North Belfast Friends Of The Somme

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The rosette at the centre of the poppy wreath shows the UK armed services badge (with the crown overlaid by the Ulster Banner) surrounded by a verse from Binyon’s ‘For The Fallen’ and “Tiger’s Bay – York Street – Sailortown loyal”. That group’s Facebook page is private and no home-page seems to be available for ‘North Belfast Friends Of The Somme’.

North Queen Street, Tiger’s Bay, Belfast, at the old Lewis Street.

The large cloth on the Shore Road was also seen last year.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15272 X15273 X15274

Smile! Smile More!

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Perhaps this graffitist was interrupted in Ann Street (on the phone box, above) or decided to escalate their demands in Fountain Lane, below.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Fintan Woods
X15467 X15468

Volunteers, Defenders, Civilians

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Part of the most recent development of the upper streets in the Village was not to rebuild the two rows of houses on Ebor and Nubia/Moltke streets and in their place construct a park – the Village Green, and now officially the “Ruby Murray Village Green” – and playground. The board on the outside railings make the park a “community park of remembrance” for WWI, showing an Ulster Banner with a Union Flag in the canton. (Seen previously in The Village Green Preservation Society.)

There is also a memorial to “loved ones and friends”, “volunteers, defenders & civilians” of the South Belfast UVF (though there is 36th (Ulster) Division emblem in the corner!) who were “cruely taken away from us by republican scum”: Dinah Campbell, Francis Campbell, Alexander Scott, Frankie Smith, Stevie McCrea, John Hanna, Sammy Mehaffy, William Kingsberry, Jackie Campbell, David Poots.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X15256 X15255 X15257