“Won’t you tell me who is she?” Work by Brazilian-Ballymena-n Ricardo Brandão (ig | Fb) for HTN 2020.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Pat Ward
The 39th Bundoran (RSF) hunger strike commemoration took place at the end of August, scaled-back due to the coronavirus pandemic (RSF). The poster above, on the electrical box on Northumberland Street, includes Pat Ward alongside the twelve “traditional” hunger strike deaths (for the first inclusion of Gaughan and Stagg, see Remember The Hunger Strikers from 1985) Ward, a Donegal fisherman and IRA volunteer, took part in four hunger strikes, lasting 148 days in total, including 45 in Portlaoise in 1975. He died in 1988. (RSF | Pensive Quill)
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Stranger Kings
Members of Foreign Assassins and TDS (The Death Squad, in homage to the old NY crew) collaborated on a series of panels along the Connswater greenway inspired by the hit Netflix show Stranger Things, which in turn was inspired by Stephen King novels (including Needful Things) and 1980s fantasy and sci-fi movies (WP).
For in-progress shots, see Montana Cans.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Pay Now
Gratitude for NHS and other front line staff has been in no short supply throughout the pandemic but the cost of the pandemic last month led UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to moot a pay freeze for public sector workers (BBC). After widespread outcry, including the People Before Profit (web | tw) campaign shown here, he two weeks ago declared that salaries of a million nurses and frontline staff would not be frozen but declined to specify an increase (Nursing Times | iNews).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Home Is Where The Hurt Is
Domestic abuse reports to PSNI in the second quarter of 2020 increased 4% to 8,302 (BelTel). Women’s Aid NI (web | tw) provides refuge and support to victims of domestic violence. The stencil by Laura Nelson & Leo Boyd from VaultNI is on Carrick Hill. The title of today’s post comes from Women’s Aid CEO Sarah Mason (tw).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Praying For A Miracle
Saint Luke’s C of I opened in 1863 in what was then the lower Falls but – because of the “peace” line is now the lower Shankill. It closed in 2006 and the congregation merged with St Stephen’s (in Millfield). The building served as a community centre. In 2015 two pigs’ heads with racist graffiti were left in the doorway in response to rumours that the building might become a mosque (BBC). The property was (later) acquired by Living Faith Global – “a miracle believing and seeing church” – which opened in April 2019.
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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Rock Of Ages
Carrickfergus castle was founded by the Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy in 1177 and it became the stronghold of power in the north of Ireland, leading to its besiegement over time by a litany of Scots, Irish, English – including under Schomberg in 1689 – and French forces (WP). In the present day, the flag of a Kingdom uniting England, Scotland, and (Northern) Ireland currently flies on Marine Highway next to the sculpture showing three Anglo-Norman knights defending the castle (unsuccessfully) against the forces of Edward Bruce of Scotland in 1315 (info plaque). The sculptor is unknown.
See also The Carrickfergus Knights, a painting of the statues on a shop’s shutters in the town.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Plum Position
The Cupar Way “peace” line, home to graffiti-art/wild-style writing and patronising slogans from around the world, is also home to a single Troubles-related memorial plaque, to Plum Smith (one | two) of the UVF/RHC and subsequently the PUP, which thus far has resisted the artists’ can and the tourists’ Sharpie. It is not known whether the “Plum” graffiti (and previously “RIP Plum Smith”) is by locals or by a visiting writer.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Step Back In Time
The old Ballymacarrett station was the last stop before Belfast when travelling from points east such as Holywood and Bangor. On the morning of January 10th, 1945, a faulty signal caused the 7:10 from Bangor to be halted at Ballymacarrett, only for it to be hit from behind by the oncoming 7:40 from Holywood. The steel lead-car of the Holywood train ploughed through the whole of the last carriage’s wooden coachwork and on into the penultimate carriage, causing the death of 22 people and injury to another 27 (WP).
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Blow It Out Your Nose
Work by KVLR (tw | Fb) and PENZ for HTN 2020 in Kent Street, Belfast. There are images of KVLR and a blurred-out PENZ at work in the HTN 2020 video.
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 