Newen

From the Twitter feed of Colombian street artist Visual AGP (Anderson García Pérez | (web | tw): “Newen” means “strength” or “energy” …  birds represent the freedom and colors of the Wiphala [the flag of indigenous peoples of the Andes].”

“Graficalia” refers to a street art festival aimed at minimising youth violence in their home town of Cali, Colombia.

Compatriot Sancho was also in Belfast for Hit The North/Culture Night: see Empezando Con La Magia.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A Rock That Cannot Be Moved

A Union Flag is freshly repainted on a rock in the Westwinds estate, Newtownards, now joined by the emblem of the YCV on another.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Belfast Taxis Community Interest Company

“Serving the community for over fifty years.” BTCIC is the current name for what was previously the West Belfast Taxi Association. Black taxis have been running up and down the Falls since 1970, providing an alternative form of transportation to local people during the Troubles when buses were cancelled or, as in this picture, burnt out and used as barricades. They now, in addition, provide tours of the murals (such as the Bobby Sands mural in Sevastopol Street) and Belfast city. Taxi Trax has a web site but here provides a phone number for those already at the International Wall, where there has been a black taxi mural since 2003. There are other WBTA murals in Beechmount and Ardoyne. The painters have signed the mural: Doherty’s Coal Merchant and Lyons Tea.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Ireland Stands With Palestine

Republican political party Saoradh (tw | Fb) ignores the hospital stencil and pastes up a poster expressing solidarity with Palestine.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Fractured Self

Shane O’Malley (web | Fb | tw) from Galway painted in Union Street during Culture Night X/Hit The North 2018.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Marrowbone Company, Belfast Brigade

The Marrowbone (or simply “the Bone”, perhaps from the Irish “Machaıre Bothán”) is an area of north Belfast between Ardoyne and Cliftonville. Ardilea Close is home to four memorials to local republicans: on this wall, the plaque on the left is to “men and women from this and past generations who died from natural causes having dedicated their lives to the cause of Irish freedom” while the one on the right is to “those who showed courage in the face of adversity by giving aid, shelter and support in defence of the area.” Only one of the original walls mentioned the IRA (see Bone Memorial), as well as the 2014 addition of a Fıanna memorial – Hark To The Tramp Of The Young Guards of Éıreann. The new mural commemorating F company of the 3rd battalion – as well as the associated Cumann Na mBan, Cumann Na gCaılíní and Fıanna – can be added to these.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Dee Street Remembers

A new series of UDA “memorial” murals has been painted along Island Street, in east Belfast. Poppies are featured throughout, as we have increasingly seen over the last few years. New to this series, however, are the use of Lawrence Binyon’s poem For The Fallen in the third panel (see below) and in the image above – the left-most of the four – modern UDA volunteers stand in reflection upon an above-ground grave, also symbolic of the fallen of World War I.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Empezando Con La Magia

The magic of Culture Night and Hit The North reaches its tenth year in 2018. As part of the celebration two Colombian artists were in Belfast this past weekend for Culture Night. The magic begins with this inter-species mural above is by Sancho (Fb | ig).

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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UVF Motor Car Corps

The first time that the horseless carriage was used in a military operation was the Ulster Volunteers’ “Larne Gunrunning” of April 1914. By this time, there are thought to have been 350 vehicles in the Corps (Angelsey). It’s not clear whether the cars were later used by the 36th (Ulster) Division – please comment/get in touch if you can shed light on this. (For Spencer’s quote on the left, see I am not an Ulsterman.) The plaque is to (modern) UVF volunteer ‘Squeak’ Seymour.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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#AchtAnoıs

An Dream Dearg (tw | Fb) takes its campaign for an Irish-Language Act (Acht Na Gaeılge) to the streets of Ardoyne after a deal to introduce such an act collapsed in February (BBC-NI | Irish Times).

Balholm Drive; there is an identical mural on the International Wall on Divis Street.

Previously:  An Dream Dearg | An Lá Dearg

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