Artist Raymond Henshaw undertook a series of six collages of photographs of the Markets area of south Belfast (in 2008): Social, Bars, Industry, Social History, Sport & Culture, and – shown in today’s post – Portraits of locals, such as snooker player “Joe Swales” (Joe Swail) and familiar buildings, such as Loughran’s Shop. The boards were part of the 2008 re-imaging campaign and sponsored by the Arts Council.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Coinciding with the Joe Caslin piece of the same name in Hill Street last (2016) summer and the attending street-exhibition of photos, here is “love wins” at the back of the Maverick bar in Donegall Street.
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A plaque has been added to the controversial 2013 UVF mural in Inverwood Court, commemorating (fairly) recently-deceased volunteers Kenny Black, Neill Reeves (21 years old, possibly from tainted drugs) Kevin Carvil, and Robert Armour.
The quote – Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed – is from Martin Luther King. For more on the history of this wall and the MLK quote, see Direct Action.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Apache Tribe, Mr [Michael] Jones, [Chris] McGarry, and KVLR apologize to Inkie for painting over his Boogie Down Belfast with this pair of pigeon royalty.
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Pearse Jordan was unarmed when he was killed by the RUC on November 25th, 1992 but in this new Éıre Nua Flute Band board he leaves his prints on an assault rifle. (previous Éıre Nua board) His killing was ruled unlawful, and subsequent inquest insufficient, by the European Court Of Human Rights in 2001. The campaign for an inquest continues (An Phoblacht).
The words on the board – “Slan [sic] go foıll [sic] moh [sic] chara, just for a while/We’ll not have your craic, your jokes, or your smiles/But in years to come, your memory’s still true/A brave son of Ireland, we will not forget you” – are the chorus of The Ballad Of Pearse Jordan (words | sung by The Irish Brigade).
The board is in Hugo Street, which is also the site of his memorial plaque, just above the Evolution Of Our Revolution, as seen in the second image, below.
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A line from WB Yeats’s The Cloths Of Heaven in (loyalist) south Belfast:”I have spread my dreams under your feet – Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”
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IRPWA is the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (web | Fb | tw), a body working to support republican prisoners and their families in Maghaberry, Portlaoise, and Hydebank. Barbed wire has long been the symbol of political prisoners, both republican (1981) and loyalist (1988). Previously in this series of boards: éıstıgí | Sniper At Work | IRA | Beır Bua
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Some of the children’s mural in Boyne Court (off Sandy Row) is still hanging on, though quite faded and with about half the panels missing. The first two images (from 2017) show children playing on a lamp-post swing in the middle of the street (panel 4); the latter two (from 2012) show a broader view (panels 4-5-6) of Sandy Row buildings and (on the last of the ten panels) an alien landing.
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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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This is a tarp from republican party Saoradh (“liberation” web | tw | Fb), alleging that the “supposed police service in the north of Ireland” is engaged in “the brutal militarised suppression of a civilian population”. “The uniform may be different but the brutal tactics are the same.” “End human rights abuses in Ireland now”. Replaces the Resistance tarp (previously seen in Ardoyne).
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Thomas Ashe was born on January 12th, 1885, in County Kerry, into a bi-lingual household. He became an Irish teacher in Lusk and joined the Gaelic League and the Irish Volunteers, commanding the Fingal battalion during the Easter Rising. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, which in fact lasted only a year. He was released but soon charged and convicted with sedition, and died on hunger strike on September 25th, 1917, after an “inhuman and dangerous” attempt at force-feeding by the authorities (WP). See also Tomás Ághas.
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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Extramural Activity 