Memento Mori

03599 2016-07-02 Confederate CrossBones+

A confederate flag (strictly, the battle flag of the Army Of Northern Virginia) with skull (with an eye-patch!) and cross-bones alongside a “King William III Prince of Orange” flag.

Island Street, east Belfast

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03599

Breaking The Chains

03624 2016-07-04 Mickey Devine+

This new full-size mural to INLA hunger striker Mickey Devine replaces a smaller black-and-white board (for which see Waked & Buried).

03625 2016-07-04 Mickey Devine slant+

03621 2016-07-04 Oglach Mickey Devine+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03624 X03625 X03621 Rathkeele Way In proud and loving memory of Óglach Mickey Devine. Died 20th August 1981 in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh after 60 days on hunger-strike. Mickey was waked and buried from this house, the family home of his sister Margaret. Also died 30th March 2005.

We Had Our Distresses

02802 2015-08-23 EasterLeckyUnderpass+

Today’s post is an assortment of republican posters, many of them in distressed condition, book-ended by the 1916 Societies’ Easter Parade posters from 2015 and 2016.

03653 2016-07-07 Tony Taylor poster+

03140 2015-10-19 Free Newry 10+

03444 2016-05-10 Unfinished Revolution d+

03462 2016-05-12 Torn Poster+

03617 2016-07-03 Stormont Abuse poster Sands+

03618 2016-07-03 Stormont Abuse poster Tone+

03619 2016-07-03 Easter Monday poster+

03613 2016-07-03 1916 Societies poster+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02802 X03140 X03444 X03462 X03617 X03618 X03619 X03613 lecky rd westland st beechmount ave clowney st ? ? ? ? liam hannaway sean o’neill hungering for justice wolfe tone bobby sands stormont abuse of irish republican prisoners ferguson racism in the US unfinished revolution free newry 10 maghaberry http://continuitysinnfein.org/

Political Dissent Is Not A Crime!

03499 2016-06-03 Beechm End Internment Now+

IRPWA (Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association) stencil. Below is a wide shot showing all three of recent pieces in Beechmount (prior to the destruction of the one on the right): No Steps Backward | Political Dissent Is Not A Crime! | The Butcher’s Apron.

03502 2016-06-03 Beechm w2+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03499 X03502 beechmount ave

Game Of Throats

03256 2016-01-20 DarkHorseThrones Studio+

The HBO show Game Of Thrones wrapped up its sixth season recently in its customary fashion, which is to say, with intrigue and murder.

Interior scenes for the show are shot at the old Harland & Wolff ‘Paint Hall’ in the Titanic Quarter. The filming is parodied in the image above — the boom operator is wearing a Northern Ireland football top and has a tattoo saying “Is grá liom uisce” (“I love water”) on his bicep.

The popularity of the show has proven a bonanza for tourism: Wilderness Ireland provides a list of filming locations and Discover Northern Ireland has a page listing many tours. The most famous is the Dark Hedges near Ballymoney.

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03256 dark horse courtyard

The Battle Of The Bottle

03640 2016-07-06 Battle Bottle d+

A 2012 Belfast Telegraph opinion piece asked “Is it Orangefest or vodka and Orangefest?” This year sees a campaign to curb alcohol consumption during marching season (including both the centenary of the Somme on July 1st and the traditional Twelfth celebration of the Battle of the Boyne) using the slogan “It’s about the battle not the bottle” and the hashtag #battlenotbottle. Here is a NewsLetter article on the campaign, which includes 25,000 beermats bearing the message.

It also contains (as shown in the wide shot, below) figures for both the number of casualties suffered by the 36th (Ulster) Division on July 1 at the Battle of the Somme (5,500) and the number of Irishmen who served in the Great War (200,000).

03639 2016-07-06 Battle Bottle+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03640 X03639 let me tell you a story of honour and glory helen’s tower conlig thiepval ulster tower

Stuff We Don’t Need

03539 2016-06-14 Stuff We Don't Need+

The image below is from a Twelfth bonfire collection point in Belvoir in April, threatening a fifty pound fine for anyone caught dumping unwanted material. The image above of a collection point near Sandy Row articulates what is unwanted: ironing boards, chairs, washing machines, sofas, sinks, fridges, wheels, comfy chairs, toilets, beds, stoves. This Belfast Telegraph article includes a good image of the pallets gathered in the car-park.

03416 2016-04-26 No Fly Tipping+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03539 X03416 wellwood st milltown rd

Lest We Forget

East Antrim 1st battalion (specifically D Company?) and (North?) Belfast 3rd battalion mural in Erskine Park, Ballyclare.

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Ulster Volunteers

03567 2016-06-25 Ballyearl Somme m+

After a year without any change, work appears to have stopped on this UVF mural in Ballyearl. It links together the Ulster Volunteers of the first world war (shown on the left of the wall, with a Victoria Cross, Carson and the covenant, and a cross on the battlefield of Flanders) and the modern UVF (represented by a hooded gunman with rifle brought to bear, and the Nissen huts of Long Kesh. An orange lily and red poppy complete the tableau.

03564 2016-06-25 Ballyearl Somme tires+

03566 2016-06-25 Ballyearl Somme l+

03485 2016-05-07 Ballyearl Somme d+

03568 2016-06-25 Ballyearl Somme weather+

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03567 X03564 X03566 X03485 X03568 ballyearl dr ballyclare rathcoole tiger’s bay shore lanarkshire craigneuk carluke bellshill tyneside glengormley new mossley mount vernon 3rd battalion new mossley weather cloudly uvf ycv for god and ulster

No Steps Backward

03498 2016-06-03 Beechm Drumm CnamBan+

“We must take no steps backward, our steps must be onward. If we don’t, the martyrs that died for you, for me, for this country … will haunt us forever” — the words of Máıre Drumm from an anti-internment rally in Dunville Park on 10th August, 1975 (RN) are featured against a backdrop of female volunteers in Cumann Na mBan wearing berets and holding rifles.

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Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03498 beechmount ave ww.irpwa.com