The Picture Of Death

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02813 2015-08-24 HawkinStBoard+

The coat of arms of Londonderry involves “the picture of death (or a skeleton) on a mossy stone & in the dexter point a castle” below the arms of the city of London. It is here joined by the flags of Britain, Scotland, and the crimson of the Apprentice Boys, as well as two cannons from the walls of Derry. The board above is in Hawkin Street, above “UDA” (“Ulster Defence Association”) and “KAT” (“Kill All Taigs”) graffiti.

Previously: Vita, Veritas, Victoria

02814 2015-08-24 HawkinStBoardWide+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02813 X02814 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 siege

The Spear Of Asklepios

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03061 2015-09-24 Sabek CNB15 Snake Spear+

A snake wrapped around a rod is the symbol of Asklepios, the healer, but this fearsome creature is wrapped around a spear and they both seem headed for a victim rather than a patient. CNB15 work from Spanish street artist Sabek (Fb)

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X03061 the future starts fast “just one way”

Femme Fatale

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03045 2015-09-23 Mels2 CNB15 Bloody Hands d+

Here is the CNB15 piece by MELS2 (Fb), showing (in the wide shot, below) four bloody hands, with blood red nails, belonging to a blonde-haired, black-lipped woman looking askance at the viewer. The inspiration for the work is Dublin photographer Monika Lejman/Mona Leymann.

03043 2015-09-23 Mels2 CNB15 Bloody Hands+

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culture night belfast 2015

Qaxootiga Soo Dhaweyn

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02998 2015-09-16 Refugees Welcome+

The wave of people seeking asylum from political strife in Europe continues.”Fáılte romhaıbh a chaırde” is Irish for “Welcome, friends” while “Qaxootiga soo Dhaweyn” is Somali for “Refugees welcome”. Somalis make up about 9% of the current wave of migrants from Africa and Syrians 33%. (Irish Times) 2,000 refugees are to be settled in Northern Ireland. (belfastlive) The yellow-on-black outline of parents and daughter running originates in the United States, used on ‘caution’ signs along highways near the US-Mexico border. For images of the mural’s launch on September 12th, see the WARN twitter feed.

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X02998 qaxootiga soo dhawevn westagainstracismnetwork.org arabic

High Horse

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03030 2015-09-22 Earley CNB15 Horse close+

Dublin artist James Earley (Fb) was in Belfast last week for Culture Night (CNB15 ) and painted this large-scale horse on the side of the National Grande Café. A wide shot and in progress shot are below. Here is a short video of Earley discussing his work; this piece is in a less-definite stained-glass style than previously – see his Wolf for CNB14.

03029 2015-09-22 Earley CNB15 Horse+

03028 2015-09-22 Earley CNB15 prog+

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How Nobly They Fight And Die

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03023 2015-09-04 How Nobly d+

Soldiers from the 36th (Ulster) division in the trenches of WWI prepare to go ‘over the top’. One waits for the precise moment according to his watch, ready to fire a shot, while the other prepares to blow a whistle and launch a flare. “‘Throughout the long years of struggle, the men of Ulster have proved how nobly they fight and die.’ King George V”. The quote also appears on the Ulster Tower in Thiepval (Ulster Tower) and on the Cenotaph in Belfast (WP).

03022 2015-09-04 How Nobly+

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X03023 X03022 flanders somme uvf ycv

Forget It, Muriel

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03015 2015-09-20 Ring Of Peace CQHQ+

Street art is often vandalised (see: the whole of Cupar Way and also A Short Treatise On The Ephemerality Of Art in which NIKO destroyed Praise’s CNB12 piece) but rarely is the vandal a commercial company drumming up business.

In a first for Belfast murals, speech balloons have been added to the Ring Of Peace mural in Waring Street to advertise office space. They read “Forget it, Muriel. I’m moving my business to CQHQ without you!” “Oh Jeff … It’s too close to the City Centre! I want to be with nature …”. We hope that indeed the ad does move away from the “muriel” – the balloons appear to be pasted over the mural, rather than painted on.

The speech-balloons are in fact an improvement over the earlier complete covering of the mural (paperjamdesign). In a less successful part of its media strategy, the business’s web site, at cqhqbelfast.com, appears to be non-functioning.

Report and video on the corporate vandalism from BBC-NI.

See the unadulterated original: Ring Of Peace.

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03015

In A Foreign Land

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02865 2015-08-26 LindsayMooneyMem+

The [Sergeant] Lindsay Mooney Memorial Flute Band was formed in 1973 after the St. Patrick’s day death of Lindsay Mooney, a UDA member killed by the premature explosion of a bomb near Lifford, County Donegal (Sutton). The band dissolved in 1993 but commemorative nights are still held (NI World).

The board above is in the Lincoln Court area of Londonderry, from where Mooney and the band both hailed. “To those of us who criticise, to those who cannot see, just remember in a foreign land fell a better man than me.”

The Ballad Of Lindsay Mooney: youtube | lyrics

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X02865 sergeant

Trains, Planes, And Cranes

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02796 2015-08-21 NurseryH&W+

A view of east Belfast from the perspective of the children in a nursery school in Beechfield and Westbourne Streets: the modes of modern travel, including the Seacat, and a long-standing symbol of industry, the ever-present H&W crane.

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X02796 car bus houses sky clouds coloured railings harland and wolff

That Time Of Year

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02753 2015-08-05 BrigidAnMhí+

Culture Night Belfast is on tonight (2015-09-18) and will include about 30 pieces of street art under the heading Hit The North. Above is a piece of London-/Derry/Doire street art by artists RTM and TDA representing (we think!) St. Brigid’s ‘Church of the Oak’ (Kildare) and the coming of Spring (after her feast day of February 1st).

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02753 An Mhí Meath Drogheda