Alive & Well

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2015-01-31 RockmoreCogus+

“Attempted criminalisation of republican prisoners is alive and well”: Above is a new board erected 2015-01-23 by Republican Network For Unity (RNU)’s Cogús committee in support of “Republican prisoner welfare and support”: “End controlled movement, forced strip searches now.” On the opposite corner, the Rock Bar advertises the Celtic v Rangers League Cup match last Sunday February 1st.

2015-01-31 RockmoreCogusWide+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02491 X02492 attempted criminalisation of republican prisoners is alive and well bóthar na bhfál rebel sunday 1888 liam mcshane csc irish brigade bik mcfarlane gerry óg mairtin o’huigin damien quinn carling bud vodka energy walking dead

Maghaberry

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2014-10-09 StrandMaghaberryPOWs+

Maghaberry Prison’s Roe House, home to about 50 republican prisoners, was this past week the scene of a stand-off with prison guards, as 30 (BelTel) or 40 (BBC) inmates refused to enter their cells. There was also a protest outside the jail and a bomb-threat on Tuesday (U.tv).

The mural above is on the Mountpottinger Road wall in east Belfast’s Short Strand.

2014-10-15 MountpottingerWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Strip Mining

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2014-12-25 CopperRemoved+

Vacant houses are targets for thieves stealing copper tanks, pipes, and wiring, which they sell to unscrupulous scrap-metal dealers. In one case, the theft caused a gas leak which resulted in houses being evacuated (BelTel). The Housing Executive now removes the copper from empty residences and replaces it when the resident moves in, at a cost of about £3,000 (BBC-NI).

“Warning: Copper tanks and pipes have been removed from this property. Keep out. This property is being monitored for unlawful activity.”

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02449 PSNI

Art Is A Hammer With Which To Shape Reality

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2014-12-18 DMCJMKShoreRd+

Arts For All (Fb | Web) is a community arts organization in north Belfast, sponsoring workshops and events, giving space to artists-in-residence, and putting on exhibits in its John Luke Gallery. The image above is of the mural on the side of their own building on the York Road, painted in 2012 by JMK (Jonny McKerr) and DMC (Dermot McConaghy) – their signatures can be seen on the brickwork at the right. Arts For All were also one of the sponsors of the recent WWI mural by Jonny in Tigers Bay: The Undertaker | The Home Front.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bytes

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2014-09-06 Bytes+

The final spot on Northumberland Street (see previously: Reserved) was taken in September by this mural for Youth In Motion’s ‘Bytes’ project, which seeks to build basic skills and assist job-seekers (Fb | Web (YIM) | Web (Bytes)).

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02166 employment and learning ycni yim european union social fund twitter personal development employability conflict resolution ict

Long To Reign Over Us

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2015-01-24 QEII50th+

The Queen’s golden jubilee (50th anniversary 1952 – 2002) is celebrated in this long-lasting UFF/UDA mural in Rathcoole. It originally included a (painted) “plaque” at the bottom, which has been painted out. On September 10th, 2015, Elizabeth II will surpass Victoria as the longest reigning British monarch.

Diamond jubilee mural in the Village: Looking Back; board on the Shankill: For Those About To March | Ulster Girl | A Full House.

2015-01-24 QEIIWide+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02489 X02490 flags of england scotland wales norther ireland union jack crown quis separabit red fist hand

The Poor Ground

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2014-11-12 PoorGravesPlaque+

Milltown Cemetery contains what appear to be three large, unused, spaces (see the second and third images, below). They are in fact the Poor Grounds, mass graves of those unable to afford an individual grave. The plaque shown above puts their number at 65,000; WP puts it at 80,000. (The total number buried is about 200,000.) They include victims of typhus in the 1870s, and of the great influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. There is more information at CultureNI and Milltown Cemetery.Tom Hartley’s book on Milltown was released by Blackstaff Press last year (2014).

“Public Sections 24, 27 & 33, opened November 1869, closed January 1937, hold the remains of 65,000 men, women and children. Rannóga pobıl 24, 27 & 33 fosclaíodh é Samhaın 1869, druıdeadh é Eanáır 1937. Istıgh tá 65,000 corp d’fhır, mhná agus de pháıstí. Requiescant in pace.”

2014-11-12 PoorGravesWide+

2014-11-12 PoorGravesLand+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle

Shovel-Ready

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2014-08-13 HideoutShovels+

A selection of shovels and brooms stand to attention in the courtyard of The Hideout bar, in Donegall Pass, beneath boards to the 14th battalion of the Royal Irish Rifles and soldiers in WWI.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02079 somme thiepval beaumont hamel st. quentin ypres messines arras passchendaele they shall not grow old as we that are left grow old age shall not weary them nor the years condemn at the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them lest we forget ycv young citizen volunteers

Taigs Out

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2014-08-26 MonkstownBestWide+

UDA mural in Monkstown “Simply The Best”, along with a faded UVF wall with “The Ulster People’s Army” on one half and “Taigs out” over “Ulster Volunteer Force” on the other. For the mural in the background, see M03088.

2014-08-26 MonkstownTaigsOut+

2014-08-26 MonkstownUPATaigsOut+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Throwback Thursday

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2014-08-11 DisbandRUC+

Old graffiti doesn’t go away. It persists, witness to the aspirations and angers of years past.

Above, “Disband the RUC” in Bóthar Chaıtríona/St. Katharine’s, republican west Belfast. Below, “If the leaders are impotent… only the people can rise” – anarchist graffiti in Melrose Street and “B-Men not cowards” in Agnes St, Loyalist west Belfast. These are all late-2014 pictures of graffiti that are at least three years old.

2014-11-20 LeadersPeople-1+

2014-11-27 BMen+

2014-11-27 BMenWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02072 X02405 X02406 p.s. stakeknife how many grows have ya ni?? tout