Sporting Giants

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19 of Ireland/Northern Ireland’s Olympic medal winners are honoured in a new mural outside Coláıste Feırste (whose motto – “Is Gael Mıse” – can be seen in the final detail shot), an area also known as the Giant’s Foot, and below a mural about the Titanic, featured previously: one | two.

The 19 are: Fred Tiedt, Tony Byrne, Sonia O’Sullivan, Ronnie Delaney, Paddy Barnes, Wayne McCullough, Michael McCourt, Mary Peters, Freddy Gilroy, Pat O’Callaghan, Michael Carruth, Kenny Egan, Ben Suth, Bob Tisdall, Hugh Russell, Katie Taylor, John Caldwell, John McNulty, John Tracey.

BBC report on the launch.

There was a mural celebrating Michael Conlan’s Olympic bronze earlier in 2012.

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Beechmount Park is gael mıse, ıs fearr an tsláınte ná na táınte

Tea Party, Belfast Style

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Here’s a flyer from the summer inviting folks to a quite different (that is, left wing, rather than right) tea party than you might find in the States these days. On the Falls Road. (Previous post featuring posters for the Jobs For Youth march.)

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00658 workers tea party, against monarchy for democracy and socialism an evening of fun, devoted to freedom come one come all bring your own song poem quotation speech and saying king street belfast tuesday 26th june caife na croisbhealai

The Bone

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The place-name “Machaıre Bhotháın” perhaps gave rise to the name “The Marrow Bone”, the area around where the Park Inn was, between Ardoyne and Oldpark. (Machaıre – a plain, level land; botháın – hut, shed, cabin. Perhaps a reference to cattle grazing in summer pasture).

The three figures at the top are from left to right – Seán Mac Dıarmada (who was from Leitrim but was a boarder for a time in Butler Street), Pól DeLéıgh, Seán McCaughey; the mini-bus driver is Brendan Bradley. The green-and-yellow uniforms are from Coláıste Feırste. Signed “M Doc 2011” (Mıcheál Dochartaıgh).

With support from Glór [An Tuascırt] and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Great Hunger was previously on this wall (hence the plough). Ardoyne Avenue.

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
[X00526] X00633 Staır na gaeılge in ard eoın & machaıre botháın, glór an tuaıscaırt, teach de leıgh, heritage lottery fund, comhıonanas don gaeılge, club óıge, flax cabs tacsaıthe lín, sıopaí, glasraí, baınne, nuachtán, tobac, fáılte

The Mark Of Zorro

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Here is Visual Waste’s piece from Belfast Culture Night 2012 – Zorro the fox, so cunning and free, about to spray some art on the street.

Lower North Street. (See also Praise’s completed work from the same night.)

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Dot Dot … Dot

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Above is the finished piece by Praise (from Belfast Culture Night 2012), which turned out really well. Lower North Street.

Constructivist? Suprematist?

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Big Willie

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This is the new plaque to “William Morgan (Big Willie). Will always be remembered and sadly missed by all his mates in Tiger’s Bay. Murdered by cowards 11th July 2002. You will never be forgotten ‘big man’.”

Morgan was struck by a hit-and-run car on July 6th, 2002 and died in hospital five days later. The car is reported to have deliberately mounted the kerb where he was walking on North Queen Street and the attack was thought to have been sectarian, as the alleged driver and passenger were republicans and the car was found burned out in the New Lodge (NewsLetter | IndyMedia).

For the old plaque, see William Morgan.

N Queen Street, north Belfast

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RIP Alan Ryan

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Real IRA member Alan Ryan was killed in north Dublin on September 3rd and graffiti has appeared mourning his death, supposedly at the hands of “drug dealing scum”. For background, see Irish Times | An Sıonnach Fıonn.

These two pieces are both on walls around the tower blocks in the New Lodge.

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White Star Worker

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Another detail (and wide shot below) from the new Titanic mural at Coláıste Feırste, also featured previously.

Wide shot of the whole …

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Titanic Lifeboat

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Part of a colourful new mural about the Titanic, on Beechview Park, outside Coláıste Feırste. It was launched together with a mural depicting 19 Irish/Northern Irish Olympians. The Olympian mural starts of the gate of Coláıste Feırste, runs up a slight slope, and at the corner the Titanic mural continues. (BBC report on the launch.)

According to the Belfast City Council, the murals “which were funded by Belfast City Council, the Department for Social Development and the PSNI, have been developed in partnership with Beechview Residents’ Association, Coláıste Feırste and the Upper Springfield Community Safety Forum.”

Click here for other Titanic-related posts.

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Memory Chair

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The chair and shoes in the foreground of the David Ervine board are a bronze sculpture, shown above. There are a number of (sculpted) items on the seat of the chair: a ticket for the Titanic, a little (prayer?) book with a poppy on the cover, and a pipe.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, the whole is meant to symbolize the industrial and cultural heritage of the area and the pipe is David Ervine’s pipe. The pipe would also tie him to Gusty Spence (cited in this republican mural about collusion), who also smoked a pipe. The prayer book would be for Protestantism, the poppy for loyalism and service in WWI, and the ticket for the shipyard. As for the boots, they appear to be of a modern design, but are perhaps meant to symbolize the working class, today and yesterday.

Both the sculpture and the board are by Ross Wilson.

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