For Recycle Week 2021 (WRAP), Laura Nelson (ig) and Leo Boyd (web) installed a series of seven pieces (each a combination of sign-writing and paste-up) on Fanum House, using CO2-absorbing paint (from Graphenstone) and a potato-based glue for the paste-ups. “A revolution in recycling!”
“Murdered for their political beliefs: Tom Berry, Robert Elliman, Robert Millen, John Browne”. All four had a connection Markets or Ormeau area of south Belfast. Millen, from the Ormeau area, was shot in 1973 by the UVF; he played on the same soccer team (Bankmore Star) as Thomas Berry, who was shot in a Short Strand GAA club; Elliman was shot in a Markets pub; John Brown (without the “e”) was shot in his Cooke Street home in front of his family. The first three were all Protestants; the latter three were among 11 people who died in the 1975 feud between the Officials and the Provisionals. (Lost Lives)
“The war they wage is not a war of bigotry or greed, their struggle is a workers one, so everyone may lead a life with rights and liberty, in a land where they can say “Up the Army of the people, the Official IRA”.” “Erected by the Official Republican Movement.”
The long-standing display for Queen Elizabeth II’s sixtieth (diamond) jubilee has been replaced with a new set of images for her platinum jubilee, including a series of panels of colourings by local school-children: “The Platinum Jubilee mural has been created by P7 primary school pupils in the Greater Shankill area to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee in June 2022. The pupils involved from Edenbrooke, Glenwood, Blackmountain, Springhill, Springfield, Harmony, Forthriver and Malvern enjoyed creating the collage for a once in a lifetime art mural.”
The mural was launched on June 4th (Belfast Live).
PUL areas all over Belfast have their own version of this tarp celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee; the one shown today is in the upper Shankill: “Tennent Street would like to thank her majesty Queen Elizabeth II on devoting 70 years of service to our great nation. God save the Queen.”
Bell Close, at the top of the old Shankill allotments, has been given an alternative name – “SPB Way” – by the Shankill Protestant Boys flute band (Fb) who use the social club previously belonging to the Shankill Homing Pigeon club. The mosaic on the far wall was previously in Carnan St, which was also given an alternative name by the SPB: C Coy St (see M04515).
Sean McCaughey was born in Aughnacloy but the family moved to Ardoyne when he was six years old (both Duneden Park and Heathfield Road are mentioned). He was IRA acting chief of staff when he was arrested in 1941 and sentenced to life in Portlaoise. He went on the blanket and was confined to solitary. After five years he went on a hunger and thirst strike, and died after 23 days, on May 11th, 1946. The background image in the board shown above is of McCaughey’s cortège moving through Dublin before he was buried in the republican plot in Milltown cemetery (Belfast). (An Phoblacht | RN | Bobby Sands Trust | 2008 mural)
The Identity And Language bill is making its way through the House Of Lords. Here is the web page for the stages of the processes. The “report” stage – when it is open to the whole body for amendment – begins on July 6th; the bill drew criticism from DUP peers during the second reading (BelTel). The graffiti and stencil shown above in support of an Act is on the Falls Road.
“No extradition! Don’t play England’s game” – after years of legal wrangling, Liam Campbell was extradited to Lithuania on charges of procuring weapons for the Real IRA (BBC | Saoradh). See previously: Silence Is Complicity. Cıarán Maguire was handed over to the PSNI by Gardaí in April 2021 (Donegal Daily).
The boards shown above and at bottom are in Braemar Street (Falls) and Brompton Park (Ardoyne). The small diamond version (also in Ardoyne) is mounted above one of the “Slow – Go mall” signs from Sınn Féın that were described as “intimidatory” by local DUP Assembly member and are perhaps also illegal under the Roads Order (NI) 1993 (Belfast Live).
The only references to TYG appear to be flags and graffiti in this street (Upper Riga Street) going back to 2012, though the stencils shown here claim the group was established in 2007. Please get in touch if you have more information.
There is a mural version of the speeding sign on the Shankill – see Kill Your Speed.
Unfortunately we don’t have any information about this lettering in Hill Street. It looks a lot like a Laura Nelson (ig) production, but please get in touch if you can shed any light on it.