(Click here to jump to the most recent ‘message on the mountain’.)
The west and northwest of Belfast are bounded by a range of hills which includes Black Mountain (Slıabh Dubh), Divis Mountain (Dubhaıs), and Cavehill (also known as Benmadigan/Beann Mhadagáın and McArt’s Fort).
West Belfast art collective Gael Force Art (GFA) put messages on Black Mountain – and more specifically on the “Hatchet” field – beginning in 2012, but the mountain has been used for public notices since the first hunger strike, in 1980.
This post assembles a list, in chronological order, of the messages on the mountain, along with links to Extramural Activity posts (which contain background information and additional images) and GFA videos and images. The images on this page are by Extramural Activity unless noted otherwise.
1980: letter “H” in white lime
1990: Dessie Ellis
1997?? (possibly earlier): Vote Adams
1998 “We say yes” to the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement referendum
(Reuters which says “Divis mountain” rather than “Black mountain” | X12200)
2000: Cross Of Shame
2004? Save The Black Mountain
2008: No Bush
and
Imagine A City Of =, Kristoff Gillen, youtube
Gael Force Art
2012-06-26 Érıu Is Our Queen
2012-06-27 Érıu
2012-08-09 End Internment + Tricolour
2012-11-23 End Genocide In Gaza
2013-03-08 Free Marian Price
2013-04-17 Thatcher The Real Criminal
2013-05-05 Hunger Strikers Abú + H + Tricolour
2013-06 G8/NWO War Criminals
2013-06 G8 = War + Profit
2013-08 Free Leonard Peltier with dreamcatcher
2013-08 PSNI-MI5 = Political Policing
2013-10 JFTC2
2013-12 Go Safe Mandela RIP
2014-04 An Lá Dearg
2014-04-24 One Ireland One Vote
2014-05 #time4truth
2014-05 Fine Dominio Brittanico – Italian for the Giro D’Italia.
2014-08 Viva Palestine
2014-08 Viva Ireland
2014-09 Yes Scotland
2014-11 Yes Yes Catalonia
2014-11 End Partition
2015-03-13 End Brit/S’mont Cuts
2015-05 36th Ulster Div (not by GFA and not on the Hatchet field)
2015-05 RIP (using the GFA letters but not by GFA)
2015-05-22 Rem B’Murphy S’hill 1971-2
2015-05-30 SOS Wall St Rapes Ireland
2016-03 Honour Ireland’s Dead
2016-04 96 (Hillsborough Disaster Inquiry)
2017-08 Free T Taylor
2018-09 Free Palestine #BDS
2018-12 – the flag is missing.
2019-04-23 Easter Lilly
2019-05 UN 194 (Boycott of Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv)
2020-08-29 #RememberMyNoah
2020-12-11 #Time4Unity
2021-02-08 PSNI Out
2021-05-29 #AchtAnoıs
2021-06-11 #UnblockCuba
Partition Has Failed
2021-07 Italy Abú
2021-08 Remember My Noah
2022-01 Blue Heart (For Noah Donohoe)
2022-03-26 Palestinian Flag (For ‘Land Day’)
2022-05-01 Women (Venus symbol)
2022-05-21 Dream Dearg symbol
2022-09 We Serve No King But Ireland (upon the accession of Charles III)
2023-04 Unblock Cuba/BDS/No 2 NATO
2023-05 #FNGG23 – Féıle Na gCloıgíní Gorma
2023-10 Palestinian Flag
2023-03 Say “No” To Genocide Joe with the Palestinian flag (for Sınn Féın’s St. Patrick’s Day visit to Washington, DC)
2025-05 Burkina Faso
2025-05 Kneecap
References in parentheses to mural collections:
X = Seosamh Mac Coılle Collection
Written material copyright © 2017-2025 Extramural Activity. Images are copyright of their respective photographers.
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