PUL

A Journey Through Space And Time

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The title says “Bloomfield [Bangor] 1973-2018” but the images are all of the Shankill in Belfast: (top, from left) the Changing Faces installation on the Cupar Way “peace” line, coal being delivered by horse and cart, the Original Belfast mural, (bottom, from left) the Shankill Graveyard, the Shankill Road Mission, Beatties fish and chip shop, and the Shankill Graveyard mosaic. 1973 is presumably the year of the construction of the contemporary houses in Bloomfield; there were aluminium bungalows in Bloomfield Road in 1951 (Lennon Wylie | flickr).

Replaces the damaged UVF eagle mural.

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Your Local Supplier

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The North Down and East Belfast branches of the UVF come within a stone’s throw at the top end of the Bowtown (Newtownards) estate. Above and immediately below, North Down signage; below that, three of the East Belfast installation on the fence across the Movilla Road.

Both portraits on the fence are of Dennis Hutchings, the former British Army soldier who died this year while on trial for the killing of John Pat Cunningham in 1974 (BBC).

The tarp is against the ‘Irish Sea border’, in the style seen in the image at the top of this Irish Times article about checks at ports.

The “erosion of our identity” board on the right can also be seen in east Belfast.

For another pair inside the estate, see previously: Bowtown UVF, and on either side of Abbot Drive, compare Our Cause Will Always Remain The Same with North Down UVF.

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X11291 X11292 X11293 X11295 X11294 the battles we refuse to fight today become the hardships our children must endure tomorrow The prevention of the erosion of our identity is now our priority

The Kilcooley Arch

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An arch of a different kind in the Kilcooley estate: a reflective steel arc overlooking a circular mosaic.

“This steel and ceramic sculpture was created by the residents, children and young people from the Kilcooley Community, working in collaboration with visual artists Duncan Ross and Helen Sharp. The sculpture was created as part of the North Down Borough Council Art of Regeneration Project. The sculpture was officially launched by the Chair of the Art of Regeneration Partnership Councillor Alan Leslie on the 28th April 2009. Funded by the Art Council of NI, NI Housing Executive, North Down Local Strategy Partnership through Peace II, Department for Social Development and North Down Borough Council. Tiles printed and supplied by Edinburgh Ceramics.”

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Death Behind The Mask

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In Eddie The Trooper murals, the reaper typically follows behind to collect the bodies. But lately he has been stepping into the limelight by himself, accompanied by a poem of terror (similar to the poem in The Reaper Come To Call): “The Provo’s fear the reaper/From the UFF he comes/The loyalist executioner/He brings death with his gun/He strikes when no one expects him to/From behind his hood cold eyes/The reaper brings stiff justice/As another Provo dies/He brought revenge for Teebane/In the Ormeau bookies five/And for the Shankill bombing/Greysteel was his reply/Sometimes his lust is chilling/As he goes about his task/The Provo’s fear the reaper/There’s death behind the mask”

The same poem appears on a fence board in Craigyhill, Larne.

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Shared Space

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These UVF and UDA board are side-by-side at the entrance to the Glen estate, Newtownards; above and directly below, a North Down UVF and graffiti, while directly above it (final image) two UDA hooded gunmen take aim at the viewer on the pavement.

Also in Glen: a UVF hooded gunman at the bottom of the estate – Neighbourhood Watch – and UDA gunmen at the top of the estate – Hope That It Will Get Better.

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Education Is A Journey

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Here are two murals aimed at children in Kilcooley, Bangor. On the one hand, the first one (images 1, 2, 3) includes a WWI soldier and the saying “For your tomorrow, we gave our today”; on the other, the second – Education is a journey, not a destination – is a NIHE project that replaces a UDA mural: see Simply The Best.

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IRA Army Council Demands

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“The Parachute Regiment betrayed by the government to satisfy IRA Army Council demands.” The charges of murder and attempted murder against Soldier F were originally lodged (CNN) and pursued in 2019 (Guardian) but in 2021 the PPS decided to drop the charges. Five months ago that decision was quashed (BelTel | Guardian). The charges against Soldier F concerned two specific victims, William McKinney and James Wray, though witness testimony involves F in at least four of the deaths (Irish Central | Village). In response to the original charges, the Movilla UDA added the framed tarp shown here to their ‘hooded gunmen’ board in Georges Street, Newtownards.

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First Newtownards Somme & Historical Society

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This is new, more extensive display from The First Newtownards Somme & Historical Society (Fb) (replacing The Pride Of Ulster). There are seven panels about the Ulster Volunteers and the 36th Division, plus an eighth panel on the Ulster Special Constabulary. The formation of the Ulster Volunteers (anti-Home Rule poster | anti-Home Rule postcard), formation of the 36th (Ulster) Division, the 13 battalions of the division, the Battle Of The Somme, JP Beadle’s Attack Of The Ulster Division (Royal Irish), the Ulster Tower, the USC (B Specials), the Victoria Cross.

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Bowtown Remembers

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Three-in-a-row at the Bowtown (Newtownards) newsagents: on the left, “Lest we forget” (final image); in the middle, the emblems of the UVF, 36th Division, and YCV against a backdrop of WWI soldiers; on the right-hand, Captain Tom Moore, who raised money for the NHS during lockdown. Above the shop itself can be seen “East Belfast UVF” while the flag is from the North Down UVF. The sticker on the phone box says Stop PSNI Harassment.

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You Are Now Entering Loyalist Kilcooley

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“East Belfast 6th battalion, North Down”, with UFF, UDA, and UYM insignia against a background of the Harland & Wolff cranes (in east Belfast) and Ulster tower (in Thiepval), at the upper entrance to Kilcooley estate, Bangor. An image of this tarp was included by Dee Stitt in a gallery illustrating “Protestant culture” (tw) which drew a correction from the Rev Bill Shaw, a director of Charter NI; Jamie Bryson responded on Stitt’s behalf (News Letter).

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