Loyalist Monarch Celebrates 100 Years Of Northern Ireland

The Village (specifically the Monarch Street/Parade area, above Donegall Road) “celebrates 100 years of Northern Ireland, 1921-2021”.

The Village Team (“VT”) is still on tour (“OT”), trying to kill all Taigs (“KAT”) – all Taigs are targets (“ATAT”). See previously: Taigs Will Be Dealt With | Concerned Unionists | Loyalist Monarch

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What We Have We Hold

This Village board celebrates the Covenant, Ulster Volunteers, and the 36th (Ulster) Division, with photographs both vintage and contemporary.

For the photograph of Carson signing the Covenant, and an earlier mural, see Betting Office. For the photograph of the car-mounted gun, and an earlier mural recreating the photo, see UVF 75th Anniversary. For images akin to the contemporary photos, see these BelTel galleries one | two of the 100th anniversary celebrations of the Ulster Volunteers.

Lower Rockview Street, Village, south Belfast

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The Lion And The Elk

The Northern Ireland government’s coat of arms was approved for use in 1924, three years after the government was established. Its “supporters” – the red lion of Scotland and an Irish elk, carrying (respectively) Irish harp and De Burgh flags, and standing on a grassy mound with flax plants – were added later.

This mural celebrating the centenary of Northern Ireland’s creation, in the Woodburn estate, Carrickfergus, accurately shows the Tudor crown on the arms, as was used at the time of creation and prior to the Edwardian crown (WP).

For a similar design, see Defending Freedom From Hate in Highfield.

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Maintain The Union

“Loyalist Woodburn celebrates 100th anniversary Northern Ireland”. Maintain the union of (left to right) England (St George’s Cross), Wales (The Red Dragon), Northern Ireland (Ulster Banner), Scotland (St Andrew’s Saltire). Along the fence we have the NI coat of arms, Ulster Grenadiers flute band (Fb) celebrating its 25th anniversary, King Billy at the Boyne, “Ulster Scots” (on an Independent Ulster flag?), Captain Sir Tom Moore, a Union Flag, Rangers 55, an Ulster Banner. The crown sits atop all.

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Comply With Your Country’s Demand

In September, 1914, six weeks after the Great War had begun, Edward Carson wrote to the Ulster Volunteers entreating “those who have not already responded” to “my call for Defenders of the Empire” to “enlist at once for the Ulster Division in Lord Kitchener’s Army”, fighting alongside “our fellow Britishers”: “Quit yourselves like men and comply with your country’s demand”. The impulse for the display of force shown here – two panels of hooded gunmen from the 1st East Antrim battalion of the UVF – is the other, original, motivation for the paramilitary force, which Carson describes as “to defend our citizenship in the United Kingdom” (Strachan & Nally).

For the RIR mural, see For Valour. The new panels shown here re-re-image the VC part of that previous mural in the Larches, Carrickfergus.

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Defending Freedom From Hate

Compared to the UVF, the UDA more strongly detect an existential threat to loyalism and evince a siege mentality that provokes the need for armed resistance. Hence the more frequent presence of armed gunmen in UDA murals (which is also due in part to the UVF being able to “re-image” around the Ulster Volunteers and the Somme). With Brexit and the Protocol, however, armed gunmen have recently been appearing more frequently in UVF murals – see, for example, If Our Shores Are Threatened | Bang Up To Date | Our British Identity.

“Springmartin–Highfield–Glencairn Ulster Defence Association est. 1971. Defending freedom from hate.” As the companion mural (We Will Take Nothing Less) makes clear, the hate is coming from a “fascist republican enemy” (“Sinn Fein/IRA”, presumably) and the government of Ireland. Graphically, this mural is the same as the previous one on this wall: Under The Protection Of The UDA.

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We Will Take Nothing Less

An estimated 100,000 people congregated at Craigavon House on the 23rd of September, 1911, to hear Edward Carson’s inaugural speech as Unionist leader (McNeill Ch. 4). In his speech he said “Our demand is a simple one. We ask for no privileges, but we are determined that no one shall have privileges over us. We ask for no special rights, but we claim the same rights from the same government as every other part of the United Kingdom. We ask for nothing more; we will take nothing less”. Ten years later, in 1921, Northern Ireland was created and it has survived to reach its centenary, despite (according to this mural) “100 years of fighting a fascist republican enemy sponsored by the Irish state.”

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Faces Of Death

The ‘Hidden Treasure’ wild-style writing that in 2004 replaced the UDA C company mural from the Johnny Adair era on Beverley Street has itself now been partially replaced with the paintings (by emic (web)) of soldiers from the Shankill killed during WWI; the paintings were previously exhibited in the Shankill graveyard.

For more on the Shankill-Falls “peace” line and the early graffiti-art that was used to re-image it, see Visual History 10 – Re-Imaging.

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Remember Your Own

More grassroots support for “justice for Ian Ogle” in Cluan Place, including an image of him playing for East Belfast Protestant Boys flute band (Fb). (See previously Justice For Ian Ogle | The Leaders Of This People Cause Them To Err | The 12th In Cluan Place). And also for supporting your local soccer club: “We aren’t filmstars – against modern football“.

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The Leaders Of This People Cause Them To Err

“In loving memory of Ian “Big O” Ogle. “He who paid the ultimate sacrifice should never be forgotten” 27th January 2019. Unbowed, unbroken.”

The scripture cards within the wreath of poppies in Cluan Place – where Ogle lived and was killed – are directed at the east Belfast UVF; some of its members killed Ian Ogle (BelTel) and are alleged to still be active in the area (Belfast Live | BelTel).

II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Isaiah 9:16 “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.”

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