Belfast east

Harland & Why

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2014-04-08 LocalJobsFlyer+

The poster above – seen in east and south Belfast – has been called “racist” by the Alliance party. “What happened to local jobs for local people? Why are local skilled workers denied job opportunities? Why is outside labour being used in their place? Why are hundreds of overseas workers employed at present on higher wages? Why are they not paying UK tax? Why are they not paying national insurance?”

The poster concerns the 600 temporary jobs at H&W refurbishing the oil rig ‘Blackford Dolphin‘. According to the BBC (video) only one third of the jobs could be filled from the Northern Irish workforce. A BelTel article from November 2013 specifies that another third came from Britain and the final third from “Poland and Lithuania”.

Below: Some posters with the H&W cranes in the background, just off the Newtownards Road.

See also: Inspiring Belfast.

2014-04-08 LocalJobs+

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Strand Spinning Mill

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2014-03-23 SpinningMill+

The Strand Spinning Mill on the Newtownards Road in east Belfast began life as the Jaffe Spinning Mill, after Otto Jaffe, a Jewish-German emigrant from Hamburg who became a naturalized citizen, early benefactor of Queen’s University (in 1905 he contributed £3000) and twice Lord Mayor of Belfast. It quickly became the Strand Spinning Mill when he sold it to Mackies in 1912. The mill made munitions during WWI and viscose rayon during WWII. The mill closed in 1983 and now provides space to small businesses as the Portview Trade Centre.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Strong Man

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2014-01-16 LondonStStrength+

“Strength for today, bright hope for tomorrow.” A “Willowfield community” strong man lifts a barbell of “friends” and “family” as he gets in shape. Below, a “Jesus” tag and a wide shot of both pieces, at the top of London Road.

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2014-01-16 LondonStWide+

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Copyright © 2014 Extramural Activity
X01632 X01633 X01634 Willowfield Parish Community Association, habakkuk, raven

Their Sacrifice, Our Freedom

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Information plaques were added (in 2007?) to the 14 panels in Thorndyke Street originally launched in 2004. They were originally off to the side of each panel (see e.g. the entry for this panel in Peter Moloney’s Collection), but have now been placed at the bottom of each panel on top of the illustration – three examples are given in this entry.

The paintings themselves do not appear to have changed, though there is one small change to the Jim Maultsaid WWI panel (compared to 2004) – Maultsaid’s name has been painted out.

The plaque for the Maultsaid panel reads: At the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, when Lord Kitchener, the War Minister, was desperately looking for men, he had asked Sir Edward Carson for a brigade consisting of four battalions. Carson offered him a division consisting of twelve battalions, uniformed and equipped at Ulster’s expense. The UVF was transformed rapidly into the 36th (Ulster) Division. On the 1st July 1916 the 26 (Ulster) Division took part in the Somme Offensive. Nine Victoria Crosses were awarded for acts of valour on that day. Men of the 36th (Ulster) Division won four of these. Of those, three were awarded posthumously. Of the 9,000 men of the Division who took part in the attack, scarcely 2,500 answered roll call on 3 July; while of 400 officers, more than 250 were killed or wounded. The Division lost 5,500 officers and other ranks killed, wounded and missing as a result of the first two days of the Somme offensive. The illustration depicted is derived from a drawing by Jim Maultsaid, an American citizen. He joined the 14th Royal Irish Rifles, which was drawn from members of an organisation called the Young Citizen Volunteers (YCV). – East Belfast Historical And Cultural Society”

For a list of entries for each panel in their original (2004) form, see East Belfast Historical And Cultural Society.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Whatever The Cost May Be

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2013-12-24 BloodTearsSweat+

A message from “E.B. [east Belfast] Loyalists” in Castlereagh Parade, combining two speeches of Winston Churchill’s: “We have nothing to offer but blood, tears, and sweat” and “Whatever the cost maybe, we shall fight on the beach’es [sic], we shall fight in the fields and on the street’s [sic]. We shall never surrender.”

1940-05-13: “I would say to the House, as I said to those who have joined the government: I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask: What is our policy? I will say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us, to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime.”

1940-06-04: “We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender. “

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Laying Down His Life

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2013-12-20 MountPPanels+

IRA Volunteer Sean Martin is at the centre of these panels in Beechfield Street, in the Short Strand, (CNR) east Belfast. The image in the apex of the house depicts his death in nearby Anderson Street (which no longer exists; roughly where Arran Street is).

milltowncemetery.com (link now dead) reports that Sean Martin “was killed in April 1940 during a lecture on arms and a Millis hand grenade in a small terrace house in Anderson Street. In the course of the lecture Sean, who was giving the instruction, had dismantled the grenade, and was putting it together again. The detonator which he was using was thought to have been a dud one. In demonstrating how to throw the grenade, he pulled out the pin and released the lever. Hearing the hissing sound of the fuse he realised that the detonator was live and that the grenade was about to explode. He rushed to the window with the intention of throwing it out on to the street, but some children were playing outside. In the few seconds left to him, Sean had to make that terrible choice; shouting to the others to get out of the house – he pulled the grenade into himself with his two hands and leaned over the kitchen table with the grenade covered by his whole body. The device exploded and blew him right across the kitchen, killing him instantly. All the others escaped uninjured.”

The Irish at the bottom reads “Grádh níos fearr ní raıbh ag duıne na a bheo a thabhaırt ar son a chomrádaıthe” – “A greater love no person has than to give his life for his comrades” (John 15:13)

Belfast Forum has some pictures of Anderson Street; according to the accompanying conversation, the Martins (might have) lived at no. 29. Sean Martin’s CLG/GAA club was named after Martin.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01515 mól an óıge agus tıocfaıdh sí encourage youth and it will flourish gaelic football sun moon comet

Place Of Pride

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An owner, with Ireland’s Saturday Night (which ceased publication in 2008) tucked in his coat pocket, shows off his greyhound.

The words of the poem read

“In the east of the city, isolated alone, is a dear little place we like to call home.

Old strengthened by new, the homes and the streets, looking out for each other, a broad smile when they meet

The once terraced streets, some narrow, some wide, behind so many faces a story there lies

In the east of the city by the lagan’s fair side, looking back at its history our hearts fill with pride.”

Next to No More in Edgar Street, Short Strand

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Standing Guard

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2013-12-20 EastBelfBattDetail+

Here are four shots of a late 2011 UVF mural, with memorial wall, on Ballymacarrett Road in east Belfast. The four members named are Robert Seymour, shot dead by the PIRA; James Cordner and Joseph Long, who were killed in a premature explosion, and Robert Bennett, killed by the British Army during a riot. These same four are commemorated in the controversial 2013 mural featured in Years Of Sacrifice.

The nearby memorial (through the railings of which the third image, below, was taken) was constructed in 2003.

2013 saw the 25th anniversary of Seymour’s death; the final image, below, is of a flyer announcing a commemorative parade.

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2013-10-17 SqueakSeymour+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01509 X01512 X01510 X01511 X01397 murdered 15th june 1988 joseph long killed in action 27th feb 1977 james cordner robert bennett 7th 1973 in proud memory of fallen comrades ulster volunteer flute band east belfast memorial parade in memory of volunteer squeak 25th anniversary saturday 15th june 2013 leaving parkview bar at 6.00 pm finishing at mural on island street lest we forget