The image above shows the centre of a mural in Canada Street depicting Protestant women and children on-board a steamer, the Ulster Queen, leaving Belfast because of rioting and headed for Liverpool, where they were hosted by local Orange families. A shot of the whole is below, as well as a close-up of the laminated letter of thanks to Elsie (Allen) Doyle, one of the organisers in Liverpool.

A very similar mural was in this spot several years ago (though not immediately prior to this one – the wall was blank), featuring three youngsters on the boat, rather than a mother and children. The panel to the right began “In August 1971 many Protestants fled their homes as the IRA launched a bitter sectarian attack on Protestant communities throughout Belfast.” (See M04069.)

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01394 X01392 X01393 in august 1971 many protestants fled their homes as the scale of violence erupted throughout belfast the loyal people of liverpool held out the hand of friendship in our hour of need up to 2000 terrified women and children escaped from burning homes to live in the safety of liverpool that act of friendship by the people of liverpool will never be forgotten a bond never broken no surrender telegraph the big flight of fear is on refugee problem is still growing number of homeless running into several thousand moving out of riot areas echo city gets ready northern ireland steamship ulster queen princes dock just after 6.30 am tired and strained hastily packed suitcases told of there anguish elsie allen doyle the debt of gratitude owed to this lady cannot be measured sitting in liverpool she seen the plight of the protestant families having to flee their home some of them burning as a member of lily of north ladies l.o.l. 79 she decided something had to be done her husband & father-in-law traveled to belfast in august 1971 what she saw motivated her to think that people could come and stay these needed a break away from mayhem that was going on in the name of the republican cause started to make plans and phoned friends including the orange order the hand of friendship was being extended across the irish sea they would not be found wanting took over 900 no mean feat seen they were all housed and cared for god bless you grandchildren loyalist stretched out to us

This mural and its accompanying plaques, at the mouth of Canada Street, commemorate WWI and celebrate the Victoria Crosses won by members of the 36th (Ulster) Division “For valour”: Cather, McFadzean, Bell, Quigg, Emerson, De Wind, Seaman, Knox, and Harvey. The main mural features insignia of more than thirty units of types ranging from machine gunners to vets.

Repainted version of East Belfast Volunteers.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01390 X01391 east belfast volunteers 8th. batt. r.i.rifles 36th ulster division 1914 1918 cap badge transport brigade staff officers 9th w. vols 10th s. 107th m.g.c. machine gun coy. 110th field ambulance r.a.m.c. 15th  167th t.m.b. trench mortar batt. 121st royal engineers 233rd divisional employment c’batt 173rd artillery 153rd train 9th inniskilling fus. 10th tyrone derry ammunition donegall fermanagh y.c.v 48th mobile vets 16th co. down pioneers 109th 150th 108th 22nd armagh monaghan cavan central antrim 108th signal royal irish rifles fusiliers john mccrae In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place; and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing, fly scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, loved and were loved, and now we lie in Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders fields. moina michael Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, Sleep sweet – to rise anew! We caught the torch you threw And holding high, we keep the Faith With All who died. We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led; It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies, But lends a lustre to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders Fields. And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead. Fear not that ye have died for naught; We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought In Flanders Fields. July 1st, 1916 5553 officers and men had been killed mournful praise glorious meaning in which no shade of contention can enter the lost generation freedom east belfast historical and cultural society

In the course of its history, the UDA has flirted with the idea of an independent Northern Ireland and of a repartitioned Northern Ireland. This mural in Avoniel Street, just off Albertbridge Road in east Belfast, shows a Northern Irish island, supporting two masked gunmen, beneath a red fist. The Ulster Freedom Fighters (and its youth organisation, the Ulster Young Militants) was formed in 1973 to give legal cover to the UDA; the UFF was banned immediately, the UDA in 1992.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01388 u.y.m. terrae fillius quis separabit formed 1973 dee st. coy. ulster defence association

After a delay, the UVF mural in Inverwood Court, replacing a George Best mural, has been finished. (The Belfast Telegraph reports it was finished on 2013-09-21, and that negotiations to remove it are “ongoing”.) The quote on the right – Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed – comes from the section of Martin Luther King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail in which he considers the merits of civil disobedience or direct action. For a shot of the half-finished piece, see Second Best.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01330 for god and ulster

As reported in the media a week ago (BBC | Guardian | U.tv video | Slugger), an east Belfast mural featuring footballer George Best, which itself replaced a UVF mural, has been painted over and is being replaced by a new UVF mural. Progress on the piece, however, seems to have halted. This image shows the progress as of Monday 9th, showing no change since the 4th. The mural quotes Martin Luther King’s Letter From Birmingham Jail (pdf), drawing a parallel between the Civil Rights movement in the US and the situation of contemporary Protestants. Below is an image of the George Best piece, courtesy of the Geograph project.

Update 2013-09-13 U.tv reports that the work on the mural has indeed been halted.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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