Belfast north

McGurk’s Bar Bombing

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

For the 40th anniversary, a painted shopfront and plaques to the victims of the McGurk’s Bar Bombing were added last December (2011) to the Celtic Cross and plaque already at the site. The text on the info board to the right is ad follows: “At 8.48 pm on Saturday 4th December 1971, a no-warning bomb, planted by British terrorists, exploded on the doorstep of family-run McGurk’s Bar. Fifteen innocent men, women and children perished. Those who were not crushed or slowly asphyxiated by masonry where [sic] horrifically burned to death when shattered gas mains burst into flames beneath the rubble. Nearly the same again were dragged from the debris alive. In the aftermath of the atrocity, the British and Unionist Governments, RUC police force and British military disseminated disinformation that the bomb was in-transit and that the innocent civilians were guilty by association, if not complicit in this act of terrorism. This is despite a mountain of forensic evidence and a witness who saw the bomb being planted and lit before watching the British terrorists escape into the night. From the moment the bomb exploded, and for 40 years since, the families and friends of those murdered have campaigned constitutionally and with great dignity to clear the names of their loved ones. It is a Campaign for Truth that continues to this day. Join us at www.themcgurksbar.com.”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X05203 X05201 X05202

Alternatives

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This board is on the end of the Hubb Community Resources Centre and Bowling Club in St. Vincent Street; across the street is Crusaders football ground.

From the Tele: “The building was once the home for local Civil Defence during World War II’s ‘Blitz’. This building is now the one of the last remaining Civil Defence structures in Northern Ireland and has also played home to the local Senior Bowls Club for many years.” The mural also shows bombed-out homes and children going off to the countryside. Here is a short documentary about the 1941 Belfast Blitz (youtube).

Here is a badge of the YRCD & Bowling Club.

The wide shot immediately below explains one meaning of the word “Alternatives”. The Hubb has cross-border financial support — note the (Irish Republic) Dept. of Foreign Affairs sponsorship in the information plaque.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00688 X00689 X00691 York Road Civil Defence Hall the blitz hubb youth group 2011, european union regional development fund investing in your future peace III programme 2007-2013

The Hatchet Men

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

(Part of) A crusader mural from the wall of Crusaders football ground, in St Vincent Street (site of the titanic mural and blitz board from last week). Crusaders are known as ‘The Hatchet Men’ within the soccer world.

This image replaced a hooded gunman image. This space rises to a height of about 6 feet – so when you were driving out along Shore Road the gun appeared aimed at about driver head height – quite intimidating!

For the whole mural, see C02324.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00690 st. vincent st, mural sponsored by kneebreakers csc, alexander family

Titanic Town – North Belfast

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The mural features “North Belfast dockers, millworkers, shipyard workers [from] Titanic town 1912”.

Along the bottom are the names of various Belfast pubs and other businesses: The Waterloo, The Terminus, The Sportsman’s Arms, The White Hart, The Bowling Green, The City Arms, The Orpheus – York Street, Railway Bar – Canning Street [image from 1970], The Edinburgh Castle [the boat of the Union-Castle line, launched 1910, built at H&W?], York Street Mill, The Gibralter [sic] Bar [whose then-owner was killed in 1972], Ye Old Castle [a bar (and restaurant?) bombed in 1971], The White Lion. Please leave a comment if you can add any information about these place-names.

A close-up of the info plaque at the top right can be found below. The piece was painted by Jim Russell from Glasgow.

The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI)’s collection of photographs of Belfast, 1912-1914 (some actually from 1911 and 1915) contains various shots of the area.

There are always cars parked in front of the mural, which is at the blind end of St. Vincent Street, next to Crusaders’ football ground. But finally we have captured it entire, automobile-free, in an extra-large (3854 pixels wide) image.

Previously: Titanic Town – South Belfast

2013-06-12 NorthBelfastWorkers+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00686 X01139 X00687 gibraltar north belfast dockers millworkers shipyard workers titanic town 1912, this mural was developed under belfast city council’s titanic community engagement project, with support from the titanic foundation. thanks go to jim crothers and the hubb community resources center

Thompson House Controversy

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

These three images are from Thompson House on the Antrim Road (at Fortwilliam shops). Thompson House “aims to provide temporary accommodation for offenders with the purpose of reducing the risk of re-offending/harm to the community and by managed resettlement to prepare for move on to permanent accommodation” (PCI-BSW). The residents include sex offenders. Locals are unhappy with the hostel and against the current extension/redevelopment (Tele). A pipe bomb was left at the site last (2011) October (BBC-NI). The pictures here (from the week ending October 20th, 2012) show graffiti at the site.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00683 X00685 X00684 new housing agenda no consultation kill all roots out

Lighting A Fire On The Antrim Road

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

St Patrick’s College – popularly known as Bearnageeha – is another school (in addition to Coláıste Feırste) with a mural. In fact, this mural went up before the Titanic and Olympians murals in Beechmount Park. This image of the W. B. Yeats mural has been photoshopped extensively in order to remove several alarms and notices and a light socket, which took away from the mural greatly. The background colour has also been lightened. (Alternative title for this post: mind the gap!)

X05261 2012 Yeats Education+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00664 X05261 education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire

Damn Your Concessions, England

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Ground-level wide shot from the New Lodge showing “Support the POWS” on the left and “Free Marian Price” on the right.

On the mural itself: “Níl aon rud acu ına n-armlann ımpırıul [ımpırıúıl] a bhrısfidh meon an Éıreannaigh [Éıreannach] nar mhaın [mhıan] leıs a bheıth brıste – They have nothing in their whole imperial arsenal that can break the spirit [of an Irishman who does want to be broken]” “Damn your concessions, England – it’s our freedom we want.” [– Seán Mac Dıarmada]

“Maghaberry concentration camp – End forced strip searches – End controlled movement.”

At the bottom of the figure in black on the orange background – “Damn your concessions England. Give us our freedom.” [– Seán Mac Dıarmada.]

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00668 support the p.o.w.s, free marian price

Big Willie

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the new plaque to “William Morgan (Big Willie). Will always be remembered and sadly missed by all his mates in Tiger’s Bay. Murdered by cowards 11th July 2002. You will never be forgotten ‘big man’.”

Morgan was struck by a hit-and-run car on July 6th, 2002 and died in hospital five days later. The car is reported to have deliberately mounted the kerb where he was walking on North Queen Street and the attack was thought to have been sectarian, as the alleged driver and passenger were republicans and the car was found burned out in the New Lodge (NewsLetter | IndyMedia).

For the old plaque, see William Morgan.

N Queen Street, north Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X05195