“Say ‘No’ to drugs”, “Respect! – yourself, others, your area”, “Keep your area tidy”, “Hold on”.
Anti-drug and pro-social messaging using American superheroes in St James’s Place, Belfast.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Hugh Smyth OBE was born in the Woodvale area and represented the upper Shankill as an Independent Unionist and then a Progressive Unionist in Belfast City Council for forty-one years, until the year before his death in May 2014, including a term as Lord mayor in 1994-1995 – he is pictured in the main image (above) in his mayoral robes.
The portrait on the right (shown solo below) was taken by Bobbie Hanvey and is kept in a Boston College archive; more from the archive of 50,000 images can be seen at BC.edu and on Flickr.
As the quote (shown in the final image below) indicates, his politics were oriented towards the working class: “Historically, Unionist politicians fed their electorate the myth that they were first class citizens… and without question people believed them. Historically, Republican/Nationalist politicians fed their electorate the myth that they were second class citizens… and without question the people believed them. In reality, the truth of the matter was that we all, Protestant and Catholic, were third class citizen, and none of us realised it!” The board was officially launched on June 19th.
Replaces 90 Years Of Resistance.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02044 X02045 X02046 canmore st 40 years’ service to the people of the shankill 1939-2014
Here are two images of the “Viva Palestine” message on Slıabh Dubh/Black Mountain (Visual History), the first with Palestinian, Irish, and other flags in the foreground, the second shows the Springhill memorial flying a black flag in the foreground.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A Claddagh ring connotes friendship (caırdeas – sadaaka), love, and loyalty, here between Ireland and Palestine. The band is composed of their two flags. The wide shot, below, shows the adjacent “Free Palestine” mural, also featuring the Palestinian flag.
Replaces a Che stencil and a Cliftonville-Celtic mural
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02041 X02040 Path to peace free palestine
“Oppression breeds resistance”, in the form of Leila Khaled and an IRA gunman, and a clenched fist in the colours of the Palestinian flag. This is a new pro-Gaza mural in McQuillan Street with Irish “Tıocfaıdh ár lá” [our day will come] and Arabic “يومنا قادم” [our day is coming] (and in the shields “Saoırse” and “حرية”[freedom]).
The artist is DD Walker (“Rebel Rebel”), who painted the “Against Established Law” Che Guevara mural last (2013) October which this replaces.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Here are two images of modified Israeli flags, protesting the incursion into Gaza. The first, above is on the Divis tower and shows a tricolour flying next to an Israeli flag with swastikas. The second, below, is from Monday’s protest march outside Belfast City Hall and shows a young girl covering her eyes beneath an Israeli flag covered in red (bloody) hand-prints.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Palestinian icon Leila Khaled, who took part in aeroplane hijackings in 1969 and 1970, is featured in this new mural pro-Gaza mural in Hugo Street. The central portrait is a replication of a famous photo by Eddie Adams (WP), taken after her first skyjacking; she then underwent plastic surgery to disguise her identity prior to the 1970 attempt (WP | see also minute 30 of the 2005 Swedish documentary on Khaled).
Khaled is also featured in the pro-Gaza mural in McQuillan Street: Oppression Breeds Resistance
This mural replaces the right-hand side of Think Independently.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02035 Hugo St palestine flag AK-47 saoirse freedom popular front liberation
As part of the protest against Israeli action in Gaza, some – such as the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement – are calling for boycotts of US companies, because of their investment in Israel or because of the US’s support for Israel. Above, an advertising hoarding for Coke has been modified with “Viva Palestine” and “#shareacoke” has become “#killercoke”. Below, “”Boycott Israeli goods” has been written across the bottom of a McDonald’s hoarding at the junction of the Cavehill and Antrim Roads. McDonald’s is #9 in this list in the Christian Science Monitor.
Previously: Boycott Assrealy Goods
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The ‘Vote Tommy Doherty’ portion of this RNU mural on Northumberland Street (Visual History) has been replaced with a pro-Palestinian message – a clenched fist in the colours of Palestine between the emblems of the RNU and the Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02029 arabic tıocfaidh ár lá our day will come
يومنا قادم
Carlos Latuff’s cartoon Do Not Disturb – War Criminals Working is reproduced as part of a new mural in the Short Strand – shown in full below. An aproned Benjamin Netanyahu sits in a Gaza trough, filled with the blood of people he butchers with a cleaver in his right hand while gesturing for secrecy with his left. The world watches with some concern, Ban Ki-Moon and the UN look away, and the Arab League is asleep. Barack Obama prevents any intervention with an outstretched arm.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02031 X02032 supports tacaíonn an trá ghearr le gaza palestine flag tricolour
Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 