A poster of ‘the sacred heart of Jesus’ is blackened and scored out in Cliftonville Avenue, north Belfast.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Shroud
Belfast
Belfast Melt
“Together building a united community” (“T:BUC” for short) is an Executive-Office strategy (pdf) aiming (among other things) at “good relations” for children and young people. The web page details various programmes that fall under this initiative, including youth camps that bring together children from different religious communities.
The piece shown combines wild-style writing with graphics of landmarks (The Big Fish, Albert clock) and “hello” in various languages, including Irish.
With support from South Belfast Alternatives (web) and Flour Power sandwich shop (web) – “home of the Belfast Melt” – both in Donegall Pass.
Between Posnett Street and Chambers Street.
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Copyright © 2023 Cathal Woods
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Glass Of Thrones
Titanic Studios in the Titanic Quarter of Belfast provided one of the primary filming locations for the hit HBO series Game Of Thrones. The series ended in 2019 but its influence lives on in a series of free-standing stained-glass “windows” on “Maritime Mile” (web), the tourist attractions around the Titanic museum.
Shown in today’s post are (from top to bottom) the Stark, Iron Throne, Targaryen, and White Walkers windows.
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The Way I See It
Des Wilson and Noelle Ryan served the Springhill community for over forty years (see Inspire, Uphold, And Make Happy). Noelle died in 2014 (An Phoblacht) and Des in November 2019. They are remembered by this stained glass window in Conway Mill (by Mill resident Alice McGuinness (Fb)): “In memory of Father Des Wilson 1925-2019”, “Dedicated to Noelle Ryan 1932-2014”
“The Way I See It” is the title of Father Des Wilson’s autobiography (and the title of NVTv’s documentary about Des).
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Skins
The Inniskilling Fusiliers were recruited from the four Ulster counties of Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry, and Donegal. In WWI, battalions also served in the 4th, 29th, and 10th Divisions, as well as the 109 Brigade of the 36th Division. In WWII (represented here by the Spitfire in pursuit of the Messerschmitt) the Fusiliers served in France, India, and Italy. (Ciroca | Long Trail | WP)
(For a broader history, from the Williamite campaign to modern Afghanistan, see Inniskilling.)
This Tyndale mural appears to have be painted without fanfare in 2022.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Changed Priorities
In the post of the new Sam Rockett mural in Woodvale – Essence And Space – we said that the “peace” line separating Wyndham Street from the rest of Torrens had been taken down as the area was redeveloped from roughly 2008-2012. As can be seen from this gallery of images, however, some of the infrastructure remains, particularly the school building (former site of Naíscoil Bheann Mhadaigáin (Belfast Media profile)) and the adjacent waste-ground in Torrens Crescent, which remain undeveloped. The alley to Cliftonville is gated at both ends.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Stand Together
“Is your private or social landlord failing to finish repairs in your home? Don’t stand alone, stand together – join the Tenants’ Union in Ardoyne. CATU Belfast. beflast@catuireland.org”
CATU – “community action tenants’ union” – was formed in 2019 and its slogan – “we only want the earth” – comes from James Connolly’s poem of the same name.
The Belfast branch is on Facebook.
For the mural in the background, see What Is A Free Nation? For the slogan, see also Our Demands Most Moderate Are.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The Craigavon Two
“There is no lie big enough to cover the shame of jailing two innocent men #JFTC2”. Brendan McConville and John Paul Wootton were convicted of the 2009 murder of Constable Stephen Carroll (BBC), and sentenced to life with 25-year and 18-year minimums, respectively. The case is under review (Guardian | An Phoblacht).
This RNU (Fb) board also appeared on Northumberland Street in west Belfast.
Berwick Road, Ardoyne, north Belfast. For the Fıanna mural, see Gal Gréıne. For the pro-Palestine board, see Old Is The New New. For the right-most board, see Óglach Sean McCaughey.
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Copyright © 2024 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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All Smiles
The faces of local children are rendered in ceramic tiles by Clare McComish (web), replacing a Sean McCaughey mural in Brompton Park, Ardoyne, as part of the 2009 Re-Imaging Communities project (see Visual History 10).
NVTv has video about the mosaic, starting at 14m 14s.
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Copyright © 2023 Extramural Activity
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Our Most Gracious Sovereign
“In loving memory of our most gracious sovereign – Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022. God save the Queen.” The platinum (70th) jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated in June, 2022, was followed a short time later by her death, on September 8th. These two boards in Maldon Street, mark the two events.
Replaces a Ruby Murray board and the info board that went with the John Darren Sutton painting of King Billy in Tavanagh St.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 