Belfast

At Van’s Feet

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2013-02-18 AtVansFeetCrop+

In these details from one of the murals at the Duke Of York, books by Wilde, Beckett, and Joyce lie at the feet of Van Morrison, along with two of Van’s albums, a saxophone, a pack of cigarettes, a pail of water and two cone-shaped objects. Sınéad O’Connor and Barry McGuigan, among others look on. In the second image, there are two Them posters on the back wall and Van’s Magic Time album is on stage.

Inside: David McWilliams, James Galway, Alex Higgins, Rab McCullough, Gary Lightbody, Barso, Joey Dunlop, Terri Hooley, Feargal Sharkey, John O’Neill, Big Jim McDowell, Mark O’Shea, The Edge, Sam Neill, Jimmy Reilly, James Young, Liam Neeson, Jimmy Nesbitt, Rory Gallagher, Seamus Heaney, Clodagh Rodgers, Ruby Murray, Tony McCoy, Katie Melua, Ann Marie, Geraldine Hughes, Cormac Neeson, Jackie Wright, Johnny Hero, Brian Kennedy, Darren, Juliet Turner, Dan Gordon, Gerry Anderson, Gloria Hunniford, Barry McGuigan, Sınéad O’Connor, Rinty Monaghan, Gary Moore, Dana, Phil Coulter, Phil Lynott, George Best, Pat Jennings, Derek Bell, Jimmy Ellis, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Neil Young, Willie Jack

Outside: Mark, Una Healey, Michael, Enya, Nick, Angela Feeney, CS Lewis, Dennis Taylor, May McFettridge, Paul Brady, Winston, Patrick Kielty, Brian Moore, Willie John McBride, Pearce Elliot, John Lynch, George Hamilton, Pierce Brosnan, Ciaran McMenamin, Maggie Cronin, Hammy, Lisa, Big William, Chris, Paddy, Eddie Irvine, Christine Bleakley, Brendan Behan, Derek Dougan, Patrick Kavanagh, Sir John Lavery, John McCormack, Danny Blanchflower, Mary Peters, Harry Gregg, Frank Carson, Martin O’Neill OBE, Dervla Kirwin, Stephen Rea, Hugh Russell, Wee John Caldwell, Nadine Coyle, Julie, Martin Lynch, Nee, Ronnie Drew, Dolores O’Riordan, Ciaran Hinds, Caron Keating, Kenneth Branagh, Alice, Liam Clancy, Duke Special, Bono

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Euro-pa

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Local readers will hopefully be able to help identify the people (and the horse, and the crab on a fishing line) staying in the Europa Hotel, as depicted in a new (late 2012) board/construction at the Dark Horse/Duke Of York. Artist Ciaran Gallagher has a collection of pictures of the piece being constructed and installed.

According to WP, the Europa was bombed 28 times during the Troubles (which would explain the damage and the abseiling paramilitary on the left?), and Bill and Hillary Clinton’s entourage took up 110 of the 240 rooms when they stayed at the Europa hotel in 1995. In the foreground, George Best balances a ball bearing the words, “I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.” Is there some particular reason why the “E” is the euro sign?

Previously from the Dark Horse/Duke Of York: Big Brother Is Watching. Below is a wide shot of the whole.

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Nixon Resigns, Best Quits

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Another George Best reference in another mural at the Dark Horse/Duke of York. George Best quit Manchester United (temporarily) for Spain towards the end of the 1972 season (and quit United for good in 1974). The precise phrase — “Sod this, I’m off to Marbella” — and picture of Best playing keepsy-upsies in the sun come from a John Roberts book about Best. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974 (WP). The Klondyke Bar was in (PUL) Sandy Row and bombed by the IRA in January, 1976.

This is just the left-most part of a large mural in the Dark Horse courtyard. (For the whole thing, see The Bar Is Called Heaven.) It is almost entirely black-and-white – the Guinness labels and betting slip from Eastwoods are exceptions. If you recognize any of the figures, please leave a comment. The photographer in the top right is Bill Kirk | some pictures at the RBG.

There is a signature of sorts in the top left: “Two cold, hungry muralists for hire. Phone Danny D[evenny] and Marty L[yons].”

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00961 burns laird line glasgow, tom carnduff songs of an out-of-work, nunu talent contest, guinness, eastwoods, belfast telegraph he urges a time of healing ford will take office today moves into whitehouse

John Peel

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Two images of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, young and old, on the wall of the passageway to the Duke Of York pub in the city centre.

Peel is famous in Northern Ireland for his love of the song “Teenage Kicks” by Derry group The Undertones (WP). A line from the song – Teenage dreams so hard to beat” – was used in this mural/street art tribute to Peel, who died in 2004 (WP).

Update 2013-06-21: the ‘teenage dreams’ artwork on Bridge End has been painted over (Tele | BBC | Irish Times; video from U.tv).

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Banned

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A letterbox on Sandy Row bearing a flyer describing rallies protesting the decision not to fly the Union flag every day at Belfast City Hall, which will (apparently) lead to a future where Martin McGuinness, Gerry Adams and a masked paramilitary rule like Queen Victoria (who, as we know, was also Queen of Ireland, Empress of India). For some background info, see And so This is Christmas; and for graffiti on the matter, Let Your Union Flag Fly.

 A previous letterbox: Letters Only.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00945 Do you want this as your future support our protest in sandy row at boyne bridge every friday night 6pm – 7pm don’t be the generation to fail ulster a shared future for who? then every saturday at kfc, the square meet 12.30 pm for a protest at the city hall from 1pm to 2pm no surrender

The Village Songbird

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“Born in Moltke Street, Belfast, on 29 March 1935. A child singer who became one of the most popular stars in the 1950s. Her first single reached the Top 3 in 1954 followed by her No 1 hit ‘Softly, Softly’. In 1955 she had five singles in the Top 20 at the same time, an extraordinary record that lasted until the emergence of Madonna in the 1980s. She had her own television show, starred many times at the London Palladium including a Royal Command Performance. She toured worldwide and was performing up to her death on 17th December, 1996” ‘Softly, softly, come to me/Touch my lips so tenderly/Softly, softly, turn the key/And open up my heart.’ (youtube).

Maldon Street, south Belfast

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British And Proud

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A “British And Proud” banner currently flies adjacent to the board at the bottom of Sandy Row celebrating the (Dutch) William of Orange (or “King Billy” as he is more commonly referred to) (WP) and his “Danish, English, Dutch, French Huguenots, Prussian, Scots, Irish, Swiss, Polish, Italian, Norwegian” forces. The mural was launched July 2nd, 2016, and was painted by artist Ross Wilson (Tele). A time-lapse video of the painting-over of the previous mural and the installation of the various pieces is available on Youtube.

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X00944 X04739 Prince of orange, king william III, king billy’s on the wall, williamite forces,  welcome to sandy row, william III encourages his troops on the morning of july 12th 1690, let ambition fire thy mind, laat amitie brand uw verstand

Markets Social

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In 2008 and 2009 artist Raymond Henshaw completed a series of cultural murals about the Markets area of Belfast. This one showcases the people of the Markets.

Two of the images – bottom right and two spots above it – show a street party to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of Robert Emmet in 1953. For a mural from that occasion (in Ardoyne) see Visual History 02.

There were six boards in total: Portraits | Social | Social History | Sport & Culture | Bars | Industry

Lower Stanfield St, Markets, south Belfast

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