City/Town

Different Wars, Always Heroes

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“Different wars, always heroes.” This mural in Belvoir estate shows Captain Tom Moore, who served in the British Army in Indian and Burma/Myanmar during WWII but became a household name last year for raising more than 30 million pounds for the NHS by doing 100 laps of his garden, being knighted in July on the occasion of his 100th birthday. He died of coronavirus and pneumonia on Tuesday (February 2nd) (BBC | BBC). “Belvoir and Milltown community together with Pride Of Lagan Valley FB supporting NHS & key workers.”

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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07903 Drumart Sq

Stag Inn Shooting

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A long series of tit-for-tat shootings of pubs and clubs continued into the summer of 1976, with attacks on the Chlorane (June 5th), Walkers (June 25th), the Ramble (July 2nd), the Whitefort (July 29th), and then, on the 30th, The Stag at Shaws Bridge, Belfast, by the Republican Action Force (PIRA) (Sutton). John McCleave, John McKay, and James “Jimmy” Doherty died on the night of the attack, and Thompson McCreight died of his wounds nine days later. The memorial to them – “erected by the local communities” – is on Milltown Road, next to the Dreamscheme (web) mural.

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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07902 X07901 X07900

Milltown Young Volunteers

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This is a vintage board in Milltown (south Belvoir), carved and painted with the YCV/UVF emblems but with “MYV” instead of “YCV”. The band’s last on-line presence seems to be from a decade ago, playing in Rathcoole.

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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07899 Ballycairn Rd

Soldier A-Z

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“Stop prosecuting Northern Ireland’s veterans to appease terrorists.” Danny Kinahan, former UUP politician and captain in the Blues & Royals, was appointed Veterans’ Commissioner For Northern Ireland by the SoS in August last year (2020). He described his first task as building a database of veterans and alerting each one to the services available (News Letter | BBC | Irish Times) but the position immediately puts him at the centre of the debate over “legacy” issues and a focal point of interest groups such as Veterans & Supporters United (Fb) who are responsible for the banner above. In October Kinahan was quoted as saying that the system is “very lopsided” against veterans (BelTel).

Holywood Road along Belmont Park, Belfast.

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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07897

Farewell From This Store

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Broken bodies are stacked in the window of Moss Bros. in Castle Lane, which closed after four years in operation. The Tele reports that the company’s voluntary restructuring was accepted by its creditors in December (BelTel), precipitated by coronavirus closures, the cancellation of weddings and formal events, and reduced demand for office clothing (BelTel).

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Copyright © 2021 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
X07895 X07896

The Liberties Of England

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William III, statholder of Holland, landed at Torbay, England, in November, 1688 with 250+ ships and 30,000 men in order to overthrow the Catholic convert James II who had become king in 1685. As he came ashore he proclaimed “the liberties of England and the Protestant religion I will maintain.” As king of England, William was automatically made king of Ireland, but he and his forces had to go to Ireland to win the island from James and the forces loyal to him. Schomberg had already successfully besieged Carrickfergus in 1689 when William landed in June 1690 and moved south to join Schomberg at Dundalk.

The mural reproduces the illustration from a postcard.

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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X07892 X07893 X07894 X07891 Oakfield Dr Dee Craig