City/Town

Ulster’s Present Defenders

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This mural forms a pair with Ulster’s Past Defenders in the middle of Newtownards Road’s ‘Freedom Corner’. The present defenders are the UDA/UFF; the past defenders were the UDR, and before them, the B Specials, (and before them, Cuchulainn – 2005 and 1992). Both pieces were repainted in 2016 after the previous murals disintegrated (see Freedom Corner for possible causes).

“The UDA was formed in 1971 as an umbrella for loyalist vigilante groups being formed. There role to defend protestant community from IRA violence. They remain today. The UFF was formed in 1973 as military group for the UDA to defend protestants from acts of Irish Republican violence over 30 yrs of conflict.”

From left to right: For Freedom Alone | As Long As 100 Of Us Remain Alive | Loyalist East Belfast | The Strangest Victory In All History | Ulster’s Past Defenders | Nationality is included in Loyalist East Belfast | Ulster’s Present Defenders | Freedom Corner

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Copyright © 2018 Extramural Activity
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East Belfast Brigade

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The original version of the hooded UFF gunman, with pistol and quotation modelled on the Declaration Of Arbroath (“As long as one hundred of us remain alive …”), was painted on the Newtownards Road in 1994.

Taking their place now is a list of the battalions of the East Belfast Brigade (in numerical order): Young Newton, Dee Street, Ballybeen, Castlereagh, and Tullycarnet, plus North Down (see Always A Little Further).

The second image, below, shows the gunman but not the right-hand side painted out (from a February 2017 entry); the third image is from a 2015 post, when the “Bendy Gunman” was painted. Only the UFF fist now remains from that 2015 version.

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Loyalist East Belfast

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Here are the two low walls along Freedom Corner in east Belfast. Above, “The Ulster conflict is about nationality – this we shall maintain” using flags as identifiers: the Ulster banner for Northern Ireland, the St George Cross for England, the Union Flag for the UK, St Andrew’s Saltire for Scotland, and Baner Cymru for Wales. The previous version used flowers and the red hand – see Daffodil Nation.

Below, “Loyalist east Belfast” between the Ulster Banner and Union Flag.

From left to right: For Freedom Alone | As Long As 100 Of Us Remain Alive | Loyalist East Belfast | The Strangest Victory In All History | Ulster’s Past Defenders | Nationality is included in Loyalist East Belfast | Ulster’s Present Defenders | Freedom Corner

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Generation Edd Balls

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No idea about either the original or the modification – possibly to do with Ed Balls Day, April 28th? Please comment/e-mail if you know more.

Update: Based on the comment from ‘anonymous’, the original was the symbol of Generation Identity, a lambda in a circle (discussed previously in Identity Movement Ireland), which was then blotted out by the anarchists and further modified with “Edd Balls” by a wag.

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The Spirit Of The Age

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The Hill Street Bar Band, originally painted by Glen Molloy (Fb) on the hoarding around a the construction at the Harp bar, has relocated to the courtyard of the Dark Horse. Shown above are Nathan Connolly, Una Healy, (and Gary Lightbody); below are Van Morrison, Bap Kennedy, Brian Kennedy, Fatboy Slim.

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Metalwork

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Newcastle artist Alan Burke in 2015 produced four pieces for Eastside Partnership (with funding from the Arts Council) for the area between the Newtownards Road and (what is now) CS Lewis Square (Tele). The piece shown in today’s post is a pair of metalworks depicting the heavy industry of Harland & Wolff. The works themselves are made from sheet metal, stainless steel, and weathering steel which is designed to “form a stable rust-like appearance” after a few years of exposure the elements.

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Action Against Drugs

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Action Against Drugs (AAD) is a anti-drugs organisation of former IRA members and perhaps using IRA weapons. The ‘recruitment’ graffiti and warning to drug-dealers shown above is at the junction of Albert Street and Divis Street in west Belfast.

For more in the graffiti war against dealers, see 2017’s U’ll Do Nottin! and 2018’s Drug Dealers Will Be Shot.

For the mental health board, see Keep Ahead With Your Mental Health.

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Ulster First Flute

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This vintage piece is next to Linfield Gardens, off Sandy Row. (For the mural all the way back in 1997, see M01330.) Ulster First Flute (Fb) shares the emblem of the other UFF – the Ulster Freedom Fighters – a red first (with or without the drops of blood). See also: Gareth ‘Big Henry’ Morrison on Loyalist Avenue.

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