City/Town

Our Truth

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2014-05-17 BallymJustice+

The Gerry Adams “visionary” mural came down almost as quickly as it went up. Five days after release, Adams posted a thank-you to the artist on Twitter in which he also asked that it be replaced. The new mural returns to the issue that made headlines immediately before Adams’s arrest: the refusal of NI Secretary Theresa Villiers (depicted on the right) to order further investigation of the shooting deaths of 11 Ballymurphy residents – one for each cross shown – in 1971 (BelTel) and also the La Mon restaurant fire-bombing in which 12 people died (BelTel).

Previously: Time4Truth

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A Watery Welcome

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2014-05-17 Cartouche+

Below is a general view of Nos. 1 – 19 Royal Avenue, that is, Corry House, built in 1881 for John Robb and now a listed building. At No 13 one of the original door-cases remains, the top of which is shown above: a fork-bearded gentleman and a lady with an empty pail on either side of a cartouche. (Planning NI and Historical Belfast – A Historical Gazetteer by Marcus Patton)

2014-05-17 CartoucheWide+

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Belfast Phoenix

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2014-05-17 DragonBuildings+

The North Street Arcade burned down in April 2004 and has remained boarded up ever since (NewsLetter). Bristol artist Andy Council has painted a ‘Belfast Phoenix’, on the North Street end of the arcade, comprised of buildings from the Cathedral Quarter and central Belfast. The buildings include Crumlin Road courthouse, the MAC, the Waterfront, the Bank Of Ireland building, the Albert Clock, the Ulster Hall, Belfast City Hall.

“Up In Smoke” is a 12 min montage of images related to the fire on youtube.

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Culture Before Cash

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2014-05-14 CultureBeforeCash2+

Materials intended for an Eleventh Night bonfire in Rathcoole were set alight early on Tuesday morning (0200 May 13th, 2014, according to Proud To Be A Protestant – Banter) and still smoldered in the morning. Nolan’s radio show last week had a segment on this bonfire, following up on an Irish News report (article behind a paywall) that the bonfire might be moved or covered for the Giro d’Italia. “Culture before cash” means that locals would prefer bonfires to the funds available (here is the Belfast City Council ‘Bonfire Management’ page; Rathcoole is in Newtownabbey) to put on a street party with a willow-wood beacon in its place. According to this Irish News report, in 2013 45 Loyalist and 12 Republican bonfires part of the scheme. Here is the DOE’s Bonfire Report (pdf).

Previously: Bonfire Flags (images of (nearly) finished bonfires) | Everyone Has The Right To Participate (pallets in the lower Shankill estate)

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Women Too

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2014-05-12 WomenToo2+

The Windsor Women’s Centre in the Village area of south Belfast has been providing support services for women and families since 1990. This black and white but multicultural mural on the Kilburn Street side of the building by Joanne Vance includes images of women who use the centre.

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Heart Soar

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2014-05-10 SuicideBalloons+

Here are close-ups, and a final wide-shot, of the “Reaching Out” suicide-prevention mural in Springmadden on the Springfield Road, painted by Lucas Quigley.

Above, a girl is carried away by balloon hearts; below, a fox peeks out from behind giant sunflowers and foliage sporting a ladybird while a butterfly looks on.

Also on this wall is a memorial to the victims of the Ballymurphy Massacre.

Previous suicide-prevention: Reaching Out | Real Heroes | You’ll Never Walk Alone

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In-Former Republicans

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“In-Former Republicans – Boston College touts – McIntyre”. The graffiti refers to the Boston College oral history project, directed by Ed Moloney and involving former IRA volunteer Anthony McIntyre (who now writes at The Pensive Quill), a collection of interviews of former members of paramilitary groups (on both sides) between 2001-2006, some of which the PSNI gained access to after legal action and which are reported to have formed the basis of Gerry Adams’s interrogation (see Get The Real Story). More background from the BBC.

For legal commentary, see Folkman Law.

Wall Street, Carrick Hill, west Belfast. The same graffiti appeared on Divis Street.

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Mountain Stage

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2014-05-09 FineDominioBrit+

The Giro d’Italia (Tour Of Italy) got off to a rainy start in Belfast yesterday (Friday May 9th, 2014) with a team time-trial. While there was talk in February of removing not just election posters (BBC) but also flags and murals (BBC), and the tourist board and Department of Enterprise hopes that spectacular scenes (through the rain) from the north Antrim coast will recoup the cost of hosting the event (4.2M in total), republicans took to the slopes of Slıabh Dubh to greet Italian visitors and perhaps viewers with “Fine Dominio Britannico” (“End British Rule”), and loyalists held what the Tele describes as a “protest march”, setting off this morning at the same time as the second stage – around the Antrim coast – got under way (Parades Commission on the Ligoniel Combine).

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