“Time for unity” and a “Join Saoradh” (web | Fb) stencil on the Monagh Bypass, Belfast, pushing for a border poll (and echoing the message put on Sliabh Dubh last year, among other places).
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“My freedom doesn’t end where your fear begins. Brought to you by: The White Rose.” The White Rose was a Munich resistance group that undertook an anti-Nazi leaflet campaign in 1942-1943, until its leaders were arrested and executed (WP). This White Rose is “a global network [using Telegram] of independent activists, all working in unison to disseminate a much needed counter narrative to the relentless fear mongering, lies and propaganda we’ve all been subjected to since day one of the Covid-19 scamdemic.”
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Stop PSNI harassment of the loyalist community” The PSNI were attacked on Wednesday by youths who blocked Lanark Way (site of this sticker), following a small protest against the NI Protocol. Belfast Live ran a live-blog of the events. Police later suggested that the young people were organised by older people in the community in an attempt to increase tension over the Protocol (Belfast Live) and the threatened collapsing of Stormont by the DUP (BelTel). They were also attacked from the Springfield Road side (BelTel).
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Man does not live on bread alone, but on cheese and tomato sauce. And perhaps some extra toppings and side orders, from We Knead Pizza (Fb) in McQuillan St. For information about Sr Faustina Kowalska, “Apostle Of Divine Mercy”, who had visions of Jesus, see This Image Is Blessed.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Debenhams went into administration on April 9th, 2020 and immediately announced the closure of their stores in the Republic, with the loss of 1,200+ jobs. Workers went on strike for their union-negotiated redundancy, picketing both the front and rear entrances of stores to prevent the removal of stock by liquidators. The strike ended after 406 days when workers voted to accept an (Irish) government re-training scheme of 3m euro (Irish Times); the company was liquidated and all stores closed, including those in the north. The poster shown is on the ILAC centre in central Dublin.
A book on the strike – Tales From The Debenhams Picket Line – is now available.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Greater justice was her ideal and it was her ultimate achievement. Her courage and sacrifice saved many from the scourge of drugs and other crime. Her death has not been in vain.” Veronica Guerin was a Sunday Independent journalist who investigated drug trafficking in Ireland. She was shot and killed in 1996 while sitting at a traffic light on the Naas dual carriage-way by members of John Gilligan’s gang riding a motorcycle (WP).
The bronze bust, by sculptor John Coll, is in the grounds of Dublin Castle (Statues). “Unveiled by the Taoiseach, Mr Bernie Ahern, TD, 22nd June, 2001.”
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Commander in chief of British armed forces not welcome in Ireland – Irish blood on Englands’ [sic] hands. Reject the crown in Ireland.” 32CCSM (web) launched a poster campaign to protest the visit by Queen Elizabeth on October 21st to celebrate the centenary of Northern Ireland. She did not end up attending as she was advised to rest (BBC) (and was in fact hospitalised – BBC); Boris Johnson attended (BelTel). The poster includes the Ballymurphy Massacre mural (originally on the Whiterock Rd and later on the Springfield Rd) and the front page of the Daily Mirror after Bloody Sunday in Derry, 1972.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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On this date twenty years ago (November 11th, 2001 – Remembrance Sunday) sixteen year-old Glen “Spacer” Branagh was killed by the premature blast of a pipe bomb he was carrying during a riot with New Lodge nationalists. He was affiliated with Tiger’s Bay First flute band – which held a memorial parade for him on October 16th (youtube) – and the UDA/UYM – for which see the old “Young Guns” mural on the site of the current Duncairn community garden. Distant relative Kenneth Branagh was also born in Tiger’s Bay (An Phoblacht), before leaving at age nine with his family in 1969 (WP); his film Belfast will be released in the USA tomorrow.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“We always knew who was ‘essential’ and who keeps our society going … the working class. Thank you to all our members – keeping the country up and running.” Transport House, built in 1959 and once home of the TGWU, has been vacant and there have been plans to renovate it since at least 2019, without any apparent movement, perhaps due to the expense involved (tw). The modern union, Unite (tw), is supposed to move into it upon completion (tw).
The entrance to the building has been boarded up since 2012. For the previous art on the hoarding, see Unite The Union (one | two). The new (computer-generated and -printed) mural shows a graffitist surreptitiously painting a pro-union message.
Brendan Harkin has a gallery of images of the interior on Twitter.
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Copyright © 2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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‘Homeless Jesus’ shows a person with crucified feet sleeping outdoors on a bench. It was designed by Canadian sculptor Timothy Schmalz (web). The original is at the University Of Toronto and there are now well over 100 of them at churches and other public sites around the world (WP). This one is outside the Centenary House offices of Salvation Army, in Dunbar Link.
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Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 