Growing Up Too Fast

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A young girl wearing an adult’s pushes a pram in the first of a dozen panels from the new ‘Fáılte go dtí Ard Eoın’ mural in Ardyone Avenue. The image is perhaps based on the (unattributed) photo, shown below the images of the mural.

2-3: The woman on the right is a spinner – her job is to ensure that the fibres of threads being wound together to make a strong thread do not break. The occupation of the man on the right is unknown. Please comment or send an e-mail if you recognize his occupation.

5-6: Two panels featuring boxers, possibly Freddie Gilroy and Eamonn Magee — leave a comment or e-mail if you can identify either.

8: Holy Cross church on the Crumlin Road.

9: A British soldier patrols the streets while a girl walks home from school and a boy plays hurley. This is one of the panels in the long mural at the shops on Ardoyne Avenue.

10-11: Two go-karters appear to be brandishing bottles as they ride while, to their left, two (rather stylish?) youths appear to be banging bin-lids.

“Is fearr Gaeılge brıste ná Bearla [Béarla] clıste” means “Broken Irish is better than clever English”.

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Gaeltacht Quarter

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Belfast has seven geographical quarters and an eighth one in the form of Quarter Accountants/Cuntasóırí in Belfast’s city centre. Notably, the signage is in both English and Irish; the business is in the Cathedral Quarter rather than the Gaeltacht Quarter.

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FreshPolitics

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The pro-Union NI21 party was founded in June of last year (2013) and is contesting council and European elections today. Above is an Irish-language hoarding in support of Europe candidate Tina McKenzie who hails from republican west Belfast. “Is é seo #freshpolitics. Vótáıl McKenzie 1 do Eoraıp” – “This is #freshpolitics. Vote McKenzie 1 for Europe.”

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An Lá Dearg

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Here are three photographs from last Saturday’s (April 12th, 2014) ‘An Lá Dearg’ (The Red Day; red with rage/dearg le fearg) march in Belfast to protest cuts in promotion of the Irish language. The Belfast march comes a month after a similar ‘Lá Mór Na Gaeılge’ (Irish Times report) in Dublin on February 15th. 

The first image shows the head of the parade, the second shows Patsy Dan Rogers, the ‘King of Tory’, and the third is of flyers for the event.

Statement of the organization’s goals at Slugger | Video of the march from RTÉ

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Fluent Together/Líofa Le Chéıle

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Protestants and the Irish language (Gaeılge) have been in the news again this week, as UUP councillors walked out of a North Down Council meeting ahead of a presentation on Protestants and Irish on Tuesday (BBC). This follows remarks by a Grand Master of the Orange Order, George Chittick, that Protestants should not learn Irish (video at BBC) prompted by the construction of a floor of the Skainos Centre for Irish-language instruction (BelTel).

The hoarding shown above (this one on the Andersonstown Road) is for a 2011 NI Department of Culture, Arts & Leisure initiative which hopes to make 4,000 people fluent in Irish by 2015. It features three Gaelic words which have passed into English – craıc, smıdıríní (smithereens) and bróg.

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Stadann An Bus Anseo/The Bus Stops Here

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Gaelic/Gaeılge now appears (since 2011), alongside English/Béarla, on the bus-stop signs and buses in west Belfast. Above is the sign for Saint Comgall’s/Naomh Comhghall (the old school on the Falls) and below is the 10a, headed for Sruthán Na Bantıarna/Ladybrook. According to this BelTel article, there were no immediate plans to add Ulster Scots signage to any routes.

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Repatriate Michael Campbell

There is a campaign under way to repatriate south Armagh man Michael Campbell from Lithuania on humanitarian grounds (Newry Times). Campbell was given 12 years in 2012 for attempting to purchase weapons (An Phoblacht).

The “Tıocfaidh Ár Lá 32” is out on Camlough Road at the Cloughreagh estate.

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The Twelve Hunger Strikers

“This stone was erected by the republican movement, south Armagh, in proud and loving memory of the twelve hunger strikers who laid down their lives during this phase of the struggle for Irish freedom.” “Fuaır sıad bás ar staılc ocraıs ar son saoırse na hÉıreann. Go ndéana Dıa trócaıre ar a nanamacha.” “Beıdh an bua agaınn go fóıll (We will win yet) – Raymond McCreesh – two days before he died.”

Newry Street, Crossmaglen

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