Needful Things

2014-02-18 Needful Things+

A fake shopfront in The Square in Portaferry. There are doors behind the doors and a window behind the array of sweet jars.

Previously: Fake shopfronts Yes, We Are Closed (Dungiven) | Down The Shops (Newtownards Rd) | Semiotics (Newtownards Rd)

Previously: Closed stores Recession in Fivemiletown | Sew What (Crossmaglen)

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Talking Shop

2013-09-11 Anti-Glob+

These protesters are outside the Antrim Road Tesco’s, with placards bearing messages about globalisation: “Politicians, we need support against Tesco globalisation”, “No more! Unfair, non-transparent and collusive tendering practices”, “Support local companies in their fight against Tesco”.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Ravenhill Business Registry

2013-06-28 RavenhillPole+

Various local industries of the past are named at the corner of My Lady’s Road and Ravenhill Road in east Belfast: Downshire Pottery [1787-1806], Ravenhill Iron Works [fl. 1910], Ridell And Sons [a grocer/trader in the 1800’s?], Tenants Textiles [probably the still-existing Tennants Textiles], Cromac Distillery [1776-1930], Belfast Vitriol Works [fl. 1852], Sydney Pentland [motor repair 1956-2005?]. An old (wooden) lamp-post in the foreground is painted in red-white-and-blue.

Other businesses, not pictured, include Lagan Engine Works, Charles Hurst, Spence Bryson Factory, Co-Op Bakery And Diary [Dairy], Jam Factory, Inglis, Hugh J. Scott, Devonshire Laundry, Royal Bakery.

The piece was installed in 2012-07 (Daniela Balmaverde).

X05297 2013-05-05 Old Castlereagh+

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McMahon’s

2013-06-15 McMahonsStJoseph+

There is a new commercial piece on the exterior of McMahon’s bar in Sailortown. The image above is one of three panels (wide shot of the whole below), showing the nearby St. Joseph’s church (along with the tin man from the Wizard Of Oz and the Guinness toucan by John Gilmour).

The third image below is of St. Joseph’s, now flanked by the Granary building (the Clow building) and the Merchant building. the sculpture of the rescuing angel in the foreground is by Maurice Harron, the artist who did the ‘Outreach’ sculpture in London-/Derry/Doire, featured previously in a mural on the Abercorn bar.

2013-06-15 McMahons+

2013-06-15 StJosephs+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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G8 Cover-Up

2013-03-28 EnniskillenCoverUp2+

The Inıs Ceıthleann/Enniskillen face-lift ahead of the G8 summit in June gets under way with this (quite obviously fake) tarp with a photo of Lough Erne superimposed upon it, along the Irvinestown Road.

In the image below, taken from a railing across the street, you can see what Obama and other world leaders must not!

2013-03-28 EnniskillenCoverUp1+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Food & Drink

2013-03-08 GodfatherGuinness+

Here are two commercial murals from the northwest.

First (above) is a mural outside The Don bar in London-/Derry, which reads “Guinness: Good stout, no strings attached.” (The previous version had a pint being held out to the Don, with the words “Guinness: An offer you can’t refuse”.)

Second (below) is a fish and chip shop called Skippers in Dún Geımhın/Dungiven.

2013-02-05 DungivenSkippers+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Dilly-Dali-ing

2013-02-19 DaliGuinness+

Time becomes distorted under the influence of Guinness and Salvador Dali and his Persistence of Memory at the Duke of York, or more precisely, in the archway that leads from Donegall Street to the pub. Dali’s original is only 9.5 x 13 inches. This is the centre part of a larger mural; there are also three images of Dali in the windows above the archway (see T00766). The Spaniard bar in Skipper Street (one block south of the Duke Of York) also featured Dali on its sign.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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