The sign reads “Dump wood – PSNI out”; the Ulster Banner flies to mark the boundary; guardians keep warm around a fire; old fridges and furniture lie among the pallets. The signs are unmistakable: collection for Eleventh Night 2021 is under way in the lower Shankill.
For the “Resilient” mural see I Am Not Resilient.
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“The Annals of the Four Masters record that in 665 AD, the Battle of Farset (Belfast) took place between the County Down Dal Fiatach, self styled Ulaid, and the Pretani or Cruthin where Cathasach, son of Laircine, was slain. This was an attempt by the Dal Fiatach to encroach on the Curtain territory of Trian Congail. The “third of Congal”, which encompassed territory on both sides of the Lagan, corresponding more to less to Uppers and Lower Clandeboye, including modern Belfast. Cathasach was Congal’s grandson. The battle was the first mention of Belfast in Irish history.”
The battle scene shown is Jim Fitzpatrick’s vision of the battle of Moira (in 637), rather than “Bellum Fertsi”. The salience of this description of intra-Ulster fighting is that there is a contention that the Cruthin were Scots (Picts) thus allowing for the idea (employed especially by the UDA – see Ulster’s Defenders and Defender Of Ulster From Irish Attacks) that present-day northern Protestants have a heritage, and a history of fighting for what is roughly Co. Antrim, that pre-dates the plantations. For more information and a similar board, featuring the tower blocks of Rathcoole rather than Cuchulainn and the Battle of Moira, see Kingdom Of The Pretani. For the debate over a connection to the Picts, see WP.
The Annals date back to the 1630s though they mostly comprise a variety of earlier sources.
The image of the gentleman with the sword appears to be a stock fantasy image, used for at least two characters in Game Of Thrones fandom (Rhaegon Targaryen and Lord Cameron Umber).
For the celebration of Rangers and the NI team, see Respect, Heritage, Culture.
The board on the right reads “Centenary of cultural expression 1921-2021. Sons Of Belfast LOL 743. Castleton Temperance LOL 867. The Memorial LOL 1197. Belfast Harbour LOL 1883. The Coote Memorial LOL 1921. Cave Hill Temperance LOL 1956.”
For the Crusaders FC mural, see The Northern Crusades.
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Rangers’ Scottish Premiership League title – the 55th in the long history of the club – is celebrated on York Street by the ‘Terminus Rangers’ supporters club in the Times Bar. See also: We Are The People | Respect Heritage Culture | Welcome To The Ulster Rangers | F*ck Your Ten In A Row
For the other murals in the second image, see Our Wee Country and From The Boyne To Afghanistan.
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“For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand” (Psalm 95:7). Glasgow Rangers – the team of the chosen people of Northern Ireland – returned to winning ways by securing the League championship for a record 55th time (see We’re Back | F*ck Your Ten In A Row | Respect, Heritage, Culture).
The previous Biblical reference in the apex was Rev 18:4 – see Brits Out! For 2 Chronicles 7:14 see If I Send Pestilence. For the Orange symbols on the left (and Gen 38:28), see Your Kingdom Will Endure Forever.
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The Corcrain-Redmanville bonfire in Portadown, that is. The foundational pallets for this year’s bonfire have already been laid (Fb) and the ‘Buck Truck’ is available to collect your donations.
Also in Portadown (previously): the Edenderry bonfire | the Killicomaine bonfire
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Street artist Emic (web | tw) was commissioned by Up! Culture And Arts (and SASH and the Shankill Somme Association) to produce a series of large portraits – based on photographs from the time – of soldiers from the Shankill who fought in WWI, including brothers William and James McKendry, and Richard Mussen, son of the Richard Mussen whose funeral cortège is painted as a mural lower down the Shankill. The portraits were placed in the Shankill and West Kirk graveyards (the West Kirk photographs include poppies). On March 16th, the photographs were lit up and an ‘Angel Of Mons’ was projected onto the Spectrum Centre (Up! Fb).
Video from the Somme Association set to The Bloody Road To The Somme.
Also from the Shankill graveyard: Somme Memorial; and from the graveyard: Queen Of Ireland, Empress Of India | Interment | The Great War
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Celtic manager Neil Lennon resigned in February after the team fell 18 points short of first place in the Scottish Premiership and an historic “ten in a row” League titles. The team in first place, Rangers, clinched the title (with 6 games left to play) on March 7th – their 55th League title. This celebratory banner and flag are on the Shankill.
“Greater Shankill community congratulates the world’s most successful football club.” “‘There are probably one or two people out there enjoying it, maybe one or two people have a wee fly kick. I would suggest to them to have a right good kick just now because we will not be where we are for long.’ – Ally McCoist, March 2012.”
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The home of the Ulster Rangers supporters club (Fb) is on the Shankill below Tennent Street. The club has plenty to celebrate this spring, as Rangers are Scottish league champions this year, for the 55th time in club history – see F*ck Your Ten In A Row | We’re Back | Respect Heritage Culture.
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This year – 2021 – is the centenary of the creation of Northern Ireland and the year in which Scottish football club Glasgow Rangers won their 55th league title. Support for the club is widespread among the PUL community in Northern Ireland; local soccer and the international team is overseen by the IFA.
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In 2019, images of Bobby Sands before his (second and final) arrest and imprisonment were rediscovered in the collection of French photographer Gérard Harlay. Sands was serving as a flag-bearer in an August 1976 march from the Busy Bee to Dunville Park to protest the withdrawal of political status. (For some of Harlay’s images, see Bobby Sands Trust.) This new mural in his home area of Twinbrook copies one of the images (though presents him as carrying a Tricolour rather than a harp) along with protesters protesting for “Public transport for Twinbrook now” and “Social housing for Twinbrook now”.
See also: Comóradh 40 Staılc Ocraıs
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