In a window on Queen’s Avenue, Glengormley: a Union flag, an Ulster-Scots flag (a Northern Ireland shield on a St. Andrew’s saltire, with the words “Ulster-Scots” below) and the Israeli flag.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Yesterday (29 January, 2014) marks the 50th anniversary of Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, currently#42 on IMDb’s list of greatest films. (See the image below, which includes Slim Pickens as T. J. “King” Kong riding a bomb to mutually assured destruction. Peter Sellers intended to play the role, alongside his three others; see also this New Yorker magazine retrospective “Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was True”.)
The movie retains its relevance in 2014, as evidenced by this stencil in Fountain Street, protesting the use of drone technology by the US in the mideast and Pakistan. Next the stencil of a cowboy riding a drone are the words “The Drone Ranger Tour 2014 – Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria”.
As can be seen in the wide shot below, this piece is next to the Obama ‘I See You‘ (and round the corner from the ‘Don’t Drone Me, Bro‘ stencil).
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Here is the completed Frederick Douglass mural in Northumberland Street. With quotes from …
Northern Visions TV documentary on the production and launch of the mural.
See also: in-progress shots, in Frederick Douglass.
Update: John Lewis was added in 2014; see As I Would Not Be A Slave.
Update: Aung San Suu Kyi X’ed out in 2017; see The Freedom Of Others.
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Copyright © 2013/2021 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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thank you sister Rosa Parks Harriet Tubman Barack Obama Betty Sinclair Mary Ann McCracken Aung San Suu Kyi, Haitian Revolution, Chief Joseph, El Salvador, CoMadres
Four shots of the “Go safe Mandela – RIP” lettering by Gael Force Art on Slıabh Dubh/Black Mountain two weeks ago, commemorating the death of Nelson Mandela on December 5th, 2013.
The one above is on the Springfield Road with ‘The Usual Suspects’ in the foreground. (Previously from the same location: G8 War Criminals.)
The second, below, is from the Whiterock Road and involves the ‘IRA Final Salute’ mural.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01481 X01589 X01525 X01590 dorothy maguire corner ira vol. bobby sands mp fermanagh south tyrone
“History is ours, and history is made by the people — La historia es nuestra y la hacon los pueblos”
Here is a super-wide image of the new (c. Dec. 10th, 2013) board on Northumberland Street celebrating the socialist movement in 1970’s Chile. The Unidad Popular, whose emblem can be seen centre-left and in the close-up below, was a coalition of left-wing parties who supported the Marxist Salvador Allende (seen in the middle) for president in the election of 1970. Allende served as president from 1970-1973 until committing suicide during the coup.
Previously: Brigada Romana Parra board in Ormeau Park.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Mural and stencil in Bóthar Chaıtríona (St. Katherine’s Road) in the St. James’s area showing Che Guevara above the words “I don’t care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting.” The remnants of the former mural – a Celtic design – can be seen to the left of Che’s head.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Stencil and graffiti in College Street (in the city centre; the Fountain Centre is visible in the background): “Don’t drone me, bro.” over a stencil of U.S. president Barack Obama. This image was taken the day the leader of the Pakistani Taliban was killed by a U.S. drone (Guardian). The Obama administration has launched six times more drone strikes in Pakistan than the Bush administration (WP). For the original phrase ‘Don’t tase me, bro’, see knowyourmeme.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Che Guevara – Blood of an Irish rebel.” A colourful new mural has been completed on the Falls Road (at the end of McQuillan Street) in time for the anniversary of Che Guevara’s death, on October 9th, 1967. The mural features multiple copies of Korda’s iconic Guerillero Heroico (discussed in the Visual History page on Jim Fitzpatrick), two quotes from Che – “When forces of oppression come to maintain themselves in power against established law, peace is considered already broken” and “If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine” – and the flags of (from left to right) the Basque Country, Palestine, Ireland, Cuba, Catalonia and Argentina (where Che was born; or perhaps Guatemala, where he was first active – the shield above contains no central icon, which would distinguish the flags).
Che’s father declared that the blood of Irish rebels ran through his son, in reference to their Irish ancestry. For genealogical information, see the previous entry on the Che Guevara Lynch mural in Derry.
The artist is Damian “DeeDee” Walker, of the Gaelforce group. The piece has been in progress for about a month.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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This new pro-Basque mural on the International Wall on Divis Street calls for the release of Arnaldo Otegi, one-time ETA member and leader of a pro-Basque party, along with other political prisoners. (More information on Otegi at arnaldotegi.com and WP.) “Pake bidean” is the Basque for “The pathway to peace”. (The mural is at the eastern end of the wall; takes the place of the Ian Knox anti-racism mural featured in Never Actually Existed.)
Update: Otegi was released in March, 2016 (Irish Times)
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01375 over 700 political prisoners in Spanish and French jails. Free them all! Stop the political trials in the basque country. Scaoiltear saor uilig iad.
A second anti-fascist, and cross-community, piece has gone up on Northumberland Street. This one commemorates the deaths of Dick O’Neill and William Beattie who died fighting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. O’Neill died at Jarama and Beattie at Brunete, both outside Madrid, in 1937.
As can be seen from the third image, below, the piece is immediately to the right of the Frederick Douglass mural.
For more on the Anti-Racism World Cup, see East Meets West.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01255 X01254 X01256 springfield road fell at 14th february shankill road 23rd july, no pasarán, they shall not pass, starry plough and the stars, international brigade flag, bob marley martin luther king angela davis steven biko haitian revolution apartheid free at last without regard to race
Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 