Visible from the Ormeau Road, this large union flag greets visitors to Donegall Pass in the south of the city. It asserts the presence of the UVF and connects the original Ulster Volunteer Force of 1913 to the present-day group one hundred years later: the aim of the original UVF was to resist the impending rule by Catholics under Home Rule.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“End British Internment – End Maghaberry Torture – Strip searches, isolation, controlled movement”. The board above at the top of Havana Street, Ardoyne, shows a a prison guard in Union colours beating a prisoner in the Tricolour’s green, white, and orange. On the left is the barbed wire symbol of the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (IRPWA) and on the right the emblems of the PSNI, the RUC, and MI5 are crossed out under a swastika. A wide shot, showing the CLG/GAA mural in the background, is below.
Previous IRPWA posts: Scaırt Amach | IRPWA | Maghaberry Prisoners. Another view of the Ard Eoın Kickhams mural.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Hugh Smyth OBE was born in the Woodvale area and represented the upper Shankill as an Independent Unionist and then a Progressive Unionist in Belfast City Council for forty-one years, until the year before his death in May 2014, including a term as Lord mayor in 1994-1995 – he is pictured in the main image (above) in his mayoral robes.
The portrait on the right (shown solo below) was taken by Bobbie Hanvey and is kept in a Boston College archive; more from the archive of 50,000 images can be seen at BC.edu and on Flickr.
As the quote (shown in the final image below) indicates, his politics were oriented towards the working class: “Historically, Unionist politicians fed their electorate the myth that they were first class citizens… and without question people believed them. Historically, Republican/Nationalist politicians fed their electorate the myth that they were second class citizens… and without question the people believed them. In reality, the truth of the matter was that we all, Protestant and Catholic, were third class citizen, and none of us realised it!” The board was officially launched on June 19th.
Replaces 90 Years Of Resistance.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02044 X02045 X02046 canmore st 40 years’ service to the people of the shankill 1939-2014
“Oppression breeds resistance”, in the form of Leila Khaled and an IRA gunman, and a clenched fist in the colours of the Palestinian flag. This is a new pro-Gaza mural in McQuillan Street with Irish “Tıocfaıdh ár lá” [our day will come] and Arabic “يومنا قادم” [our day is coming] (and in the shields “Saoırse” and “حرية”[freedom]).
The artist is DD Walker (“Rebel Rebel”), who painted the “Against Established Law” Che Guevara mural last (2013) October which this replaces.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Kieran Doherty died on this date (August 2nd) 1981 after 73 days on hunger-strike. The new mural above depicts scenes from his funeral on 1981-08-04. The portrait of Doherty in the top left replaces a similar one in the same location; the plaque at the portrait’s top-right corner remains from before. The angled panel shows Doherty’s parents, Alfie and Margaret.
Below are two details – the hearse and the volley – taken in early July but at that time largely complete. At this time, the (in-progress) mural drew criticism for featuring masked gunmen (BBC | Tele). Finally, there is a shot of the whole wall at an early stage.
There is video of the launch on youtube.
The photograph on which the central panel is based is by Derek Spiers; see also this set at hungerstrikes.org. The volley took place outside the Doherty family home in nearby Commedagh Drive (Belfast Media).
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02030 X02017 X02018 X02016 vol. kieran doherty t.d. oglaigh na heireann age 25 commenced his hunger strike on may 22 and tragically died on sunday afternoon 2 aug 1981 was elected by the people of cavan and monaghan in their support of the prisoners campaign for political status bobby sand francis hughes raymond mccreesh patsy o’hara joe mcdonnell martin hurson kevin lynch thomas mcelwee michael devine we support the hunger strikers it is not those who inflict the most but those who endure the most who shall conquer in the end terence macswiney
INLA volunteers Paul McCann, Matt McLarnon, Danny Loughran, and Gino Gallagher are commemorated in a new board unveiled today (2014-06-29) on Northumberland Street.
The work shows the four in uniform against a backdrop of Divis flats, St. Peters, and the plough in the stars. Information about the deaths of each of the four can be found via this IRSP page. The IRSP/Teach Na Fáılte sponsored the piece, which is by Fra Maher and covers over the centre part of the yellow IRSP mural.
Maher also did the anti-fascist/Spanish civil war mural at the left edge of the image above.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02000 republican socialist ex-prisoners support group seamus costello 1939-1977 i owe my allegiance to the working class
An Ulster Banner tops an electrical pole in Stoneyford sporting a picture of an Orange Order collarette and the red hand in barbed wire of the Loyalist Prisoners Association.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“There are more British troops in Ireland than in Iraq.” Éırígí (web) stencil in Slemish Way, Andersonstown, west Belfast.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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The famous “Eddie the Trooper” figure, previously seen marching over a field strewn with bodies in green and gold, is now on horseback in the Fountain area of Londonderry. For background, including the connection to Iron Maiden, see The Trooper and the Visual History page on Eddie.
Previously in this location: Vita, Victoria, Veritas
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A cannon in the old wall of Derry takes aim an Irish tricolour flying in front of the Bogside Inn in Derry.
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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 