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International Workers’ Day

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2015-03-29 SHIPDetail+

A new “historical wall feature” was unveiled by the Shared History Interpretive Project (SHIP) on the outside of the Dockers Club in Pilot Street in Sailortown. The new piece is a montage of about 60 images of vintage photographs, a census form, and posters of industrial life. In the top-middle (behind the lamppost) there can be seen an image of the board this one replaces, which featured two carters pulling away a heavy load, similar to the carter in the image above. Another addition in the new work is the inclusion of Billy McMullen (1888-1982) and John Quinn (1876-1935) alongside Winifred Carney (1887-1943), James Connolly (1868-1916), and Jim Larkin (1876-1947). Both McMullen and Quinn are Belfast trades unionists. Quinn’s headstone in Milltown Cemetery was featured previously, in Forgotten In Life, Remembered In Death. More information about all five, as well as photographs of dockers and of the unveiling, can be found at the SHIP web site.

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02573 X02574 X02575 “Sharing more than a century of north Belfast’s industrial and maritime heritage” was officially unveiled on Friday 30th January 2015 by Jack O’Connor, General President “SIPTU” and Jimmy Kelly Irish regional secretary “Unite The Union” in the presence of Belfast’s First Citizen, Lord Mayor Councillor Nichola Mallon. Main sponsor Heritage Lottery Fund and generous support from Fyffes, United Molasses, Unite the Union, SIPTU, Unison. a fine fine meal gallaghers snuff itgwu obu the mission to seafarers elders travel liverpool park drive tall ships may day one big union itgwu irish transport general workers

Credit Union Limited

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2015-03-14 EndBritSmontCutsWide1+

As wrangling over the Welfare Reform Bill continues (with the extra layer of difficulty that comes with politics in these parts), Gael Force Art (Fb) have unveiled their latest message on the mountain (Slıabh Dubh), in support of a strike on the 13th by public sector workers (BBC-NI): End Brit/S’mont Cuts.

See previously: No War But The Class War

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Big Jim

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2015-02-28 TransportLarkin+

Big Jim Larkin spoke from the steps of the Custom House – a stone’s throw away from this new mural at Transport House in the city centre – in the early months of 1907, speaking on behalf of the dockers and other unskilled labourers, recruiting them to the National Union of Dock Workers, and ultimately organizing various strikes as part of what is now known as the ‘Belfast Lockout’, which stretched from April 26th to August 28th. Larkin was expelled from the NUDL and went on to form the Irish Transport & General Workers Union in 1909 and organize the Dublin Lockout in 1913. The rest of his history is equally dramatic, including arrest and imprisonment for ‘criminal anarchism’ in the US in 1919. (WP)

Here is an image of Larkin on the platform at a Belfast rally (mouse-over to enlarge), surrounded by workers wearing cloth caps.

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Unite The Union

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2015-02-28 TransportUnite+

Here are more images from the new ‘Unite – the union’ mural at Transport House. A separate entry features Jim Larkin, who, after the Belfast lockout, founded the Irish Transport & General Workers Union in 1909. The separate (Amalgamated) Transport & General Workers Union (headquartered in London) was formed in 1922. (Larkin’s old union NUDL, renamed the National Union of Dock, Riverside and General Workers in Great Britain and Ireland, joined soon after in the same year.) In 2007, the T&G merged with Amicus to form the current Unite – The Union. The TGWU’s base in Belfast was Transport House, a 1959 building by architect J.J. Brennan in the International style (C20) and a B1 listed building (wikimedia). As can be seen from the image of a female welder above, the new mural features the green tile squares of the building itself, as well as the string of workers in the large mosaic on the front.

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Glenfield Community Association

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2015-02-11 JoinTheUDAFull+

The 2010 work of Jade, Andi, Katie, Leigh, Ellen, Lyndsay, Shannon, and Hannah on the substation at the top of the Glenfield estate’s Oakfield Road has been replaced this week by a new UDA mural sporting a hooded gunman facing the viewer with a slogan borrowed from Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata: “Better to die on your feet than live on your knees in an Irish republic. Join the UDA.”. The two wide shots below allow you to compare the scene this week with last week.

The mural has been criticized by both DUP and Alliance councillors (Newsletter). The final words – Join the UDA – have drawn particular ire, as in other respects it is similar to other murals in featuring hooded gunmen, such as these two other Carrickfergus murals: Inclusion | Eternal Vigilance.

Nolan Show discussion of the mural on 2015-02-11: Part 1 | Part 2

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Strip Mining

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2014-12-25 CopperRemoved+

Vacant houses are targets for thieves stealing copper tanks, pipes, and wiring, which they sell to unscrupulous scrap-metal dealers. In one case, the theft caused a gas leak which resulted in houses being evacuated (BelTel). The Housing Executive now removes the copper from empty residences and replaces it when the resident moves in, at a cost of about £3,000 (BBC-NI).

“Warning: Copper tanks and pipes have been removed from this property. Keep out. This property is being monitored for unlawful activity.”

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Act Now

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2014-11-28 Acht+

The Belfast Telegraph reports that an Irish language bill will be published in the near future, though the DUP have already rejected such an Act. (For more background and discussion see Brian Walker’s post a few days ago on Slugger.) The éırígí stencil above, calling for “Acht Na Gaeılge Anoıs!!!” – “An Irish Language Act Now!!!”, is in Hugo Street below a tricolour and a plaque in the memory of Pearse Jordan (see the second image, below). The wide shot shows the two other pieces on this side of the street, a ‘Justice For The Craigavon 2’ stencil (featured previously in Justice) and Palestinian skyjacker Leila Khaled.

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Copyright © 2014 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02407 X02408 X02409 wreath oıfıg béal feırste in memory of murdered 25th november 1992 the fools they have left us our fenian dead and while ireland holds these graves ireland unfree shall never be at peace john paul wootton brendan mcconville saoırse arabic