“Keep the diamond shinning [sic] bright”. The ‘Diamond Project’ is an initiative from Belfast City Council to re-image Lord Street, east Belfast (Belfast Media). Diamonds also feature in Always Keep A Diamond In Your Mind and Shine Bright Diamond Alley
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Copyright © 2020 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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This is the pro-NHS mural in Newbuildings, south of London-/Derry. The “S” of NHS has been turned into the “S” of superman (see also Prepared For Work, Ready For Coronavirus). The rainbow (7-stripe rather than the gay pride 6-stripe) has become a symbol of positivity in the time of the coronavirus pandemic (see e.g. NHS Forever | Thank You, Postmen).
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Copyright © 2020 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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The Siege Of Derry began in June 1689 when King James II was rebuffed with cries of “No surrender!” It lasted 105 days, during which about half of the townspeople died. Part of the siege equipment was a boom placed across the River Foyle about halfway between Derry and Culmore. Five ships took part in ending the siege. Shown in this new Tullyally mural (by Glen Molloy) is the Dartmouth, which attacked the shoreline besiegers at Culmore so that three small ships could bring in provisions – the Mountjoy and Phoenix approaching the boom and the Jerusalem hanging back until success was assured. They were accompanied by a longboat from the Swallow, filled with sailors who with “hatchets and cutlasses” were “hewing and hacking away at the boom” (Witherow at Library Ireland) so that it could be broken by Mountjoy.
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Copyright © 2020 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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The Derry Girls, and the wee fella, James, are now a tourist attraction, thanks to the success of the television show.
It is reported that they have been given masks in support of NHS and essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic (Derry Now).
In Orchard St, London-/Derry, by UVArts (ig).
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Copyright © 2020 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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The outside of Creggan community centre (managed by the Old Library Trust) has been decorated (by UVArts) with a big “thank you” to “all our workers” – particularly nurses, binmen, and postmen – who have continued providing public services during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Copyright © 2020 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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Link 47 (in the Crescent Link Retail Park, London-/Derry) is currently only doing take-out and delivery but the mural on its side wall supports the NHS workers who have been going to work daily during the coronavirus pandemic.
The mural is by UV Arts (web), who also did Someone To Watch Over Me in Creggan.
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Copyright © 2020 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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The civic spirit of Bedfordshire’s Captain Tom Moore has been celebrated in murals across the UK, including this one by Blaze FX in Clonduff. Moore attempted to raise funds for the NHS by doing laps around his garden with his walker in advance of his hundredth birthday. He originally aimed at raising 1,000 pounds but ended up raising 30 million after the effort went viral.
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Copyright © 2022 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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A gate was installed in the Alexandra Park “peace” line in 2011 (see this image from that year) which is opened daily to allow pedestrian traffic between Mountcollyer and Newington. During the pandemic, however, the gate has been closed for weeks and there is confusion over the reason – originally it was said to be due to staffing issues but anti-social behaviour has also been mentioned (Irish News).
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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Valerie Hobson, star of movies, television, and theatre in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, was born in Larne in 1917 but grew up in and around London. Here she is as (the adult) Estella in the 1946 adaptation of Great Expectations (youtube). Her second marriage was to John Profumo (he of the Profumo Affair) but chose to stay with him. She died in 1998 (Independent obit).
The mural of Hobson is in Point Street, Larne, by Visual Waste (tw | ig).
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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Three of the six Marines who raised an American flag on Iwo Jima in February 1945 – made famous by a photograph Joe Rosenthal – were killed in the battle. The soldiers in this new Glynn mural are planting the flag (a real flag) into a mass of coronavirus molecules, hopefully protected by their surgical masks and gloves. “NHS heroes. Sending a <heart> to all our key workers.”
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Copyright © 2020 Sabine Troendle (web | Fb)
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Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 