Vita, Veritas, Victoria

2013-02-07 VVV+

“Life, Truth, Victory.” A new (within the last 12 months) board just outside the walls of Londonderry, in the Fountain area. (The Fountain area is a small Unionist area on the west  bank of the Foyle river; the larger unionist population is in the Waterside on the east side of the river.)

The city’s coat of arms is featured in the centre – there are various interpretations of its elements, including the skeleton (WP). St. Columb’s cathedral (WP) is top left and a map of the wall bottom right. In the top right is the coat of arms of the city of London (whose flag is the top part of the coat of arms) – “Lord, Direct Us.”

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00939 [X05219] domine dirige nos, ano do 1633 cap regis 9, if stones could speake then londons prayse should sounde, who built this church and cittie from the grounde vaughan – see If Stones Could Speak.

Yes, We Are Closed

2013-02-05 DungivenStorefront+

One of four consecutive buildings with fake storefronts in Dún Geimhin/Dungiven. Painted boards have been placed over the windows and door (and the handle put back on the door?). The helpful “closed” sign prevents confusion!

Previously featured fake storefronts on the Newtownards Road: Down The Shops | Semiotics. And relatedly: Recession In Fivemiletown.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00930

Piece Process

2013-01-24 JigsawPieces+

Walk over the Albert Bridge onto the Short Strand and just before you turn into Mountpottinger Road on your left there is a little park known as ‘An Glas – The Green’; these jigsaw pieces can be seen there, hanging on the wire fencing facing out onto the main road. See the wide shot and text below for more about the project. Launched 2008-11 (BBC-NI).

2013-01-24 JigsawWide+

Frankie Quinn of the Red Barn Gallery has a a photograph of the two little boys in the bottom left of the board as adults. Also in the background (proceeding anti-clockwise) one can see MickeyMarley’s Roundabout and the old Scirocco Works factory, as well as the Harland & Wolff cranes Samson and Goliath, Belfast CityHall, and the wire sculpture next to the Waterfront.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00907 X00908 final piece to the jig-saw; this artwork came about by the working in partnership with a number of community groups schools and agencies namely the lower castlereagh community group short strand community forum beechfield primary school st. matthews primary conflect resolution consortium the core project northern ireland housing executive and the relations council; had the idea of an interface art project involving that are situation along the interface; also approached the artists for the project who are two east belfast artists; worked with the young people involved to come up with the idea as to what the artwork should look like with the end result being a picture taken of all the smiling and laughing together and then their eyes and moths taken out of the picuture and portrayed on the big pieces on the interface wall

McCurrie & Neill

2013-01-13 McCurrieNeill+

A banner and board reminding people of the deaths of Jimmy McCurrie and Bobby Neill, next to their memorial garden (in the right of the shot) on the Newtownards Road, with the cranes Samson and Goliath in the background. The two civilians died in the course of rioting and a gun battle around St. Matthew’s that was “the first major confrontation to occur in east Belfast during the troubles” (McKittrick et al., p. 50). It is not clear at what time each died. McKittrick (Lost Lives, ISBN 978-1840185041, amazon.co.uk.com) gives the death of both as the 27th, and puts Neill’s death at 2 a.m. (and so strictly on the 28th??). Matt Baggott is the current Northern Ireland chief of police.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00900 Investigate these murders. Where is their justice? murdered 27/28th june 1970; still no truth, still no justice

Nollaıg Shona

2012-12-13 NollaigShonaMid+

Seasonal greeting in support of Republican political prisoners – with candles at base – in Northumberland Street (Visual History). This is the centre part of a wider mural-board composite – left and right shots below.

The “Nollaıg shona” and board in the picture just above together replace the previous “human rights” mural; the area below the “doors” hoarding, where the phoenix now appears, was previously blank.

2012-12-13 NollaigShonaLeft+

2012-12-13 NollaigShonaRight+

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00779 X00778 X00780 remember cogús p.o.w’s at christmas nollaıg shona support all republican this time doorways quality doors r.i.c. murder gang harrison nixon the beehive 1926 victims september 1920 vol. ned trodden sean gaynor sean mcfadden

Pat Finucane

2012-12-12 PatFinuncane+

A new board commemorating Pat Finucane (WP), on Beechmount Avenue. A British report into his death was published yesterday, 2012-12-12 (Tele | BBC-NI | Slugger).

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00773 human rights activist pat finucane 1949-1989 targeted by british establishment executed by unionist death squads, if you don’t defend human rights lawyers who will defend human rights? rosemary nelson (WP)

Castlereagh Street Shipyard Workers

2012-12-06 CastlereaghStDetail+

A board at the top of Castlereagh Street listing residents of the street who worked in 1911 on the Titanic and Olympic. With plane-breaking lifeboats and sponsorship from Belfast City Council (see Daniela Balmaverde’s page on the project), the Department for Social Development and the Titanic Foundation.

Wide show below ….

2012-12-06 CastlereaghStWide+

X05206 2012-12-04 Templemore+

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Copyright © 2012 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00763 X00764 X05206 boiler maker plater iron turner shipyard marine engineer draughtsman smith fitter helper, carpenter apprentice joiner moulder chief harbour board clear storekeeper’s office, ropemaker, labourer, leighton cunningham, william horsly, william nelson, francis gregson, james taylor, robert keenan, john miller, joseph atkinson, john porter, william boyd, thomas finney, joseph walker, joseph simpson, sidney ham, archibald hutchinson, andrew mulgrew, james brown, robert dobson, robert simpson, john mccurley, william roy, charles cameron, john m. murray, john lapidge, william horsly (again?), thomas maitland, thomas valentine, alexander mccallum, thomas henderson, george moody, ?jack? kennedy, william wise, edward thomson, william henry ?adison?, bartholemew ivory, john campbell, james miller