Future Belfast

Planning permission has been granted for a 16-storey residential building at the junction of Academy Street and Exchange Street, currently the site of street art by Dan Kitchener (The Dream), Friz (Thy Fearful Symmetry), Visual Waste (Harley Quinn), and Marca Mix (Keyboard Wizard). Work begins in “early 2019”.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Join Saoradh

This space on Ardoyne Avenue was used for “cultural” murals from 1997 to 2015, when Staır Na Gaeılge was replaced by Resistance. In its latest incarnation, Saoradh (web – the organisation’s Facebook page is currently blocked) have made a small addition to the side-wall in the centre of the image above.

For the larger pieces, see Homes!!! and Lidl On Equality.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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In The Footsteps Of Heroes

The 8th battalion of the RIR was drawn from east Belfast’s Ulster Volunteers in 1914. The board shown above, on the practice hall of Rising Sons Flute Band (Fb), shows the Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme – the heroes that in whose footsteps the band claim to march.

The board replaces the tarp saying “Loyalists welcome“.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Eddie’s Remains

As recorded earlier (in Digital Eddie), the 2016 Eddie The Trooper laminate in Ebrington Terrace, Londonderry, began disintegrating as soon as it went up. Today’s images (from late 2018) show that he has completely gone, exposing scraps of the former Eddie. A few Eddies still stalk the land, most notably in Carrickfergus – see the Visual History page for Eddie.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Weeds Shall Overcome

According to the All-Ireland Bumble Bee Monitoring Scheme, data collected by 80 citizen scientists shows that a third of the bee species in Ireland is threatened with extinction (Irish Times). The mural above from UV Arts in Rossville Street aims to bring attention to bees and to promote the growth of wild flowers.

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06396 X06397 “This mural was designed and created by participants from Zero Waste North West in collaboration with UV Arts CIC and Grow Wild. The project set out to celebrate our native wildflowers and weeds which bees rely on so heavily. There are many different types of weeds, even the most intrusive gives something back, they green over the dereliction we have created, they grow in the most hostile environments – a bombed city, a crack in a wall – meaning that they insinuate the idea of wild nature into places otherwise shorn of it, but most of all they provide a vital food source for our declining bee population. We want to promote and celebrate the role of the humble weed in our society by encouraging people to grow wild, connect with nature, celebrate diversity, and protect the eco-systems that protect our planet.”

Comrades In Arms

John Meeke signed the Ulster Covenant in Dervock Orange Hall in 1912 and went to war with the Ulster Volunteers. Willie Redmond, brother of John Redmond, had been jailed three times and was a nationalist MP at Westminster when, at age 53, he signed up for service.

Major Redmond went over the top with the 16th (Irish) Division at Messines Ridge and was hit by machine-gun fire. Private Meeke, a stretcher-bearer with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the 36th (Ulster) Division, found and stayed with Redmond under heavy fire, taking two bullets himself.

Redmond would die that night. He was awarded the Legion Of Honour by the French. His East Clare seat was taken by Éamon de Valera. Meeke survived after several surgeries. He was awarded the Military Medal by the British. After the World War, he joined the Specials and LOL 1001 in Benvarden before dying of TB in 1923 (NALIL | Irish Times | WP | BelTel).

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Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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