Sport and politics intersect in this mural at the junction of Broadway and Donegall Avenue in south Belfast. Northern Irish flags provide a backdrop for the shields of Linfield football club and the Northern Ireland football association.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00926 proud supporters LFC irish football association
The “Ulsters Past Defenders” mural has been completely repainted though with a similar layout as before: UDR on the left, USC/ B-Specials on the right, but now with the USC emblem joining the UDR’s in the centre.
“Formed in 1970, the Ulster Defence Reg. was an infrantry [sic] regiment of the British army intended to carry out security duties in NI. It was later disbanded in 1992. A total of 197 members were killed through the troubles”
“This is dedicated to those who served in our conflict – we forget not”
“Formed in 1920, the Ulster Special Constabulary had been set up taking action against the IRA. It was divided into three categories A, B, and C specials. Later in 1970 they were disbanded. Then the UDR replaced them.”
Newtownards Rd, east Belfast
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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They say (some) shows on TV these days are good for you, because they are so complex in structure and signification. The citizens of Belfast are well up to the task, one suspects, as they get plenty of practice just walking down the street (in this case, the Newtownards Road): the Union flag is the most familiar signifier of the group, the fake storefronts (more) might take a moment to process (and make life difficult for bloggers differentiating between murals and street scenes), and one can then attempt to unscramble the meaning of adipose tissue (a.k.a. fat) of a bare-chested man spreading over his “cancer”-banded underwear. The store to the right of (the fake) Marie’s is coincidentally called “Body Language”! See image below ….
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Striking, I Defend.” UDA murals in Lord Street, below the Albertbridge Road, accented by Union jacks (and, as can be seen in the wide shot, below, a pair of silver bells). The mural in the background of the wide shot is featured in All Gave Some.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00912 X00933 LPA UDA UFF UYM edith street est. 1973 free our prisoners
In an alley running between the backs of houses off Lord Street, the paint-ghost of a child ‘keeper tends goal. Wide shot below …
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Christmas decorations can still be found on poles around Belfast in late January. In some cases, as here, they are joined by Union flags.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Graffiti in east Belfast concerning the on-going dispute over the union flag on Belfast City Hall: Be proud to fly your flag. No surrender!
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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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).
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
This is the fourth version of the UFF mural on the first gable in “Freedom Corner” along the Newtownards Road but the changes are minor compared with the 2009 version: the jacket and skyline are darker in colour. The mural shows a balaclava’d volunteer with assault rifle and a modified version of the Declaration of Arbroath: “For as long as one hundred of us remain alive we shall never in anyway consent to submit to the Irish for it’s not for glory, honour or riches we fight but for freedom alone which no man loses but with his life – U.D.A./U.F.F”
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Lord Street mural the ERII’s golden (50th) jubilee in 2002. The Beaconsfield Arms is on the left (perhaps the name of the Cock & Hens in 1952) and the previous Ledley Hall school (now Ledley Hall youth club) is on the right.
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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 