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2013-01-22 UVFPilgrims+

A UVF mural featuring three masked paramilitaries over the car park of Iceland (a supermarket chain) on the Newtownards Rd. The line “We are the pilgrims, master; we shall go always a little further” comes from a 1913 poem by James Flecker. This mural was painted in May 2011, at a time when, in contrast, paramilitary murals were being replaced (BBC-NI). The in-progress shot below is from 2011-05-28.

X00506 2011-05-28 Pilgrimsprog+

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Copyright © 2011 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00905 X00506 for god and ulster, east belfast

Blue

2013-01-10 Blue+

A mural by artist Deirdre Robb (of Creative Exchange Artists) in Tower Street/Newtownards Road of flax plants, somewhat reminiscent of van Gogh’s Irises. (Leave a comment if you detect another inspiration.) The official title is “Urban Meadows” (Robb).

The painting is on a tarp or canvas that is not firmly affixed to the wall, which allows the painting to move in the wind. The wall and the “pocket park” are on the site of the former RHC mural.

7 min. video of Deirdre talking about the pieces in her exhibit ‘Blue’

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00897

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

Big Brother

2013-01-07 DukeBigBrother+

A 3-D/plane-breaking board/collage from the courtyard of the Duke Of York, featuring King Kong on the Empire State building (1933), Atlas (Metropolis 1927), a zombie (also from Metropolis?), riot police controlled by a puppet-master, Hokusai’s Great Wave Of Kanagawa 1830, WWI biplanes, a steamer/cruise-ship with searchlight? and something that looks like the Giant’s causeway?? (Leave a comment if you can correct these, or recognise the car with L plates (Death Proof 2007 – thanks Bob) or Hollister on the document folder.)

2013-02 Update: Artists Ciaran Gallagher and Kathryn Bannister have a gallery of pictures of the piece being constructed and installed. The piece, they say, is inspired by “classics of the silver screen” and was part of Culture Night 2011.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X00894