The gates in the “peace” line at Kells Avenue, Stewartstown, are unlocked each morning at seven, allowing people to walk between to walk between Lenadoon and Blacks Road (the Lidl is on the Lenadoon side) until they are locked each evening at seven. The gates were painted by emic (ig) in December 2022, with PEACE IV funding (Belfast City Council).
The Stewartstown/Lenadoon side:
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Kieran Doherty died in the 1981 hunger strike after 73 days of fasting; the Andersonstown mural in his memory shows scenes from his funeral cortège on August 4th.
In preparation for this year’s anniversary, the mural has been refreshed and a new, enlarged image of Doherty’s parents, Alfie and Margaret, included. The photograph that provides a source can be seen in the An Phoblacht report on the funeral of Alfie, who died in 2008. Margaret Doherty died in 2019 (Bobby Sands Trust).
See Kieran Doherty for images of the mural when originally launched in 2014. For the memorial stone depicted in the fourth image, see Those Who Endure The Most.
A close-up of the plaque to Roger Casement can be seen in Seas Leıs An Phalaıstín.
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“‘For us there is no valid definition of socialism other than the abolition of the exploitation of one human being by another’ – Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Marxist revolutionary, 1928-1967.” The line comes from Che’s address at the Afro-Asian Economic conference in Algeria in 1965.
These Lasaır Dhearg (web) stencils and stickers also propose that it is “time for a socialist republic” (drawing inspiration from James Connolly) and that “the PSNI is not a normal police force” (for background see Just Don’t in the Seosamh Mac Coılle collection).
Stewartstown Road, west Belfast. For the same stencil of Connolly, though providing a better representation of the man, see Time For A Socialist Republic.
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“Our wee champ.” 21-year-old boxer Liam McGuinness, of Gleann ABC (Fb), died by suicide in October 2010, one of the many people to take their own lives in west Belfast that year among the 313 in all of Northern Ireland (Irish Examiner | Guardian | NI Assembly). A vigil was held in September (in Twinbrook) to commemorate the suicides there (BBC); another was held in the days after McGuinness’s death (BBC); a forum on the topic was held by Sınn Féın. The mural in his memory and in support of suicide awareness is outside the club, off the Glen Road in Hannahstown.
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The source of James Connolly’s quote involving the phrase “from the plough to the stars” is unknown, on-line, at least. As a result, there is no definitive version of it. Here it is given as “The Irish people will only be free when they own everything from the plough to the stars” but more reliable sources – though still without citation – give it as “A free Ireland will control its own destiny from the plough to the stars” (RTÉ | People’s World). Whatever its exact nature, the remark might have been in the context of explaining the use of the plough in the stars, the Starry Plough, Ursa Major, for the flag of the Irish Citizen Army (History Ireland).
The Starry Plough currently serves as a symbol of the IRSP (web). The painting shown above is on an electrical box in St James’s Park (near the new Connolly centre); the other painting, below, which might still be in progress, is outside the IRSP’s Costello House on the Falls Road
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In May and June, Palestinian artist Taqi Spateen (web | ig) toured various cities in England and Scotland (Leeds, Glasgow, Bristol, Stroud, London) as part of the Bethlehem Cultural Festival, producing a wall-painting at each stop. Thereafter, he came to Belfast, where he painted three pieces, beginning with this small piece on the side of the Sunflower bar in Kent Street, showing a person with a head encased in concrete trying to hammer themselves free.
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“From the river to the sea Palestine will be free.” The South Link, Andersonstown, murals seen recently (at end of March) in Though An Army Besiege Me, My Heart Will Not Fear have already been repainted, switching images of Israeli weapons for the images of death, suffering, and destruction seen here. According to the Al Jazeera tracker, the Palestinian death toll is approaching 40,000, with almost 90,000 injured.
Also in South Link: Humanitarian Intervention. For a mural of body-bags, see Another Martyr In The Earth.
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The “hills” and “green fields” in which Kieran Doherty and Joe McDonnell grew up were the streets of the Falls and Andersonstown. By the age of 17 and 19, respectively, their tramping grounds were reduced by internment to cells in Long Kesh and HMS Maidstone; both of them were arrested in 1976 during (separate) IRA bombing missions and ultimately died in the 1981 hunger strike, McDonnell on July 8th, Doherty on August 2nd. (IRIS | Long Kesh)
This trio of RNU (Fb) boards commemorating the pair and the other 1981 hunger strikers is in Bingnian Drive, in Andersonstown – the ten deceased strikers are shown between the words to Luke Kelly’s poem For What Died The Sons Of Róısín (above | youtube) and Francie Brolly’s The H-Block Song (below | youtube).
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One of Lidl’s slogans (and a “corporate responsibility objective” of the company) is to work “For a better tomorrow”. The electoral-style placard above urges “Don’t vote Lidl” and alleges that the company is “funding genocide for a bleaker tomorrow” and that its “policy is to fund apartheid, occupation, genocide” – perhaps through selling Israeli-made goods – particularly wipes made by Lupilu (ig video | Fb video | Fb | Change.org) – and through its parent company Schwarz’s acquisition of an Israeli cyber-security company.
The final image is of a Lasaır Dhearg tarp in Lenadoon: “Israeli goods free zone – there are no products ‘Made in Israel’ for sale in this area”.
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“I’m just a young fella from Andytown who didn’t give up.” In May (2024) Anthony (“Anto”) “The Apache” Cacace (ig) won the IBF super featherweight title with a victory over Joe Cordina in Saudi Arabia (BelTel). To honour this feat, a mural was painted in South Link, Andersonstown, with Cacace holding the both the IBF and IBO belts. Cacace went to Holy Child primary and starting boxing at the age of 10 at Oliver Plunkett’s (Fb). His father Tony is from Naples, Italy – hence the Italian flag on the right.
On September 21st, Cacace will defend his IBF title, fighting against Josh Warrington in Wembley Stadium (BelTel).
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