Belfast west

Illegal Occupation

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This Lasaır Dhearg (web) board in Lenadoon is explicit in defending the use of physical force by Palestinians (specifically by the Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine – WP): “Palestine has a right to resist. The Palestinians have a legal and moral right to resist the illegal occupation of their land by the Zionist settler entity known as ‘Israel’. We support a one-state solution: Palestine, free, from the river to the sea.”

At the Suffolk Road end of Falcarragh Drive/Céıde An Fháıl Charraıgh, formerly the site of Car Crime Is A Growing Problem.

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Ag Croí An Phobaıl

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Gort Na Móna CLG (Fb) has been “at the heart of the [Turf Lodge] community”, inculcating “muıntearas, mısneach, féınluach, bród [friendship, bravery, self-esteem, pride]” in its young people “ó/since 1974”.

The text and emblem appear here against a montage of photographs over-washed in the club colours of maroon, saffron, and blue.

[A small typographic note: different fonts are used for the Irish on the left and the Irish in the middle; the font in the middle (correctly) lacks tittles/dots on the letter “ı”.]

Springfield Road, at the upper entrance to the estate and across the road from the electrical boxes seen in Lóıste Na Móna.

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Free Palestine

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These electrical boxes are at the entrance to the Glencolin estate in west Belfast. The one above previously had an RSF stencil on it – see Restoration Of The Monarchy – but now bears an image of a Palestinian child in the ruins of Gaza flying a kite. (For the symbolism, see Tell My Story and My Kite You Made.

The arabic (“فلسطين”) reads “Palestine”.

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Supporting Her Empowerment

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For International Women’s Day (March 8th) HM Constance (web) went to work on Lanark Way (next to Times Change) painting a celebratory piece for SHE Youth Club (“Supporting Her Empowerment” – Belfast Live) that is one of the programmes at R-City (web).

“I am intelligent, I am beautiful, I am funny, I am determined, I am powerful, I am graceful, I am independent, I am influential, I am strong, I am confident, I am a women [sic]”.

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Soldiers Of The Republic

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“In our hearts your memory lives on”: the sixteen republicans executed in connection with the Easter Rising (in 1916) and the ten hunger strikers who died in the second (1981) hunger strike are remembered in a new board on Northumberland Street, west Belfast (Visual History).

64 republicans died during the Rising (An Phoblacht) and 3,500 arrested. 187 people were tried by court martial and 90 were found guilty and sentenced to death. Of these, 14 were executed over a period of ten days in May, 1916, including all seven of the signatories to the Proclamation (WP). Tomás Ceannt did not take part in the Rising; he was executed in Cork for shooting dead one of the RIC officers who were sent to round up the brothers Ceannt (WP). Roger Casement was executed in August, convicted of treason for attempting to smuggle weapons from Germany for use in the Rising. (Irish Times)

The sixteen are: Pádraıg Pearse, Thomas Clarke, Thomas McDonagh, Joseph Plunkett, Edward Daly, Michael O’Hanrahan, Willie Pearse, John Mac Bride, Eamonn Ceannt, Seán Heuston, Michael Mallin, Con Colbert, Tomás Ceannt, Seán Mac Dıarmada, James Connolly, Roger Casement.

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An Attitude Of Rebellion

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“”As long as Ireland is unfree the only honourable attitude for Irish men and women is an attitude of rebellion” – Pádraıg Pearse”. Pearse wrote the lines in July 1913, in an essay for Irish Freedom (Cartlann), though with “revolt” rather than “rebellion”.

They appear here on an RNU gravestone in Milltown. The quote was also used in a 1980s mural in Ardoyne and on a 2018 plaque to Tommy Roberts in Derry.

The stone features the phoenix and the lily, and the crests of the four provinces of Ireland. It was unveiled in 2023 and an image of it was used in an RNU board on the Falls Road.

Among the volunteers listed are the four Ardoyne Fıanna who died in 1972 (commemorated in Ardoyne) and Michael McKevitt, founder and (alleged) chief of staff of the RIRA/Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann (WP) who died in 2021.

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Winky Rea

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A portrait of Winston Winky/Winkie Rea has been added to the gallery above the Red Hand Commando board in the upper Shankill, taking the place of a pesudo-Mark Twain quote that has been reproduced in a horizontal format above the quartet. (See the previous iteration.)

Like the other three, Rea was a RHC (or UVF) member who then became a member of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP). On the basis of his interview with the Boston College project, he was charged with crimes including two murders and two attempted murders (BBC | BBC). The trial was still on-going when he died in December of 2023.

“With courage and vision you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity. – Mark Twain [Keshavan Nair].”

Glenwood Street, upper Shankill, west Belfast

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Garden Of Reflection

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Here is a gallery of the metal-works which are inserted (c. 2020) into the fencing along the front of the 1st Shankill Somme Association’s ‘Garden Of Reflection’, and with the (replacement) plaques added to the stone when the wall and gate-columns were rebuilt in 2021.

For images from within, see Because He Loves What Is Behind Him and Somme Memorial.

Shankill Road, west Belfast

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For National Liberation And Socialism In Ireland

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This entry updates Let The Fight Go On!!! from December 1st, which showed the new INLA 50th anniversary wall in Oakman Street but without the (pink) roll of honour on the left. Those listed in the roll of honour are: Hugh Ferguson, Danny Loughran, Brendan McNamee, Miriam Daly, Ronnie Bunting, Noel Little, Jim Power, Matt McLarnon, Joe Craven, Paul “Bonanza” McCann, Thomas “Ta” Power, John O’Reilly, Mickey Kearney, Emmanual Gargan, Gino Gallagher, John McColgan, Patrick Campbell, Christopher “Crip” McWilliams, Harry O’Hara, Barry “Bar” McMullan, Martin McElkerney, James McWilliams. The last five post-date the Agreement, starting with Patrick Campbell, who died in 1999 at the hands of drug-dealers in Dublin (Irish Times | Bel Tel).

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