Here are four species of bird flying in convoy through Belfast city centre. From left to right we see dunlin, lapwing, godwit (above), and Arctic tern (below). The art was painted by Annatomix (web), with support from Daisy Chain (web), as part of the “Great Expectations” project from the Linen Quarter Business Improvement District (web).
‘Football For All’ is a programme from the Irish FA Foundation aimed at stamping out discrimination and encouraging inclusivity among supporters (web). The new mural, above, is in the lane-way that runs down from Donegall Avenue to the footbridge. There are also reproductions of drawings by kids in the spaces below the footbridge.
Between the two are the boards about Linfield and recounting the role the ground has played in the history of the Northern Ireland team – see Windsor Park.
“‘Creativity, like society, thrives when the individual elements fit within a bigger picture’ – Ernest Hemingway”
There’s no record of this statement being written or uttered by Hemingway. Instead, it appears to come from Will Gompertz’s 2015 book Think Like An Artist (wikiquote gives “Creativity, like society, thrives when the individual elements fit within, and add to, a bigger picture.”).
Hope Street, Belfast city centre, on the side of the Ginger Bisto on Great Victoria Street.
“Promoting Culture, Preserving Identity”. Here are a pair of new boards Mount Vernon Park, north Belfast, launched on August 11th, 2024, celebrating three Scottish bands and the local Fifes And Drums. Each of the bands’ emblems includes the Roman numeral “III”, which also appears in the bottom corner of the ‘Band Of Brothers’ board. It stands for the 3rd Belfast (i.e. north Belfast) battalion of the UVF, “Tiger’s Bay”. The St George’s Cross in the top-left corner and the purple background (of the ‘Band Of Brothers’ board) come from the UVF flag, which typically also has an orange star in the bottom right, here replaced by a swirling musical staff and Union Flag.
“Band Of Brothers. This artwork is a tribute to the unbreakable bond that we in North Belfast, share along with the following bands: Craigneuk [Scotland] True Defenders flute band, formed 1947 [Fb]; Andrew Murphy Memorial flute band [Scotland], formed 1988 [Fb]; City Of Belfast Fifes And Drums, formed 2003 [Fb]; Bellshill [Scotland] Defenders flute band, formed in 2017 [Fb]. For decades, these bands have remained faithful, and been a credit to the loyalist cause that binds us. When on parade, the honour and dignity displayed by each band, is impeccable. In timeless memory of the Fallen, each band proudly and respectfully bears the Colours and Emblems of: the Ulster Volunteer Force, the Young Citizen Volunteers, the 36th (Ulster) Division. ‘More than friends, comrades’.”
There has been a small but significant addition has been added below the repainted territorial marking “Loyalist Tiger’s Bay” – “Stop the boats”, the pledge given by Rishi Sunak in January 2023 after almost forty-six thousand people entered the UK in small boats in 2022 (BBC). This resulted in a media campaign in March of 2023 (gov.uk). The slogan was also seen on signs during the anti-immigration riots this (2024) summer (Mirror | Telegraph | NPR | Reuters) and heard chanted by rioters (SMH).
“Stop the boats” was for a time paired with “start the flights”. Since 2022, the Conservative government under Boris Johnson had planned to “start the flights” of some asylum seekers to Rwanda, but this required a protracted legal and legislative campaign involving a bill declaring the “Safety Of Rwanda” (January 2024) after a Supreme Court block on the programme (Human Rights Watch | BBC Explainer).
Sunak called a snap general election in late May, 2024; Labour took power and the Rwanda programme was scrapped (CBS). Sunak called a snap general election in late May, 2024; Labour took power and the Rwanda programme was scrapped (CBS). The language of stopping the boats, however, remains on the Labour website.
In the background of the wide shot, below, the main gable wall, it appears, is being painted to honour King Charles III in the same style as inside the estate – see I Will Plant Them.
For the meaning of the pre-existing “Genesis 38:28”, see Pro-Testant Reformation. It might be applied to the context of immigration in that it concerns the order of succession among twins.
Limestone Road, north Belfast
Update 2024-09-12: the words have been ?partially? whitewashed
The grand opening of the Vault collective’s (web) new digs in the Shankill Mission took place on August 17th. In preparation for the event, the shutters were painted by (top to bottom, left to right on the street) Dragos Musat (ig), Katriona (web), FGB (web), and Rob Hilken (web), each putting their own spin on the word “VAULT”.
“Tackle inequality – create opportunities – inspire change”. The large board shown here is in Cupar Way, near the security gates in North Howard Street, which are locked nightly between 8:30 and 6:30 a.m. (DoJ). These and the nearby Northumberland Street gates separate the lower Falls and the middle Shankill, including the young people from the Active Communities Network (web), a cross-community youth group that lobbied for increased opening hours to allow members to return home quickly after meetings (BBC).
“Solidarity”, “تكافل” (in Arabic) between (Irish) republican prisoners and Palestinians in Israeli jails. Al Jazeera reports that roughly, 9,500 Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank are currently being held, and about 3,600 without charge, under “administrative detention”. Springfield Park, west Belfast.
Below: “Support republican political prisoners” in “Maghaberry – Portlaoise – Hydebank”. IRPWA (web) board in Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast. See also: the same message on Divis Street, west Belfast.
“Stop the war on Gaza! Pray for peace!” There are doves in the upper corners but the central imagery is of a clenched fist and the background shows a republican volunteer (perhaps from the INLA) comforting a Palestinian.
For the mural that this framed image has been added to, see Clós Ard An Lao.
Clós Ard An Lao/Ardilea Close, in the Bone, north Belfast
– “Why do they come here, if they can’t speak our language?” – “We will learn your language! Will you learn to accept us?”
Despite learning the language and opening businesses, immigrants came under attack in early August as part of a wave of anti-immigrant rioting and attacks in a number of UK cities, including Belfast, Bangor, Carrick, Newtownabbey, and Ballyclare. Shops were attacked on Botanic Road and Sandy Row (BBC | RTÉ) and eggs were thrown at a Middle Eastern market on the Falls Road (BBC). In response, anti-racism demonstrators outnumbered an anti-immigration protest five to one (Irish Times | BBC); residents of the middle Falls came out a few days later (Belfast Live).
This anti-racism mural is on Albert Street, Divis, west Belfast. In-progress image (above) from June 23rd; image of completed mural (with additions by kids) below from August 11th
Paddy Duffy Collection 