This is a new mural on boards celebrating boxing in the Turf Lodge area of west Belfast.
Belfast Boxers (ig) gives the names as (l-r) Eoin Hamill, Damaen Kelly, John Ireland, Dee Irving, Damien Fryers, Sean/Jim “Spike” McCormack, Sean McComb.
Hamill (the youngster on the far left) was knocked down and killed on the Springfield Road in 2020 (BelTel | BBC | Irish Times). John Ireland (third from left, with blue collar) died in a crash 2014 at age 20 (Belfast Media).
Here are three pieces from the Drumcor Hill area of Enniskillen.
Above, “Enniskillen remembers the hunger strikers” – for the fortieth anniversary of the 1981 strike, against a background of sunburst and starry plough, in Loughview Drive.
Below, the emblem of Gaeıl Inıs Ceıthleann/Enniskillen Gaels (web) on the wall outside their home field of Brewster Park.
Finally, a memorial stone to Bobby Sands in Erne Drive. The inscription on the stone reads, “‘Is naofa ıad sıud sa fhulaıngíonn ocras ar son na córa.’ [= Holy are those who suffer hunger for the sake of justice/”Blessed are those who hunger for justice”] I ndíl [ndıl] chuımnhe ar Óglach Bobby Sands, feısıre [= M.P.] Fhearmanach-Thír Eoghaın Theas, a d’éag 5 Bealtaıne 1981 ın aoıs 27 ı ndıaıdh 66 lá ar staıle [staılc] ocraıs ar son stádas polaıtıúıl a chomhchımí agus saoırse na hÉıreann. I measc laochra na nGael go raıbh a anam uasal. ‘Is í gáıre ár bpáıstí an díoltas a bheas agaınn'”
For an alternative translation of Sands’s quote “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children”, see The Spirit Of Freedom in the Peter Moloney collection.
Easter Saturday is traditional day for the Joe Cahill tournament, hosted by Cardinal O’Donnell’s (Fb) and involving about 250 children (Belfast Media). Shown above is the new board in Beechview Park, updating the one from last year.
“The Reds” are Belfast soccer team Cliftonville FC. Although the team and their fans are “The Pride Of North Belfast”, this poster is on an electrical box on the Springfield Road, west Belfast.
This is the repainted version of the mural to Kevin Lynch in Dún Geımhın/Dungiven. Lynch died after 71 days on hunger strike – the longest-surviving striker – in Long Kesh/the Maze prison (WP).
Along the bottom are the emblems of Kevin Lynch Memorial flute band (Fb), Kevin Lynch’s hurling club (“mısneach ‘s dílseacht”), and St Dympna’s football club, Luton (Fb).
“Mural unveiled on Saturday 4th August 2012 by Bridie Lynch & Jeannie McTaggart to commemorate Kevin Lynch and his comrades who died in the 1981 hunger strike.”
Here is a 2014 mural in the Markets area of south Belfast celebrating the achievements of local boy George McMullen, who played youth football for St. Malachy’s and St. Matthew’s before joining Cliftonville in 2011 age 20.
On the left is the familiar Cliftonville huddle (see previously: The Red Army). The two poses in the centre and on the left are reproductions of Belfast Telegraph images. The first is from Cliftonville’s 2013 Dankse Bank Irish League-clinching win over Linfield, which the Reds won with a McMullen penalty in the dying seconds; the second in from the same moment in the 2014 campaign: Chris Curran has just scored to put the Reds two-nil up in a game against Portadown that would win them the League for the second year in succession.
Other Cliftonville players have been featured in murals: Joe The Goal in Ardyone and Rory Donnelly in the Bone.
This is the new Vanguard Bears (web) board at the Ulster Rangers Supporters’ Club on the Shankill Road. It replaces the board that celebrated the 55th championships of Rangers and Linfield. In the close-up above of the left-hand side, below King Charles III and formed into the numeral 66, are the names of the fans who were crushed to death as they left Ibrox after the Old Firm derby on January 2nd, 1971 (WP).
There used to be a Vanguard Bears board in Sugarfield Street, on the other side of the Shankill Road – see The Boys In Blue – and another is still in place in Barrington Street (Sandy Row) – see Follow, Follow.
Katie Taylor and Carl Frampton are featured on the large mural at Antrim Boxing Club (Fb), painted by Visual Waste (ig) with support from the Housing Executive (Press Release), Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, and the executive’s T:BUC programme (see previously Belfast Melt).
Below are the small murals on the other walls, of the club’s logo, including the Round Tower (DfC), and of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (web).
For another Taylor mural, see School Of Champions. Frampton appears in half-a-dozen other murals, most prominently in The Jackal.
“You earn your trophies at practice – you just pick them up at competitions.” The largest number among the honours on the left is 56, for the number of times Linfield has won the league.
“Monkstown true blues Linfield supporters club,” (Fb) “Follow your dreams – if you can dream it, you can become it.”
“Let others come after us – we welcome the chase.” The exterior wall of the Carrickfergus Rangers Supporters Club presents a gallery of the club’s managers from 1899 to 2018. In order they are William Wilton, Bill Struth, Scot Symon, David White, William Waddell, Jock Wallace, John Greig, Graeme Souness, Walter Smith, Dick Advocaat, Alex McLeish, Paul Le Guen, Ally McCoist, Stuart McCall, Mark Warburton, Pedro Caixinha, Graeme Murty, Steve Gerrard (and since then, there have been Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale, and (currently) Philippe Clement).
Paddy Duffy Collection 