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Olaudah Equiano

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In 1789, Olaudah Equiano published a memoir to 311 subscribers describing his early life in west Africa, his kidnapping, transport via Barbados to enslavement in Virginia, then in London, England, and then in Montserrat in the Caribbean. He bought his own freedom in 1766 and went back to England and joined the burgeoning abolitionist movement. His memoir detailing the treatment and conditions he had experienced made him famous. He toured Britain and Ireland in support of his book: “I found the people extremely hospitable, particularly in Belfast [in 1791-1792]” (BBC Sounds 17m 58s). He stayed with Samuel Neilson, a founding member of the United Irishmen (Clifton Belfast | WP | see also yesterday’s post on Belle Martin). Ten years after his death in 1797, the trans-Atlantic slave trade was abolished in both the UK and the States.

The mural in Joy’s Entry, by London artist Dreph, is based on a portrait painted by William Denton and engraved for the book by Daniel Orme (Dreph | National Portrait Gallery).

For an overview of the anti-slavery movement in Belfast, including Thomas Russell, Olaudah Equiano, and Frederick Douglass, see this William Orr speech (at Slugger).

See also the Visual History page on The Belfast Entries.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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What A Shower!

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Covid-era graffiti on a construction hoarding in College Street/Queen Street, Belfast city centre:

“They can’t even govern themselves! What a shower! Make them give up the emergency powers before it’s too late!“,
“Van Morrison was right! Modern governments are dangerous to free speech!”,
“The new bivalent vaccines – safe for mice, so take their advice?”,
“‘Safe for most people’ – would you take even a fish supper on that basis?”,
“Wuhan flu over the cuckoo’s nest and landed in a street near you!”,
“The first casualty in war is the truth!”,
“Monkeys, bats, and mice — are used to give us sleepless nights! – Worry worry!”,
“The ‘marriage’ between government and big tech/co[r]porations is — fascism!”,
“The truth always gets white-washed”.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Civilisation Has Its Roots In The Soil

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“Civilisation has its roots in the soil & without soil there will be no future life – Tá an duıne fréamhaıthe san ıthır, gan í ní hann dó” by Ed Reynolds (web | tw) and Tancredi Caruso. Together they put on an exhibition and painted a mural for the Belowground Visions Of Life project (Soil Security Programme). The mural is outside Bunscoıl Mhıc Reachtaın (hence the Irish translation) in the old ‘Little Italy’ area of Belfast. Sand or soil has been added to the mural to give it texture.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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The Dark Horse

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Here is a gallery of many of the pieces in the courtyard of the Dark Horse bar in Belfast city centre, presented in clockwise order from the entrance on Commercial Court.

Above and immediately below: the scene in the Klondyke Bar. Links to additional pieces can be found at their appropriate places in the “rotation”, below.

Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley in the clouds

Belfast Stripped Bare – a view into people’s houses by Ciaran Gallagher (web); many of the painted pieces in the yard are by Gallagher.

McBride’s

[The Friend At Hand x7]

Middle/Back Wall

The Hill Street Bar Band by Glen Molloy (Fb) and various famous faces in upstairs windows by Gallagher

Broo Queue

Middle Wall, lowest level

Titanic

The Rapparees

George Best

Right wall

Stephen Nolan

A variety of vintage advertisements from the late 1800s and early 1900s: Lloyd & Yorath’s stout (Newport, Wales), Hall’s paints (Hull), Guinness, Gold Flake tobacco (in both English and Irish: Sásuíonn sıad!), Batey’s ginger beer (London), Gilbey’s wines, Mew’s brewery (Isle of Wight).

“Ourma says if you stick t’herown diet of land-an-dairy prod you’ll be firmanna an’trim down” – a saying in which the names of all six Northern Irish counties are (phonetically) included.

[The Friend At Hand x3]

Entrance Wall:

[Happy Halloween]

Poets And Authors

[Four Horsemen]

Warehouses

Poems:

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Copyright © 2022/2023 Paddy Duffy
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Middle: T01671 T04271 T01673 T01672 T01670 T01674 T01669 T01667 T01668
Right: T01697 T01666 T01690 T01689 [T01696]
Poets: T01693 T01694 T01695
Warehouses: T01681
Poems: T01698 T01664

Together The Possibilities Are Endless

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This east Belfast mural showing hands of many colours holding up a heart-shaped earth was produced last year in tandem with a diversity night in memory of the Pakistani-born owner of the Spar on whose side it is painted (Belfast Media).

Replaces the Lagan Village BMX mural in Dunvegan Street, Belfast

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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#BuildShankill

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A message from BUILD Shankill (web): “Did you know? The Shankill has over 80 waste sites the size of 62 football pitches with the space to build 3300 homes. #BuildShankill.” Members of the team, as well as representatives from the Housing Executive and the NI Executive, took a bus tour of the sites in June (Alternatives youtube channel).

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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The Glorious Dead

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Four of the 700 NHS staff in the UK to die of Covid during the pandemic have come Northern Ireland, the most recent being dementia specialist Alan Henry in Antrim hospital (Express | BelTel | iTV). In the south, Defence Forces have been deployed to three nursing homes while 6,400 health workers are off sick (Irish Times). The mural above shows a masked nurse and doctor among a field of poppies. It has been added below the three painted boards commemorating Titanic, the Somme, and the WWII Blitz.

On the exterior of the Connswater Community Centre, east Belfast

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Eyes That Have Cried

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The phrase “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried” is attributed to Óscar Romero, a Catholic priest in El Salvador. He was a critic of the military government and was assasinated in March 1980 while saying mass. He was made a saint in 2015. (WP)

Sister Janet Mead had a surprise hit in 1973 with a pop-rock rendition of the Lord’s Prayer (youtube).

This mural will be ten years old this (2023) summer, as will the Eileen Hickey Republican Museum mural that it is next to — see Eileen Hickey.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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