Know Your Roots

For the Derry 2021 street art festival – rebranded as Roots Street Art – seven pieces were scheduled, one for each of Derry’s gates and celebrating Irish roots around the globe (Derry Journal) but the on-going pandemic made things difficult. Among the artists who did take part were Inkie (Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow), Sufek (Eat Like A Bird), Mr Cenz (Femelle Fatale), the Glöbel Bros (Conzo Throb and Ciaran Glöbel, who painted The Donegal Bus), and Sean Atmos (ig) who painted the piece above. Atmos is from Dublin but has roots in Dungiven.

Organised by UVArts (Fb).

Great James Street, Derry.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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At Home And Abroad

Two types of mourner at the grave of a fallen WWI soldier: on the left, comrades in arms; on the right, members of the family they left behind.

Work on the mural began in December, 2021, but progress seems to have stalled. One of the bayonets is in outline as is the giant poppy overheard. The effect is that the scene seems to be taking place under the stars.

Ashmore Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Unlock Your Lockdown

Domestic abuse reports to PSNI in the second quarter of 2020 (during the first Covid lockdown) increased 4% to 8,302 (BelTel). Women’s Aid NI (web | tw) provides refuge and support to victims of domestic violence. The stencil by Laura Nelson & Leo Boyd from VaultNI is on Carrick Hill. The title of today’s post comes from Women’s Aid CEO Sarah Mason (tw).

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Free The Innocent

The (colour) RNU phoenix and the Craigavon 2 “Free The Innocent” tarp have been joined by a Cogús fist grasping a strand of barbed wire – Cogús (Fb) is (was?) the prisoners’ welfare arm of the RNU.

Northumberland Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Cumann Na mBan

This mural is at the bottom of Teach Na bhFıann/Fianna House (formerly Dill House) in the New Lodge. “Cumann Na mban” in Irish is “the women’s organization/council/society” in English. The organization in question is the republican paramilitary group which was founded on April 2, 1914 and celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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Comrades In Resistance

A Che Guevara quote – “I don’t care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting” – unifies two panels bearing masked men firing funeral volleys, Irish and Palestinian shields, and “Our day will come” in both Irish and Arabic.

New Lodge, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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