Hands Off Venezuela

“Hands off Venezuela – Dlúthpháırtíocht le muınt[ı]r Veınıséala [Solidarity with the people of Venezuela]” Commentary from Ógra Shınn Féın (web) on the recent US actions against Venezuela, which have included attacks on small boats beginning in September 2025 (WP), an embargo on oil leaving the country announced in December 2025 (Guardian), and most recently (January 2nd) air-strikes on targets in and around Caracas and the capture of Nicolás Meduro and Cilia Flores (BBC). After the removal of Meduro, US President Donald Trump said that the US would run Venezuela and that between 30 and 50 million barrels-worth of Venezuelan oil would be shipped to the US, sold, and the proceeds disbursed by Trump himself “to ensure it used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States” (AP).

For a history of the image, which shows a Venezuelan hand grabbing a US hand, see England, Get Out Of Ireland.

Falls Road, west Belfast

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Our Wee Town

These placards for two local flute-bands are on light-poles in Markethill: above, the Kilcluney Volunteers flute band (Fb), below, the Markethill Protestant Boys (Fb). The crossed rifles and RIR emblem, and the graveside mourner and poppies, are WWI imagery; Markethill men joined the second battalion of the Armagh brigade of the Ulster Volunteers and (in the Great War) the ninth battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. (See also UVF 3rd Battalion Armagh in Tandragee).

Main Street, Markethill, Co Armagh

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The Green And Lovely Lakes

Killeshandra, County Cavan, is located near the Lough Oughter system of lakes, which is home to a wide variety of fish, including the roach, tench, perch, bream, and pike (Island View Cavan pdf) featured in this Rob Hilken (web) piece in the centre of town.

With funding from Cavan Community Council (web).

Main Street, Killeshandra

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UVF 3rd Battalion Armagh

“The Tandragee company of the Ulster Volunteer Force were formed in 1913 as part of the wider Ulster fight against Home Rule. Tandragee ‘B’ Company where [were] part of the third battalion of the County Armagh Regiment UVF with headquarters in Tandragee Castle. Upon the outbreak of the Great War many of the Tandragee Volunteers joined the 9th Service Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers of the 36th (Ulster) Division.”

The 9th battalion comprised volunteers from Armagh, Monaghan, and Cavan.

For a fuller version of the photograph, see Cyberprod.

Montague Street, Tandragee

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Cavan Volunteer Force

The Cavan County Museum (web) in Ballyjamesduff includes a “WWI trench experience”, with 350 metres of trench and more than 6,000 sand-bags. The Cavan volunteers joined the 9th battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (108th brigade of the 36th). The officer commanding of the Division, Oliver Stewart Wood Nugent, was from Cavan (History Ireland).

“Battle Of The Somme 1st July – 18th November 1916”, “”Comrade, friend, foe/come home, come home/tired, broken bones.//Remember them,/remember them all,/comrade, friend, foe.//After war comes peace/and when peace comes/never let it go.//And never ever forget/to remember them,/comrade, friend and foe.” – Jim Cleary, Virginia.”

“”The 36th (Ulster) Division had 5,500 casualties on July 1st 1916 and were men drawn mostly from one community in the province of Ulster. Nearly 2,000 soldiers from cities, towns, villages and town lands of the North were killed in the first few hours of fighting. The 16th (Irish) Division had 4,330 casualties in September 1916, of whom 1,200 were killed. These casualties came mainly from the other three provinces of Ireland.” – Department Of An Taoıseach”

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The Cause Of Labour

The board on the left includes a quote from Séamus Ó Conghaıle [James Connolly] from a 1916 piece entitled The Irish Flag, extolling the “cause of labour” as the cause of Ireland (alongside a quote from Pádraıg Mac Pıaraıs [Patrick Pearse] and portraits by Jim Fitzpatrick (Revolutionaries)).

The board on the right, from “Independent Republicans Armagh” – of a Celtic cross draped with a Tricolour – was generated by AI.

The board on the left was seen in 2023, in Ní Amháın Saor Ach Gaelach Chomh Maıth; the imagery on the right was also included in Only Our Rivers Run Free.

Dalton Park/Irish Street, Armagh

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Irelantis

Seán Hillen’s (web) collage “The Great Pyramids of Carlingford Lough“, from his 1994-1997 series “Irelantis”, is reproduced in Newry by DMC (ig). Hillen explains the sources for the image in an instagram post.

Upper Water Street, Newry. Also included below are two electrical boxes, the first, “Hope”, presumably by Zippy (web), in Kildare Street; the squirrel is in Merchants’ Quay.

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The Men And Women Of Violence

These two Saoradh (web) boards are at the roundabout on Camlough Road, Newry. The one above shows a vintage mural from nearby Carnagat Road that goes back to (at least) 1994 – the version painted in 2000 can be seen in the Peter Moloney Collection.

The other board reads “Salute the men and women of violence”, among whom are the seven signatories to the 1916 Proclamation, the IRA of the Troubles era – illustrated by Colman Doyle’s famous ?1973? (staged) photograph of a female IRA volunteer with AR-18 – and the post-Agreement groups (such as the New IRA) – illustrated by a home-made RPG (shown in Resistance).

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