The eightieth anniversary of VE (“Victory In Europe”) Day is May 8th. Commemorative events in Belfast include a walking tour of the city centre (City Council) and a dance on the HMS Belfast (IWM); for events elsewhere in Northern Ireland, see VE-VJDay80. Pubs will be open for an extra two hours (until 1 a.m.) on the day.
Shore Road, north Belfast. For the monument and the “Lest We Forget” board in the background, see Remembrance Sunday.
“Óglach Bobby Sands 9th March 1954 – 5th May 1981”. Sands was the first of the ten IRA and INLA prisoners to die in the second hunger strike. For the 44th anniversary of his death, a statue was unveiled in Twinbrook, near the Sands family home and next to the memorial garden in Gardenmore Road (Peter Moloney Collection).
The statue was created by Packy Adams (Belfast Media | Irish News) and appears to be based on the photographs by Gérard Harlay – discovered in 2019 – of Sands carrying a United Irishmen flag in a march that took place a few months before his (final) arrest in 1976 (Bobby Sands Trust). The new statue (which does not have planning permission) has a built-in flag-pole, to which an Irish Tricolour was added for the launch on May 4th.
Here is a gallery of pieces from Library Street, painted for 2025’s Hit The North street art festival (Seedhead Arts).
From left to right (top to bottom in appearance here): Rob Hilken (web) NOYS (ig) official title “Auditor” writing by TMN Ajax Piper (web) from England Claire Prouvost (web) from Dublin Ohhi Ohno (ig) from Limerick [writers]
Here is a gallery of pieces from Kent Street, painted for 2025’s Hit The North street art festival (Seedhead Arts).
From top to bottom in appearance here, the works are by …
(North side of the street:) Luck (ig) from Thailand (above and immediately below) unknown Karl Fenz (web) My Dog Sighs (web) Sanchai (ig) from Thailand unknown DanLeo (web) unknown (South side of the street:) Mel Carroll (web) Jacky Sheridan (web) SillyMe (ig) Glen Molloy (Fb) Gabriela Joyce (web) Alexandra (ig) Danni Simpson (web) FGB (web) + Katriona (web) Jam (ig) Imogen Donegan (ig) KVLR (web) Lost Lines (ig) JMK (Above Union St:) David McMIllan (web) unknown Holly Pereira (web) Hicks (ig)
Here is a gallery of pieces from Union Street, painted for 2025’s Hit The North street art festival (Seedhead Arts). From left to right (top to bottom in this entry), the works are by:
FESA (ig) from Munch SNAK (ig) Ona Salvador (web) ADW (ig) Molly Hankinson (web) Kerrie Hanna (web) (below Kent St) Shane Ha (web) Kayde (web) Alana McDowell (ig) Niall OL (ig) NRMN (ig) Keyto (ig) Codo (ig) Leo Boyd (web) Conor McClure (ig) KAYOS (ig) JunkGraff (ig) + Sinead Crumlish (ig) and, on the other side of the street, Sky High (ig)
This street art is by Spanish artist Slim Safont (web) on a side wall of the Spaniard in Skipper Street, Belfast city centre, for Hit The North 2025 (Seedhead Arts).