Shankill Parade

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The Shankill Area Social History (SASH) (Fb) celebrates the people and events of the Shankill Road with a new mural in Downing Street.

From left to right: girls wrapped in Union Flags watching the parade; boys on pallets; the Shankill Mission; Orange Order parade; the Summer festival in Woodvale Park (The Cabin); the former Belfast Savings Bank, now an undertaker’s; the Winter festival and switching-on of the Christmas tree lights, with Mrs. Claus, the Grinch in Santa costume, and last year’s (2022) celebrity guest Charlie Lawson (youtube); local band Casual Riots (ig). (SASH Fb Gallery)

For a mural of famous Shankill faces and places, see Save The Shankill.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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The Earth Is Girdled With The Graves Of Our Dead

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“O valiant hearts who to your glory came/Through dust of conflict and through battle flame//Tranquil you lie, your knightly virtue proved/Your memory hallowed [not “hollowed”] in the land you loved.” The hymn ‘O Valiant Hearts’ was a poem written during the first World War to commemorate the Allied dead, and was put to a variety of tunes during the 1920s, including arrangements by Vaughan Williams and Holst (WP); the most commonly sung tune, however, is that of Charles Harris (youtube, includes the full poem).

The memorial shown in the middle of the board is a Cross Of Sacrifice (see previously: One In Design And Intention) built on top of a German pill box at the centre of Tyne Cot cemetry, near Passchendaele, Belgium. The title of today’s post comes from remarks made by George V during a 1922 visit to the cemetery (History.org). The map in the background shows the area just south of Ypres (Canadian Soldiers).

The board is in Pim’s Avenue, Belfast, opposite the older YCV emblem shown below.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Craigyhill Bonfire 2023

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A mammoth bonfire in Craigyhill (Larne) is again being built this year (for last year’s 202′ effort, see Commonwealth Handling Equipment). 30,000 pounds has already been spent on pallets (Sunday World) but the attempt to build a record bonfire and have the bonfire officially declared the world’s tallest by the Guinness Book Of World Records has now been substituted by a fundraiser for Larne child Pia-Grace who is suffering from cancer (justgiving). (Belfast Live) A two-day festival begins today (July 10th) at noon and the boney will be lit after dark on Eleventh Night.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Stairway To Heaven

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The Cuilcagh Boardwalk is a 2.8-mile trail that ends in stairs that climb to the top of Cuilcagh Mountain [Binn Chuilceach, chalky mountain] and the views it offers of the surrounding territory – hence the name “Stairway To Heaven”. The distance from boggy plain to chalky pinnacle is 700m – and eight million years of geological history (Cuilcagh Geopark). Then you walk back the same way (Walk NI).

Work by Friz (ig) in Wickham Place, Enniskillen, at the Belmore motel.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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Cooking With Gas

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AC-12 is based in the West Midlands of England but headed by former RUC-man Ted Hastings, who is famous for his Northern Irishisms, including “Now we’re suckin’ diesel”. (For “I didn’t float up the Lagan in a bubble”, see Mother Of God.) The Line Of Duty character is played by local Enniskillen actor Adrian Dunbar.

By Karl Fenton and Danni Simpson in Church Lane, Enniskillen.

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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
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