Belfast east

Covenants Without Swords Are Only Words

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“Covenants without swords are only words” is a slight emendation of a line from Chapter 17 of Thomas Hobbes’s The Leviathan: “And covenants, without the sword, are but words and of no strength to secure a man at all.” 

It is applied here to the 1912 Ulster Covenant being backed up by the 1914 gun-running. Edward Carson is shown acknowledging the cheers of the Ulster Volunteers, who have been drilling at Glencairn (as seen in this Shankill mural).

Above the Unionist souvenir shop on the Newtownards Road, east Belfast. Seen previously in 2012: Where Ulstermen Shop.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Welcome To Hell!!

Extramural Activity3 Comments

These graffiti are at the western edge of the Village, south Belfast, at the waste-ground over the Blackstaff and next to the Balls On The Falls, a.k.a Rise (on the Broadway roundabout).

“B Coy UFV Village”, Monarch UVF VTOT [Village team on tour]”, “Taigs enter at own risk”, “ATAT [All Taigs are target]”, “Welcome to loyalist Village”, “Taigs will be crucified”, “Welcome to hell!!”

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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36th (Ulster) Division

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Samson and Goliath, the cranes of the Harland & Wolff shipyard in east Belfast, stand alongside crosses on the burial grounds of the 36th (Ulster) Division in Flanders (though Cave Hill might be in the background) in this Flora Street mural in east Belfast. UVF flags fly overhead.

On the headstone in the front-middle is written “Francis Lemon 1916”, perhaps this Francis Lemon, from Ballymacarrett, who died on July 2nd: FindAGrave | IWM.

This is a new (2015-05) mural in Flora Street, east Belfast.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Lest We Forget

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“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them.” The fence at the back of the Belvoir Somme Association’s Victoria Cross memorial garden on along the Newtownards (at the old Newcastle Street) has been replaced with a wall and the poppy wreath on the left (above) has been joined by a mural in memory of the Somme dead and the Victoria Crosses awarded to the 36th Division “For Valour”.

For the board detailing the VCs, see Victoria Crosses Of The 36th (Ulster) Division.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Freedom Corner 2015

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The murals along east Belfast’s “Freedom Corner” (on the Newtownards Road) were repainted over the course of several months in 2015. These images are from a variety of dates in July and August; the ‘red hand’ piece is incomplete – for the finished work, see The Strangest Victory In All History.

The new pieces reproduce the previous ones in terms of theme: UFF/Young Newton at the ends, with the Past (Specials and UDR) and Present Defenders (UDA) in the middle – compare with the 2009 entries Freedom Corner | Ulster’s Present Day Defenders | Young Newton.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
UFF 1973: [M11905] M11906 [M11906a]
[M12049] [M12050]
UFF EB: [M11907] [M11908] [M11908a] [M11909] [M11909a] [M11910]
M12051 [M12052] [M12053] [M12054] [M12055]
Loyalist EB: M11911 [M11911a] [M11912]
Red Hand: M11913 [M11913a] [M11914] [M11915] [M11916]
Past Defenders: [M11917] [M11918]
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Nationality: [M11919]
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Present Defenders: [M12104] [M12130] [M12131] [M12132] [M12133] [M12134] [M12135] [M12136] [M12137]
M12145 [M12146] [M12147] [M12148] [M12149] [M12150]
UDA: [M12138] M12151
Tomorrow: M12105 [M12152] M12153 [M12154] [M12155] M12156
Wide: [M11920] M12067 M12157

Short Strand Supports Republican POWs

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A number of stencils were added last year (2014) in the corner of the wall at the top of Mountpottinger Road, in the Short Strand, to the right of the Charlie Monahan mural (seen before in 2006).

From left to right: an IRPWA (web) mural with the crests of the four provinces; an IRPWA mural with a prisoner being abused; “Short Strand supports Maghaberry Portlaoise Hydebank republican POWs; “Justice for the Craigavon 2 John-Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville”

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Schomberg House

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The new Museum of Orange Heritage in Schomberg House opened at the end of June. It features a stained glass window with the words “faithful unto death”, commemorating the 330+ (counts differ) members of the Orange Order who were killed during the Troubles.

The museum is at the south end of Cregagh Road; the advertising hoarding is on the Upper Newtownards Road, east Belfast

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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McCurrie And Neill

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“Jimmy McCurrie & Bobby Neill, murdered 27/28th June 1970. Still no truth – still no justice.”

The two civilians died in the course of rioting and a gun battle around St. Matthew’s that was “the first major confrontation to occur in east Belfast during the troubles” (McKittrick et al., Lost Lives, p. 50). It is not clear at what time each died. McKittrick gives the death of both as the 27th, but puts Neill’s death at 2 a.m. (and so strictly speaking on the 28th?).

Newtownards Road, east Belfast

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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