CNR

Never Again

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2013-08-16 BombaySt+

Printed and framed tarp in Bombay Street, commemorating the burning of Bombay Street during the August 1969 Belfast riots and the death Gerald McAuley, a young IRA member (Fian, not “Fiann” as written here) killed by a sniper during the trouble. Three photographs from the street at the time are reproduced in the bottom third of the board.

Ten years ago, an earlier incarnation of this board could be found on the other side of the street, connected to the issue of the day: No (Decom)mission.

RTÉ archival footage of the aftermath and other clips detailing the events in both Belfast and Derry.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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C Coy, 2nd Battalion, Belfast Brigade

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The back wall of Clonard Martyrs Memorial Garden – that is, the so-called “peace” line or (better) “war wall” – is decorated with portraits of twenty-five local óglaıgh and fıanna who died from 1920 to 1992 (though an Easter lily takes the place of Sean Gaynor on the far left).

Left: Dan Duffin, Seán McCartney, Tom Williams, Gerard McAuley, Peter Blake, Seamus Simpson, Seán Johnston, Seán Gaynor, Pat Duffin, Gerard Ó Callaghan, Seamus Burns, Danny Ó Neill, Tom McCann.

Right: Gerard Crossan, Seán Ó Riordan, Martin McKenna, Liam Hannaway, Jim McKernan, Dan McCann, “dedicated to the memory of local republican, Billy Davidson”, Tony Lewis, Joe McKenna, Brian Dempsey, Finbarr McKenna, Seán Savage, Prionsais Mac Áirt.

They are also listed on one of the plaques inside the garden – see the second images in Clonard Martyrs.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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End Internment, 2013

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2013-08-12 Internment+

A new half-size (or 2/3rds-size) mural on the International Wall, Divis Street, in stark black-and white: End British Interment of Irish Republicans 2013. The mural was painted to coincide with the anti-internment march on August 9th that was routed through Belfast city centre and sparked violent protests (U.tv video reports).

Replaces the ‘Maghaberry – Stop Strip Searches’ piece, which itself earlier replaced this Maghaberry piece.

2013-08-12 InternmentBars+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Anti-Racism World Cup

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A second anti-fascist, and cross-community, piece has gone up on Northumberland Street. This one commemorates the deaths of Dick O’Neill and William Beattie who died fighting the fascists in the Spanish Civil War. O’Neill died at Jarama and Beattie at Brunete, both outside Madrid, in 1937.

As can be seen from the third image, below, the piece is immediately to the right of the Frederick Douglass mural.

For more on the Anti-Racism World Cup, see East Meets West.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01255 X01254 X01256 springfield road fell at 14th february shankill road 23rd july, no pasarán, they shall not pass, starry plough and the stars, international brigade flag, bob marley martin luther king angela davis steven biko haitian revolution apartheid free at last without regard to race

Free Leonard Peltier

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2013-08-09 PeltierSide+

A message for the U.S. government on the side of Black Mountain this week, concerning the incarceration of Leonard Peltier for the shooting deaths of two FBI agents in South Dakota (WP). A U.S. flag flies at the top of the lettering, and the scale of the piece can be gauged from the small crowd of people standing off to the left. Below is a straight-on shot and, before that, a view from the corner of the shops at the Springfield/Whiterock junction.

2013-08-09 PeltierSocialism+

2013-08-09 PeltierStraight+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Peace With Justice

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2013-08-08 Stagg+

Mural from mid-2011 on the “international wall” (Visual History) featuring a quote from early (1976) hunger-striker Frank Stagg (WP), along with portraits of Stagg, Michael Gaughan (d. 1974 WP) and the 10 strikers who died in 1981. The images of Stagg and Gaughan, along with a Tricolour and a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, are here concealed by a placard announcing a rally commemorating the hunger strikers.

The protesters on the left date back to a 1981 poster which was reproduced for the very first mural – see I’ll Wear No Convict’s Uniform.

This mural takes the place of a pro-Basque mural (and the Martin Meehan bookmark) in the second half of 2011. There is currently no Basque mural on the wall.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01249 no greater love as no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends

Joe McKelvey Society

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Poster from the 1916 Societies (Fb), specifically the West Belfast Joe McKelvey Society, named after the anti-treaty IRA commander (WP). (There is also a society named after McKelvey in his home town of Stewartstown, Co Tyrone. (Fb)) The flag (shown below) is in the Republican Museum, Conway Mill.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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McMahon Relics

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2013-08-08 BVM1922-2+

Above is an image of one of two surviving religious pictures from the McMahon household on Kinnaird Terrace, off the Antrim Road. The picture was in the house the night five members of the family and one other person were killed, in 1922, by members of the RIC or the Specials (milltowncemetery.com, WP). The holes on the left and at the bottom are thought to be bullet holes, while the article below claims the tear in the upper centre is from the butt of a rifle. The picture is at present on display in the Republican Museum on Conway Street.

2013-08-08 BVMMcMahonClipping+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bonfire Flags

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Three images of flags on two republican bonfires, built to commemorate the introduction of internment in 1971. According to news reports (e.g. BBC-NI), the ‘Celebrating Our Culture’ banner on this bonfire at the base of Divis tower had been stolen from Linfield Road in south Belfast (it hung to the left of the mural to the left in this image) but was subsequently removed from the bonfire (whether or not it was returned is not reported). The image above is from Thursday (Aug. 8th). (Last year’s bonfire also had stolen PUL banners: see M08775.)

The flag in the second image (an Ulster flag with a tricolour in the corner and the words ‘The Only Ulster’ on the bottom) was on the Divis bonfire during construction on Wednesday but removed by Thursday. The third image is of a bonfire in Beechmount (between Corpus Christi and St. Paul’s schools) flying the flags of various loyalist groups, as well as the Union flag and the Northern Ireland flag.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Barrack-Busters

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2013-08-06 CrossPanel+

A metal plate, previously an advertisement for Calor Gas, now sports republican graffiti and a flyer: Built by robots, flown by dummies, taken out by 2nd Batt. barrack-busters.

The incident in question is a 1994 IRA mortar attack on a British Army helicopter at the Crossmaglen barracks. (CAIN | WP page on the incident). The mortar used a Calor Gas tube, though not the one shown here. (WP page on the mortar)

The shot below includes the board above the wall: Stop Maghaberry strip searches.

2013-08-06 CrossMaghaberry+

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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