“Fáılte go dtí Marrowbone youth club [club óıge Mhachaıre Bothaın (Fb)] – better our community by working together.” The verbiage is a mix of Irish and English and the imagery is a mix of youth activities and … a minion.
The previous mural – which included Cliftonville (soccer) and Antrim (GAA) emblems – was seen previously in 2013 and in 2021.
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Derry is well-known as “doire”, an oak grove, and the oak leaf and acorn are used as symbols by many civic and county organisations. Friz’s (ig) piece for Derry Féile combines Derry’s oaky background with the dryads (tree spirits) of Greek mythology.
Central Drive, Creggan, Derry.
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Ireland’s most famous export is not its music – including Fontaines D.C. (web) – or its stout – including Guinness – but its people, about 10 million of them since 1800 (WP). The youngster in this new mural by Dublin artist ACHES (ig) is torn in different directions.
Queen’s Quay, Derry.
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Áras Uí Chonghaile has a “James Connolly Heritage Trail”, with a series of plaques and panels that interested parties can walk as members of a guided tour, or by themselves with the aid of an app (Android | Apple). One of the stops is in Corporation Street, site of the Belfast offices of the ITGWU from 1911-1941.
The nearby ITGWU board gives Connolly’s report from 1911: “The Branch has rented extensive premises at 122 Corporation Street and intend having a smoking and reading room in connection therewith; we are considering the organisation of a band and have in contemplation also the launching of many other schemes for the moral, social, and financial uplifting of the members. The Irish Transpost and General Workers’ Union is in the vanguard of that Irish branch of the Army of Labour, and we are honoured when we carry its banner.”
It then goes on to describe the arrest of Winnie Carney and the raiding of the Corporation Street offices in 1922.
For the Connolly centre, see previously: Socialism Is Neither Catholic Nor Protestant | Join The Socialists!
For Winnie Carney’s offices, see Naming Our Streets and for a lead post on Carney, see The Typist With The Webley.
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“Population of the Six Counties: 1,800,000. Living in poverty: 313,000. Children in poverty: 100,000.”
The source for the statistics presented might be the Department Of Communites, which gives statistics for 2021-2022; the Rowntree foundation has a report on 2022 poverty levels. No source is given here or on the campaign’s web page at Lasaır Dhearg (web | tw).
Glenveagh Drive; with a bonus image of on old Marian Price stencil in nearby Carrigart Avenue.
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What is now Coláıste Feırste began life as Meánscoıl Feırste in 1991, teaching a group of nine students a curriculum inspired by Patrick Pearse (discussed previously in An Tusa An Chéad Laoch Eıle?) and based in Cultúrlann MacAdam-Ó Fıaıch (Cultúrlann). It moved to Beechmount in 1998 and in 2018 expanded into new buildings that were meant to accommodate 600 pupils (Doherty Architects), which it has now exceeded (BBC) as it enters its thirty-third year in existence.
The theme of preserving and promoting the Irish language occurs in several places in the mural: next to Pearse we see his saying, “Máırtín Ó Chadháın ” [a land without a language [is] a land without a soul], in the classroom scene we have “Labhaır í agus maırfıdh sí” [speak it and it will endure], and finally we see the Dream Dearg protesting for an Irish-Language Act (see previously #AchtAnoıs).
The in-progress images included below among completed detailed shots date from May 6th and 20th.
Giant’s Foot/Beechview Park. Replaces the short-lived mural of Olympians, seen in Sporting Giants.
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“Solidarity with the French riots against racism & police – justice for Nahel!” 17 year-old Nahel Merzouk was shot and killed on June 27th by a motor-cycle policeman in Nanterre, France. The scope of use of firearms by police was expanded in 2017 to include dangerous drivers who refused to stop; Merzouk was at the wheel of a Mercedes that had twice failed to stop and (according to police) was putting others in danger. Police specifically alleged that the car, after the second stop, was driving towards the officer; video evidence later disproved this. This cover-up, combined with long-running discontent over the use of deadly force by police, led to six nights of rioting in which two people were killed, more than 3,000 people arrested, and 800 police injured. (BBC includes video | Independent | WP)
Divis Street, west Belfast
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“Far dearer the grave or the prison,
Illumed by one patriot name,
Than the trophies of all who have risen
On Liberty’s ruins to fame.”
Thomas Moore’s lyrics were written for the air The Lamentation of Aughrim, in honour of the Jacobites who died on 12 July, 1691, but they are applied here to Joe Malone of the IRA’s “Expeditionary Force”.
In January 1939 the IRA declared war against Britain and carried out a bombing campaign called the “sabotage plan” (WP S-Plan). Malone was arrested in May when a tear-gas bomb intended for the New Victoria cinema in London exploded prematurely in the cloakroom, injuring his arm and wrist (Belfast Battalion p. 103 | West Australian).
Malone and other prisoners refused to co-operate with prison authorities and began a hunger strike in January 1941; on day five of the strike, force-feeding began and Malone was injured and ordered off the strike by OC Conor McNessa; despite stomach surgery, he died a year later. (Belfast Battalion p. 126, 136)
“In proud and loving memory of Volunteer Joseph Malone, No. 1 battalion, Irish Republican Expeditionary Force. Captured in London May 1939 and died in Parkhurst prison 21st January 1942. RIP.”
As the info board points out, the red hand is used to denote the graves in Milltown of volunteers from the 1920s to 1940s.
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New work by Dave Bonzai (ig) William Street, Derry, part of the ‘Get Up Derry’ festival of graffiti and street art.
Previously by Bonzai (with Bodé) in Derry: Metalmorphosis.
Also from Get Up: Crash Bandicoot in Strand Road.
Replaces OMIN’s Great Hunger battering ram: Stars Look Down.
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As part of the ‘Get Up Derry’ graffiti and street art jam, seven substantial panels were painted at the Tesco superstore in Quayside, including work by NOYS (ig), Zippy (ig), emic (ig), PENS (ig), Kyle McGinley (ig), Friz (ig), and Razer (ig).
See also: Crash Bandicoot | Liquid Chrome Shamrock
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