Here are two details from the new Kieran Nugent board along with the “Slí Na Gaeltachta‘ (The Gaeltacht Trail) plaque at its side. The image above shows prisoners “on the blanket” (that is, refusing to wear prison uniforms) in front of a giant brick “H” (for the H-Blocks) which perspective also shapes into an “A” (for Armagh Women’s Prison). They hold placards from the time: Wanted for murder [Margaret Thatcher] and torture of Irish prisoners”; “The spirit of freedom; support the POWs”; “Support the hunger-strikers”. The image below reads “Support the five demands”. These were (1) the right not to wear a prison uniform; (2) the right not to do prison work; (3) the right of free association with other prisoners, and to organise educational and recreational pursuits; (4) the right to one visit, one letter and one parcel per week; (5) restoration of remission lost through the protest.

The text of the Slí Na Gaeltachta plaque can be found at the bottom of this page.

The full board was featured in Reinstated.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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“Slí na Gaeltachta – Abhaınn na Feırste.
Cé go bhfuıl sí cludaıthe faoı choıncréıt anoıs agus gan a bheıth le feıceáıl, ıs ag an láthaır seo ar Shráıd Northumberland a chéadtrasnaıonn Abhaınn na Feırste Bóthar na bhFál. Aınmníodh an abhaınn as an fhearsaıd a bhí ag béal na habhann san áıt a dtéann sí ısteach sa Lagán. Baısteadh Béal Feırste ar an lonnaíocht a d’fhás thart ar áth cosanta ag cumar an dá abhaınn. Ba as an lonnaíocht ársa sın a d’eascaır cathaır an lae ınnıu.
Here at Northumberland Street the now culverted Farset River first crosses the Falls Road. The river is named from the sandbank (fearsaıd) which was at the mouth (béal) of the river where it joins the Lagan. The settlement that grew up around a defended river ford at this confluence of the two rivers was named Béal Feırste, ‘mouth of the sandbank ford’. It was from this ancient settlement that the present-day city grew.”

Keiran Nugent (and Brendan Hughes) has been returned to the left-most spot on the International Wall.

This new board is closely based on the mural (shown in Belfast’s Infamous Prison) which was painted over in October in advance of the November 9th non-binding referendum in Catalonia (see Votes About Votes; the yellow background and some of the lettering from the Catalonia mural can still be seen in the image above). Nugent and Maıréad Farrell were then included in the hunger-strikers mural further down the wall: see I’ll Wear No Convict’s Uniform and Peace With Justice.

New in this version is the inclusion of a reference to the women’s protest in Armagh prison; one of the figures standing in front of the H/A holds the ‘Thatcher – Wanted for murder and torture of Irish prisoners’ poster that previously filled the top-left corner.

For close-ups, see H & A.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02476 beır bua do na cımí cogaıdh victory smash h-block armagh support five demands spirit of freedom support hunger-strikers