four provinces

Republican Prisoners Memorial Wall

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

James Connolly was executed on May 12th, 1916. Both the (freshly painted) Connolly plaque shown above and the Martin Meehan mural on the adjacent wall paint the struggle of the republican prisoners and the Provisionals of the ‘Troubles’ as descendants of 1916’s Easter Rising. Several name-plaques have been added to (what is now officially titled) the ‘Republican Prisoners Memorial Wall’ compared to the number seen in September.

For close-ups of the door and sculptured rocks, see Father Time.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2019 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06550 X06549 X06547 X06548

Victory To The Republican Prisoners

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Junior McDaid house – the offices of the IRPWA (web | Fb) and Saoradh (web) in Derry – was opened two years ago (video) in Chamberlain Street. The offices are “proudly named after” IRA volunteer James McDaid, who was killed by the British Army in 1972 (Derry Journal), apparently without consulting with or inviting his wife (Derry Journal). A plaque to McDaid is to the left of the door, with two murals on the Harvey Street gable. (A third mural – recorded separately – is just out of shot to the right.)

X06364 2018-11-28 RSYM stickers+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06365 X06364

Caırde Agus Comrádaıthe

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Friends and comrades” – IRA volunteers Brendan Hughes (“The Dark”) and Bobby Sands were leaders of the 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes, respectively. Hughes survived when the first strike was called off after 53 days; Sands died in the ’81 strike after 66 days of fasting. “IRPWA” is the Irish Republican Prisoners’ Welfare Association (Fb); Saoradh (web) is a hard-line left-wing republican party.

The mural to the left shows Palestinian double-amputee Saber Al-Ashkar, protesting as part of the Great March Of Return.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06304 [X06317] [X06223] X06322

The Proclamation

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Robert Ballagh’s 1916 Proclamation was first painted as a mural by Mo Chara Kelly and Rısteard Ó Mhurchú in 1991 for the 75th anniversary of the Easter Rising (see Cáısc 1916 which also contains the Ballagh piece). That version stood for ten years on the Whiterock Road. It has reproduced again in Ard An Lao above the hunger strikers, after the removal of several plaques (see All Our Dead). “With special thanks to Hugo Óg Wilkinson”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06110 our revenge will be let there be no bitterness

Door Into The Dark

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“This wall is dedicated to all those ex prisoners that found themselves imprisoned as a result of British occupation of our country. The plaques on the wall are in memory of those former POW’s who have since passed away.” There are five plaques already on the wall, to Patrick Quinn 2017, Buller Holland 2007, Henry McErlean 2015, Martin Meehan 2007, Seán McCaughey 1946.

For the large stones, see Father Time. Replaces Rhythm Of Time.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X06069 X06075 [X06071] [X06072] X06068

Be There All The Way

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The draw for the 4th round matches in the men’s All-Ireland Football Senior Championship takes place this morning at 8:30. Antrim have already been eliminated (in both football and hurling) but four other Ulster counties await their fates: Armagh, Fermanagh, Monaghan, and Tyrone. The new mural shown above celebrates (men’s) Gaelic games in County Antrim (tw) and at two local clubs: Naomh Gall (web), founded in Clonard Street in 1910, and Naomh Pól (tw | Fb) in Hawthorn Street – the site of the mural – in 1941.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04993 Sam Maguire cup, Liam MacCarthy cup established 1884 hayes hotel thurles bunaıthe 1884 ostán uí haodha durlas éıle

Beır Bua

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

In the background of this board can be seen the old Divis flats. The flats were built to replace the tightly-packed streets of the lower Falls. After the first three blocks were completed in 1969, there was a plan to have a mixture of flats all the way up to Dunville Park (“Phase 2” in this 30-minute BBC video on the flats, which also includes the story of its eventual demise.

On top are the words “saoırse [freedom]” and “beır bua [seize victory]”, along with imagery of the four provinces and a lark in barbed wire.

This board has been added to the “D company” corner at Northumberland and Divis streets (see Our Struggle Continues), in the (blacked out) spot of the Orlando nightclub shooting mural.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04981

Pearse Jordan

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Pearse Jordan was unarmed when he was killed by the RUC on November 25th, 1992 but in this new Éıre Nua Flute Band board he leaves his prints on an assault rifle. (previous Éıre Nua board) His killing was ruled unlawful, and subsequent inquest insufficient, by the European Court Of Human Rights in 2001. The campaign for an inquest continues (An Phoblacht).

The words on the board – “Slan [sic] go foıll [sic] moh [sic] chara, just for a while/We’ll not have your craic, your jokes, or your smiles/But in years to come, your memory’s still true/A brave son of Ireland, we will not forget you” – are the chorus of The Ballad Of Pearse Jordan (words | sung by The Irish Brigade).

The board is in Hugo Street, which is also the site of his memorial plaque, just above the Evolution Of Our Revolution, as seen in the second image, below.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04695 X04709

Join Us And Have A Voice

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a 32 County Sovereignty Movement (32CSM) poster from west Belfast, asking people to “Dismantle partition – reject British rule”. The organisation describes itself as “a republican pressure group”. The Belfast cumann (Fb | web) is named after Wolfe Tone and Henry Joy McCracken (of the 1798 Rebellion).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04507