In addition to their Easter parade in April (Irish News) and large hoarding celebrating Charlie Hughes and Leila Khaled at the corner of Northumberland Street, IRA D Company’s presence in Divis now includes a cut-out assault rifle and tricoloured “IRA” mounted on the light pole.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04910 X04911
The Irish Republican Prisoners Committee (IRPC) is currently without any web or social-media presence, but it recently mounted this board in Northumberland Street, Belfast. As with all post-Agreement murals for republican prisoners, it uses only barbed wire and not the lark.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04908
The Royal Air Forces Association’s ‘Wings Appeal’ has been raising money to support Air Force members and their families since 1951 (RAFA). This bed of flowers in the pattern of the Air Force’s red, white, and blue roundel (the reverse of the French roundel) is at the start of the Antiville Road in Larne.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04897
This mural forms a pair with Ulster’s Past Defenders in the middle of Newtownards Road’s ‘Freedom Corner’. The present defenders are the UDA/UFF; the past defenders were the UDR, and before them, the B Specials, (and before them, Cuchulainn – 2005 and 1992). Both pieces were repainted in 2016 after the previous murals disintegrated (see Freedom Corner for possible causes).
“The UDA was formed in 1971 as an umbrella for loyalist vigilante groups being formed. There role to defend protestant community from IRA violence. They remain today. The UFF was formed in 1973 as military group for the UDA to defend protestants from acts of Irish Republican violence over 30 yrs of conflict.”
From left to right: For Freedom Alone | As Long As 100 Of Us Remain Alive | Loyalist East Belfast | The Strangest Victory In All History | Ulster’s Past Defenders | Nationality is included in Loyalist East Belfast | Ulster’s Present Defenders | Freedom Corner
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Extramural Activity
X03360 X04877
The original version of the hooded UFF gunman, with pistol and quotation modelled on the Declaration Of Arbroath (“As long as one hundred of us remain alive …”), was painted on the Newtownards Road in 1994.
Taking their place now is a list of the battalions of the East Belfast Brigade (in numerical order): Young Newton, Dee Street, Ballybeen, Castlereagh, and Tullycarnet, plus North Down (see Always A Little Further).
The second image, below, shows the gunman but not the right-hand side painted out (from a February 2017 entry); the third image is from a 2015 post, when the “Bendy Gunman” was painted. Only the UFF fist now remains from that 2015 version.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04872 X04243 X03943
This vintage piece is next to Linfield Gardens, off Sandy Row. (For the mural all the way back in 1997, see M01330.) Ulster First Flute (Fb) shares the emblem of the other UFF – the Ulster Freedom Fighters – a red first (with or without the drops of blood). See also: Gareth ‘Big Henry’ Morrison on Loyalist Avenue.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04856
Óglach Charlie Hughes was O.C. of PIRA D Company (“the dogs”) in west Belfast. He was killed in March 1971 as part of the feud between the OIRA and the Provisionals. PIRA volunteers, including Charlie and cousin Brendan Hughes (“The Dark”), had burned down OIRA drinking den The Burning Embers, across from Charlie’s house on Balkan Street, and were moving on to The Cracked Cup on Leeson Street, but were met with gunfire. Hughes was killed later that night, after a ceasefire had been agreed, by a single shot (WP | a 2002 account by The Dark). The mural replaces the small ‘1921’ tarp (see Do Not Touch).
The other figure shown is Palestinian skyjacker Leila Khaled (see also Oppression Breeds Resistance).
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04849 [X04850] X04851 X04852 for what died the sons of Róısín Dubh
This was presumably to be a UDA mural in the Bangor estate of Kilcooley (there used to be a UFF mural on this wall – see M03710), but the mural was started in May 2016 and the image above taken in April 2017. If you have any information about why the painting stopped, please get in touch.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04084 X04083
Republican political party Saoradh (web) are organising a ‘National Republican Easter Commemoration’ on the Saturday before Easter Sunday (which is April 1st, this year). The parade is expected to be led by a colour party and marchers in combat gear (Irish News | BelTel).
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04815 X04796
Féıle An Earraıgh – the spring festival in advance of this summer’s Féıle An Phobaıl – includes a series of talks and tours examining the killing of the Gibraltar 3 (l-r, Maıréad Farrell, Daniel McCann, and Seán Savage) and the deaths of (l-r) Kevin Brady/Caoımhín Mac Brádaıgh, John Murray, and Thomas McErlean at the funeral, and (two days earlier) Kevin McCracken. Yesterday (March 6th) was the 30th anniversary (“comóradh 30 blıaın”) of the Gibraltar killings and the date was noted by the launch of the mural above, at the site of the old Andersonstown RUC station. The photograph in the bottom right was reproduced in the 25th anniversary mural.
Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2018 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04811 X06309 Glen Road Monagh Bypass
Seosamh Mac Coille Collection 