Where Is Our Truth?

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“30 years of indiscriminate slaughter by so-called non-sectarian Irish freedom fighters. No military targets! No economic targets! No legitimate targets! Where are our inquiries? Where is our truth? Where is our justice?”

?2003? mural of bombings on the Shankill. The central panel reproduces a BelTel photograph of the Balmoral furniture showroom bombing, 11 December 1971. The others are the Mountainview Tavern, Frizzell’s fishmongers (shown in the detail, above), the Bayardo Bar, and the Four Step Inn.

Bellevue Street, Shankill, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
X00090 X00076 Fourstep Inn bombed Sept 29th 1971 2 innocents killed, Balmoral Showrooms bombed Dec 11th 1971 2 adults and 2 babies killed, Mountainview Tavern bombed April 5th 1975 5 innocents killed, Bayardo Bar bombed Aug 13th 1975 5 innocents killed, Frizzell’s fish shop bombed Oct 23rd 1993 9 innocents killed

H-Block Martyrs

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The large board on the left commemorates the 10 dead hunger strikers (WP) and two blanketmen. “No greater love” echoes John 15:13.

There are also two smaller boards on the right: first, “Same old mural, same old force” with the three-in-one figure of RUC, Orange Order, and loyalist paramilitary under a traffic “No” symbol; second, an interesting board alleging collusion between the RUC and the UDA and UVF in north and east Belfast.

Oldpark Road, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
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Lady In Red

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Volunteers in Cumann Na mBan (or youth wing Cumann Na gCaılíní) from Ballymurphy and Springhill are remembered in a 2002 mural in Ballymurphy.

Anti-clockwise, they are Maura Meehan, Anne Marie Pettigrew, Dorothy Maguire, Eileen Mackin, Catherine (Cathy) McGartland, Anne Parker. All but Mackin are included in the Greater Ballymurphy plaque.

The volunteer on the right dates back (at least) to the 1982 poster below; the parade is perhaps based on a picture of Mao’s China?

Information from CAIN on four of the women shown.

Ballymurphy Road, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
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1982 IntWomensDay

Safe House

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IRA volunteers Tommy ‘Toddler’ Tolan (in blue), James (Jim) McGrillen and John Stone (seated at table), and Michael Kane (foreground) are pictured in a safe house in Ballymurphy, with plates of sandwiches and a cache of weapons. The women are Annie Adams(?) and Kathleen Moore(?).

Tolan is also depicted at a larger scale on the right of the mural; in the original (2001) version, this figure was dressed in fatigues and carried a rifle (as can be seen in the Peter Moloney Collection), but this was changed within 18 months to a brown suit as shown here (July 2004).

The Springmartin “peace line” can be seen in the gap between the houses.

Update: The large Tolan figure is preserved in the 2014 mural Working Class Heroes and the other five are included anew.

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Copyright © 2004/2010 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Bryson-Mulvenna

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2001 mural to IRA volunteers Jim Bryson and Patrick Mulvenna in Ballymurphy, both holding serious weaponry.

“In memory of [IRA] volunteers Jim Bryson and Patrick Mulvenna. Died on active service 1973”. The pair were killed by undercover British Army soldiers firing from above the Ballymurphy shops (Broken Elbow). Mulvenna died immediately (August 30th), Bryson three days later.

For the plaque, see M01657. Another plaque would later be added to the centre of the mural.

Ballymurphy Road, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
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Three Volunteers

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“In passing this mural, pause a little while, pray for us and Erin, then smile.” This is a Ballymurphy mural dedicated to three local PIRA volunteers: Bobby McCrudden, Mundo O’Rawe, and Pearse Jordan. McCrudden was shot in Ardoyne in 1972 (Sutton). O’Rawe was shot on the lower Falls in 1973 (Sutton). The circumstances of Jordan’s death in 1992 at the hands of an undercover RUC unit were controversial; his case went to the European Court Of Human Rights (WP).

From a photo in the Peter Moloney Collection, the plaque reads “I ndíl [ndıl] chuímhne [chuımhne] Oglach [Óglach] Edward ‘Mundo’ O’Rawe, Oglach Robert McCrudden, Oglach Pearse Jordan – who gave their lives for Ireland’s freedom.”

This is one of the murals in the Ballymurphy Mural Project.

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Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
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Belfast Graves

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“And all around are monuments that bear a martyr’s name/True patriots who fought and died to kindle freedoms flame/Jimmy Quigley, McCormick and O’Neill/Remember them, they died for us and found a martyr’s grave.” The words of Ray McAreavey’s song are modified to include four Ballymurphy IRA/Fıanna volunteers.

This Ballymurphy mural uses symbols of ancient Ireland and the pikes of 1798/1803 to commemorate four modern volunteers — Jimmy Quigley, Eamonn McCormick, Teddy O’Neill, Michael Magee – and two other deaths – Alice Franklin, Mary Fegan.

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Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
X00048 Belfast Graves with brave, I ndıl cuımhne [chuımhne] volunteers

Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann

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“Grieve not nor speak of us with tears but laugh and talk of us as though we were beside you.” This mural is on the gable wall at the end of the street which is depicted in it, namely Ballymurphy Parade, which is to the left of the mural. It reproduces a photograph of IRA volunteers (Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann Belfast brigade B. Coy 2nd Batt) on patrol taken by Gerard ‘Mo Chara’ Kelly in An Phoblacht ?1979?.

For a close-up of the plaque, see M07999.

Glenalina Road, Ballymurphy, west Belfast

Copyright © 2004 Cathal Woods
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