“… and in these ancient lands/enchased and lettered as a tomb/and scored with prints of perished hands/and chronicled with dates of doom/I trace the lives such scenes enshrine/and their experience count as mine”. (Lines from Thomas Hardy’s On An Invitation To The United States.) Éıre takes the form of a woman, with two wolfhounds, between portraits of the ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers.
Navan Street, Armagh
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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This small hunger strike “H” memorial, with “SF” for “Sınn Féın” is in Navan Street, Armagh.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Three generations of republicans, from the Troubles, the Rising, and the Rebellion, salute “F[rankie] Ryan, B[obby] Sands, J[ohn] Rooney, G[erard] Fennell, B[artholomew] Teeling”. The first four are modern IRA volunteers; the last is a United Irishman from Lisburn (Rebel Breeze has a full account of his deeds).
For an unspoiled view, see J0194.
Juniper Way, Twinbrook, Dunmurry
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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“Remember the hunger strikers, 25th anniversary.” Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg, who died on hunger strikes in 1974 and 1976 and included in a line of portraits alongside nine of the deceased 1981 hunger strikers; Bobby Sands is shown in the large mural on the right hand side, next to blanket men Hugh Rooney and Freddie Toal.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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The police station in Cullaville Road, Crossmaglen gets a new sign. The watchtower on the station (such as appears in Demilitarise and other boards) would be taken down in 2007 (RTÉ).
Previously: the new PSNI emblem on the station in Strand Road, London-/Derry in 2004.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Here are three nail-ups from Newry Road, Crossmaglen. The first shows hooded IRA volunteers in front of Starry Plough and Sunburst flags on pikes (symbol of the 1798 Rebellion). The second shows crossed pikes and crossed rifles. The third calls for British Army bases to be demilitarised.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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These three images are from the electricity pole at the edge of the graveyard on Newry Road, Crossmaglen. First is a south Armagh IRA roll of honour, listing 20 volunteers’ names: McVerry, Boyle, Jordan, Campbell, Lochrie, McKiernan, Cleary, Harvey, McElvenna, Caherty, McCreesh, Moley, Caraher (Fergal and Francie), Duffy, Martin, Daly, Watters, Toner, and Rogers.
Second, on the back of the poles, “Caution – radiation area” refers to anomalies in animal births, allegedly due to radiation from British Army towers (An Phoblacht | Daily Ireland). There’s also a flyer protesting “political policing – democracy under attack”.
Finally, a Calor gas is modified with republican graffiti: “Built by robots, flown by dummies, taken out by 2nd Batt. barrack-busters.” The incident celebrated is a 1994 IRA mortar attack on a British Army helicopter at the Crossmaglen barracks (CAIN | WP page on the incident). The mortar used a Calor Gas tube, though not the one shown here (WP page on the mortar).
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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“This stone was erected by the republican movement , south Armagh, in proud and loving memory of the twelve hunger strikers who laid down their lives during this phase of the struggle for Irish freedom.” “Fuaır sıad bás ar staılc ocraıs ar son saoırse na hÉıreann. Go ndeana Dıa trócaıre ar a nanamacha.” “Beıdh an bua agaınn go fóıll [We will win yet] – Raymond McCreesh – two days before he died.”
Newry Street, Crossmaglen
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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A very different ‘Five Demands’ from Sınn Féın on the 25th anniversary of the hunger strike: “1. The Irish Government should produce a Green Paper on Irish Unity. 2. The work of the All Ireland Ministerial Council should be expanded and additional All Ireland Implementation Bodies created. Westminster MP’s elected in the 6 Counties should be accorded speaking rights in the Dail [sic]. 3. Voting rights for Presidential elections should be extended to citizens in the six counties. 5 The Irish Government should actively engage with the British Government and Unionism to promote and seek support for re-unification.”
The original ‘Five Demands’ are given as “1. The right to wear our own clothes. 2 The right to refrain from prison work. 3. The right to free association with fellow prisoners. 4. The right to organise recreation and leisure activity – with one letter, parcel and visit allowed per week. 5. To have remission lost, as a result of the blanket protest, restored.” For versions of the five demands from the period, see one | two | three.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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This is the republican memorial in the centre of Crossmaglen (in Cearnóg An Chaırdıneıl Ó Fıaıch). The monument was produced by Yann Goulet, the same sculptor who did the memorial at Ballyseedy, and like that work, this one depicts a young man striding forward in anger and anguish, though in this case he arises from a phoenix.
“Glóıre daoıḃse a laoċra uṁla cróga a d’ḟulaıng le fonn ar ṁéad ḃur ngrá fıal ar ṡaoırse na hÉıreann.” “Glory to you all praised and humble heroes who have willingly suffered for your unselfish and passionate love of Irish freedom.”
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Peter Moloney Collection 