Here is a gallery of images from Levin Road in Kilwilkie, Lurgan, including “One Ireland, one vote – 1916 Societies [web]”, “People Should Not Inform”, “RUC – PSNI not welcome”, “Join RSF [web] – Éıre Nua”, “IRA”, “IRPWA” [web], “End internment now”, “End the isolation of republican POWs”, “RUC – PSNI different name, same aim”, and “Ka-boom” from an RPG slamming into the side of the post office.
“Cumann Thomáıs Uí Chléırıgh, An Lorgaın. End internment now. North Armagh supports republican POWs”.
Clarke grew up in nearby Dungannon and there is a cumann of the 1916 Societies in Dungannon (Fb) and, according to this board, in Lurgan. (A statue to Clarke was later mounted in Dungannon – see Gaırdín Thomaıs Uí Chléırıgh.)
Lake Street, Lurgan. The board was perhaps previously in Levin Rd – see The Lurgan Ambush.
The Craigavon Two – John-Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville – were convicted in 2012 of the 2009 murder of PSNI Constable Steven Carroll (BBC) and sentenced to 18- and 25-year minimums, respectively. The case is under review (Guardian) and a campaign for their release – using the hashtag “#JFTC2” – is under way (Fb).
This is the internment (or “assumption”) bonfire (and mini-bonfire) in the Bogside decked with a range of flags — UVF/YCV, UDA, Orange Order, the Paras, Israel, Ulster Banner, Union Flag – and an “RUC” land-rover.
Last year (2014) it was in the Meenan Square waste-ground but this year it is at the city walls/Nailor’s Row.
The figure in the centre of the mural above is Peggy O’Hara, mother of INLA hunger striker Patsy O’Hara, who remained active in socialist and republican circles and stood in the assembly elections in 2007 as an independent. She died in 2015 and was given a paramilitary funeral, including a volley of shots fired over the coffin (BBC | Irish Times | An Phoblacht).
The female figure above Mickey Devine (in the bottom right) is his sister Margaret, from whose house his coffin processed after his death in 1981. (See the plaque in Breaking The Chains.) The girl on the left is pointing towards another mural, a dove of peace.
The standing figure, and the plaque, are retained from the previous mural.
Here is a selection of stencils and small boards from anti-Agreement groups in Newry. “Stop strip searching of republican prisoners!”, “#JFTC2“, “Smash Stormont – Join RNU”, “End internment 1971-2013”, “Stop the Maghaberry strip searches”.
Camlough Road, Main Avenue, and Railway Avenue, Newry
This is a mural of King Niall (Nıall Caılle, Niall of the Callan) and Queen Macha. Niall was high king of Ireland (in competition with Fedelmıd of Munster WP) who held off the Vikings in the late 800s (WP) and died in 846 by drowning in the Callan river. Macha is a much earlier and mythological queen, and gives her name to the town: Ard Mhacha.
The central figures reproduce paintings by Jim Fitzpatrick (Visual History). The Niall figure comes from Nemed The Great but the Macha figure comes from a label Fitzpatrick produced in 1988 for Rosc “mead”, even though Macha (one of them, at least) was the wife of Nemed and there is a female figure in Nemed The Great.
Below the planets and stars, St Patrick’s (Catholic) Cathedral is on the left (WP) and St Patrick’s (CofI) Cathedral is on the right (WP).
In the border, clockwise from left to right, we see: the Tandragee Idol (WP), Naomh Bríd/St Brigid’s, St Patrick preaching the trinity, Irish dancing, Gaelic football, Armagh Harps, “Ard Mhacha”, the Armagh county crest in colour in the apex (Club & County), “Armagh”, Na Pıarsaıgh Óga, hurling/camogie, Cú Chulaınn’s, mummers (perhaps specifically the Armagh Rhymers), Jonathan Swift, a steam locomotive (perhaps representing the Armagh rail disaster of 1889, in which 80 people died WP); a vintage image of Callan Street is depicted along the bottom (History Armagh).
The side-wall features the word “welcome” in many languages, and Celtic knot-work surrounding an image of the Celtic Cross below St Patrick’s, perhaps inspired by this 1903 photograph (Flickr).
Painted by a crew of Belfast artists – Danny D and Mark Ervine, along with Lucas Quigley, Marty Lyons, Micky Doherty – organised by the Callan Street Residents’ Association, with funding from the European Union’s Peace III initiative.
The QR code in the second image takes one to an interactive walking tour (“Walk Of Truth”) of sites associated with the Ballymurphy Massacre; the walk was launched on August 8th, one of a number of Féile 2015 events (web) which included a photographic exhibition in St Mary’s and the march announced in the first image, from Springfield Park to O’Donnell’s GAA club.
This is a new info board at the bottom of the steps leading up to the IRA memorial dolmen first seen in 1999. It features portraits of 16 volunteers from Derry’s 1st battalion and a quotation from Pearse at the funeral of O’Donovan Rossa in 1915: “Life springs from death, and from the graves of patriot men and women spring living nations. The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! They have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace.”
Peter Moloney Collection 