“My players are national heroes and have achieve immortality in Northern Ireland folklore …” – Lawrie Sanchez, NI manager. Sanchez was manager from January 2004 to April 2007, when he left to take over Fulham. Under his direction, the team scored notable victories over Spain in a Euro 2008 qualifier and a one-nil victory over England in a World Cup qualifier at Windsor Park. The goals from these games are included in this youtube video of the song We’re Not Brazil; We’re Northern Ireland.
With sponsorship from the East Belfast Historical And Cultural Society.
“Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998 the following concessions have been given :- Republicans: Prisoners released, facilities at Westminster, visas to the USA, army-police stations closed, home battalions of the RIR disbanded, on the runs allowed to return, Columbia 3 remain at liberty, bias against Protestants in employment practices, Sean Kelly child murdered set free, increased [sic] in investment, access to shared roads denied, loyalist culture eroded, £26.5 million pay off. The loyalist people of east Belfast demand:- equality, parity of esteem, shared access to main arterial routes, no bias in employment practices, cultural equality, equal investment, effective accountable policing. This is not equality, this is not parity of esteem, this is not what the Good Friday Agreement was meant to deliver.” Or, in short “Them’uns get everything and we get na’hin.”
Lord Street mural the ERII’s golden (50th) jubilee in 2002. The building on the left is unknown (please get in touch if you can identify it); the previous Ledley Hall school (now Ledley Hall youth club) is on the right.
The “UVF” on the storage units would be painted over, leaving only the memorial to the 36th (Ulster) Division. The Ballybeen RHC memorial mural on the side would remain until the building was redeveloped and both murals were replaced by a memorial garden.
“Ballybeen Youth C. Company” Red Hand Commando, with the names of the six counties and the slogan “Lamh Dearg Abu” (a corruption of “Lámh Dhearg Abú”, “red hand to victory”). Next to another mural mentioning RHC Youth in Morven Park.
“Where so ever, how so ever or whenever we are called upon to make our exit, we shall do so as proud men.” (Another UVF mural in east Belfast has “as free men”.) A hooded gunman from the Red Hand Commando stands at the ready. The first of the four crests is the (rare, possibly restricted to the Morven Park murals) “RHC Youth”; then PAF, UVF, and YCV.