The bombs of the US, NATO, and the EU drive fleeing refugees into a circle of barbed wire in this new mural on Beechmount Avenue: “Capitalism & imperialism created refugees! Syria • Iraq • Afghanistan • Libya … Stop wars, not people!!!” This WP page gives facts and figures relating to the wave of migration to Europe in 2015.
Beechmount Avenue/Ascaill Ard Na bhFeá, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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“Tıocfaıdh ár lá”, “يومنا قادم” [yeomna qadm, our day is coming] (and below, “Saoırse” and “حرية” [freedom].
The figure at the centre of the mural, with the PFLP emblem, is sky-jacker Leila Khaled – for background on her see the same stencil of her in Hugo Street.
Seen previously in better condition in 2015. AMCOMRI St (AMerican COMmittee [for] Relief [in] Ireland), Beechmount, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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This is a more expansive version of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement (web) stencil seen in 2015 on the International Wall, Divis Street (Visual History), in 2015. There is no barbed wire flags in this one and no flags; instead, two volunteers in silhouette pay their respects.
Beechmount Avenue/Ascaill Ard Na bhFeá, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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Gael Force Art commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising with a massive lily on Slıabh Dubh (Visual History).
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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repainted knot-work on the right in front, form July 8th, 2016:
detail shots, from August 9th, 2025, December 15th, 2025, and March 26th, 2016:
December 15th, 2025, portraits on small boards being added to either side of the (temporarily removed) proclamation:
July 31st, 2025:
July 14th, 2025:
May 5th, 2025:
Arrayed against the forces of the British Army (which are shown laying siege to the Dublin GPO during the Easter Rising in armoured cars and in sniping positions in the foreground of the mural, along the whole length of the wall) are various symbols of Irish nationalism:
Oliver Sheppard‘s 1911 statue of Cú Chulaınn dying (see the Visual History page);
the pikemen of the 1798 Rebellion;
the four provinces of Ireland;
Érıu the mythological queen of Ireland/Éıre as designed by Richard J King/Rísteard Ó Cíonga;
Easter lilies;
the emblems of Na Fıanna Éıreann and Cumann Na mBan on either side of a quote from (The Mainspring) Seán Mac Dıarmada, “We bleed that the nation may live; I die that the nation may live. Damn your concessions, England: we want our country”;
a phoenix rising from the flames of the burning Dublin GPO (inspired by Norman Teeling’s 1998 painting The GPO Burns In Dublin);
the GPO flying an ‘Irish Republic’ flag;
portraits of signatories and other rebels — (left) Padraig H. Pearse, Thomas J Clarke, Eamonn Ceannt, Thomas MacDonagh, (right) Countess Markievicz, James Connolly, Sean MacDiarmada, Thomas Plunkett;
the declaration of independence, placed over the advertising box of AA Accountants – see the in-progress shot below.
At the very bottom is a quote from the mother of painted Gerard ‘Mo Chara’ Kelly, Harriet Kelly: “We want the freedom of our country and your soldiers out.”
McQuillan Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2015/2016 Peter Moloney
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details
Sig M13842
Cú M12906 [M12627] [M12587]
1798 M12907 [M12707]
Ireland M12709 [M12628]
Érıu M12708 [M12586]
Fianna M12905 [M12706]
Phoenix M12908 [M12705] [M12704] [M12703] [M12589] [M12588]
Proclamation M13007
Dec 15th: Portraits M12904 [M12702] [M12701] wide M12903
July 31th: M12629 M12626
July 14th: M12580 [M12581] [M12582] [M12583] M12584 [M12585]
May 5th: M12551
Seán Mac Dıarmada was born in Leitrim, left for Glasgow at age 15, and after two years returned to Belfast in 1905 and – according to the new mural above – spoke from the back of a coal lorry in Clonard Street, outside the Clonard branch of the Ancient Order Of Hibernians. Mac Dıarmada was for a short time an AOH member, before moving on to the Irish Republican Brotherhood and Irish Volunteers, which led to his participation in the 1916 Easter Rising and execution on May 12th of that year.
The title of today’s post is historian F.X. Martin’s assessment of Mac Dıarmada, quoted in a pamphlet on Mac Dıarmada from the National Library Of Ireland. The NLI made many letters from and to Mac Dıarmada available in 2016. (See also this Irish Times write-up).
Previously: A 2013 gable-sized board to Mac Dıarmada in Ardoyne and a 2009 small board, also in Ardoyne.
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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“Republican socialist movement, IRSP/INLA, remembers and salutes all those who gave their lives and liberty in the struggle for national liberation and socialism in Ireland 1916 – 2016.”
The Easter Lily on a red, five-pointed, star ties together the centenary of the Easter Rising with republican socialism. These are IRSP/INLA stencilled murals commemorating the centenary of the Rising. The first is in Beechmount, the second in Divis.
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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A statue of James Connolly was unveiled in the grounds of Comhaırle Phobaıl Na bhFál on March 25th (An Phoblacht). The statue is part of Slí Na Gaeltachta.
A little further long the road, tarps announce plans for a “James Connolly Interpretive Centre” (eventually opened in 2019 as “James Connolly Visitor Centre”).
“Eagraí ceardchumaınn, Sóısıalaí, Idırnáısıúnaí agus duıne de cheannaırí Éırí Amach na Cásca 1916. Bhí cónaí ar Ó Conghaıle agus ar a theaghlach ı measc lucht oıbre Bhéal Feırste agus chuıdıgh sé le Caıtıicıgh, Protastúnaıgh agus easaontóırí troıd ar mhaıthe le suımeanna na gnáthaıcme. Rugadh ı nDún Éıdeann ar 5 Meıtheamh 1868 é, mharaıgh scuad lámhaıgh Brıotanach é ı bPríosún Chıll Mhaıghneann, Baıle Átha Clıath ar 12 Bealtaıne 1916 as an pháırt a ghlac sé ın Éırí Amach na Cásca. / Trade union organiser, Socialist, Internationalist and one of the leaders of the Easter Rising 1916. Connolly along with his family lived among the working people of Belfast and helped organise, Catholics, Protestants and dissenters to fight together for the common class interests. Born in Edinburgh 5 June 1868, he was executed by firing squad in Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin, 12 May 1916 for his part in the Easter Rising.”
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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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“To protect partition! And to serve capitalism!” The Royal Ulster Constabulary, Police Service of ‘Northern Ireland’, and An Garda Síochána are branded as agents of the status quo, enforcing the partition of Ireland and the capitalist system. “Know your enemy – reject political policing”.
IRSP mural on Northumberland Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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“End forced isolation, end controlled movement, end forced strip searches”.
This is a new panel – perhaps the fourth in 2015 – in the RNU (Fb)/Cogús (Fb) mural on Northumberland Street. If you can identify the image or the style, please get in touch.
For previous panels in 2015, see Free Stephen Kaczynski | Prison Torture | Leonard Peltier
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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Peter Moloney Collection 