“‘They cannot or never will break our spirit …’ – Bobby Sands. [A paraphrasing of a line from day 6 of Sands’s hunger strike diary.] ‘Tiocfaidh ár lá’.”
The back of the Springhill memorial garden is decorated for the 30th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike in which ten republican prisoners died in the H-Blocks.
Springhill Avenue, Belfast
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Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
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“H-Block 1981, Maghaberry 2012”, “End forced strip searches”, “End controlled movement”, “Stop the torture of Irish political prisoners.”
The “August 2010 Agreement” is an agreement reached between prisoners and authorities about treatment in Roe House, an exclusively republican wing in Maghaberry. The tower beyond is the Springfield Rd police station.
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Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
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“This plaque is dedicated to the memory of those murdered on 9th July 1972 by the British army. Fr Noel Fitzpatrick, Paddy Butler, Margaret Gargan, David McCafferty, Fıan John Dougal, and to all those murdered in Springhill, Whiterock, and Westrock area.” This is the new plaque to the five people killed in the Springhill-Westrock Massacre, and is on the house extension that the previous plaque. (See chapter 2 of An Pobal A Pheınteáıl.)
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Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
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“In proud and loving memory of Vol, Jimmy Quigley, Belfast Brigade, Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann, killed in action 29th September 1972 by Crown forces. Ní dhéanfaıdh muıd dearmad [gur] fuaır sé bás ar son saoırse na hÉıreann.”
Quigley was shot by the British Army on Albert Street; the plaque is outside the family home in Brittons Parade, Belfast. Two profiles by Danny Morrison at Saoırse32.
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Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
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“Those brave and gallant vols of D Company IRA”, “POWs and volunteers”, “deceased POWs”, the D company volunteers who have “died of natural causes”, and the “civilians” who lost their lives. Some of these were seen before, in 2005’s Lower Falls Memorial Garden; the main addition is the large memorial with the illustrations, shown in the final image.
Falls Road, Belfast
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The sixteen-year old Sınn Féın Trade Union Dept mural has been replaced (though the plaque remains in the top right-hand corner) with another mural featuring James Connolly but with a new quote, from his 1907 poem: “Our demands most moderate are/We only want the earth.” The Irish Worker headline reads “Belfast ITGWU organiser Connolly gets 905 votes municipal elections”, referring to the municipal elections of 1913 – Connolly stood in the Dock Ward (SIPTU).
Rockmount Street, Belfast
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Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
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Two PUL banners are added to the internment bonfire in Divis: the upper one says “East Belfast Ulster Volunteer Force”, while the latter reads “Shankill Protestant Boys [Fb] USSF Ulsters No 1 flute band.” On the top is a Drumcree Orange Order flag: “Civil and religious liberty”; “Here we stand, we can do no other”.
Divis Street, Belfast
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“One race – one love – one world. West Belfast Area Project & Divis Youth Project supported by Belfast City Council.” A wheel of hands from children of different races exhorts residents to overlook differences in skin-tone.
At the bottom of Divis tower, Belfast.
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Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
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Marty Lyons is shown adding the WARN emblems to an otherwise-completed mural on the International Wall, Divis Street.
On the left, an Irish family in front of a window reading “No Irish need apply” is stereotyped as jagged-toothed, shillelagh-wielding hunch-backs in the style of Punch and other magazines’ portrayal of the Irish. The Punch portrayal is described, and Punch named explicitly, in the song ‘Do Me Justice’ a.k.a. ‘Here I Am From Donegal’. (Lyrics | audio: Frank Harte (full song) | Len Graham (clip).) They also carry a copy of “The Big Begorra” – a play on The Big Issue, a newspaper published on behalf of, and sold by, homeless people. “We’re projections of 19th century anti-Irish prejudice—we’ve never actually existed.”
The treatment of the Irish is used as an anology for the the Roma (WP): “Whereas I, ethnoid steriotypus their creator, have existed since time immemorial. My latest target—the Roma! I hope you’ll swallow all the lies I concoct.”
“Hey—what was the outcome of the harassment of the Roma newspaper sellers?” “The evening edition collapsed!” – this is a reference to the Belfast Telegraph‘s decision to cease printing an evening edition.
In the lower right is the signature of political cartoonist Ian Knox, a.k.a. Blotski (WP) – Marty Lyons and a Short Strand artist were also involved – and date (9 August, 2012 – for Féile 2012 (pictures of the launch).
Divis Street and Falls Road, Belfast
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“Get the real story – local history from local people – take a black taxi tour – West Belfast Taxi Association – 40 years unbroken service”. The tours of “local” history are of course aimed at non-locals as part of the ‘dark tourism’ or ‘Troubles tourism’ boom.
Here is the Getty Images photo of British Army soldiers on the Falls Road in 1969, on which the mural is based.
Divis Street, Belfast
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Peter Moloney Collection 