Belfast west

The Usual Suspects

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The 1995 film The Usual Suspects (which takes its title from Casablanca‘s “Round up the usual suspects”) was such a hit that – even nine years later – it (and its “line-up” scene – youtube) could be used as the basis for this “Collusion = state murder” mural on the Springfield Road, Belfast.

The spider in the bottom left was the central image in an Andersonstown Road mural. “Murder = murder = murder” (at the bottom) imitates Margaret Thatcher’s statement on the 1981 hunger strike: “Crime is crime is crime” (youtube).

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Dedicated To All The Unsung Heroes

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The scale of the Ballymurphy memorial garden can be seen in the final image. The central panels (images 1 and 2) are to IRA volunteers. Jimmy Steele was OC of the IRA’s Belfast battalion and founding editor of Republican News. “The seed which on Cave Hill was sown/O’er Belfast town its fruit has grown/And they who served, suffered and died/Their blood, our cause has sanctified//Be proud of them our martyred dead/And in their footsteps let us tread/They died for us that we might see/Ireland, united, Gaelic, and free.” To the left and right are lists of civilian dead and on the far right is a brief list of activists who survived the Troubles but have died since.

For the mural, see this 2005 image.

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Ulster’s Defenders

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Ulster’s defenders, past and present, from Cuchulainn “Ancient defender of Ulster from Gael attacks”, via the 1893 UDU and WWI soldiers memorialised in the towers at Messines and Thiepval, to the modern UDA/UFF: “In memory of the officers and volunteers of A. Coy. UDA/UFF West Belfast Brigade who unselfishly dedicated their lives in defence of their country.”

There was also a Cuchulainn mural on Newtownards Road in 1992 (updated in 2005), as well as ‘past defenders’ in the form of B Specials and UDR (1992 | 2005).

Among the volunteers listed on the stone, 19 year old Alan Simpson was shot in his home in nearby Highfield Drive.

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Éırí Amach Na Cásca

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For the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising, the mural shown above was painted on Beechmount Avenue, Belfast (a.k.a. RPG Avenue). The mural reproduces a 1941 stamp designed by Victor Brown showing an armed volunteer outside the GPO. For more information and the postage stamp, see Raising The Flag.

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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Comhıonannas Don Ghaeılge

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“Equality for Irish”. At the 2006 Sınn Féın Slógadh, MEP Baırbe De Brún called for an Irish Language Act (Sinn Féin press release). The protesters in the mural carry placards reading “Is Gael mıse – teastaıonn Gaeılge uaım [I am Irish, I need Irish]”, “Naıre oraınn a Chomaırle [Shame on you, [Belfast City] Council]”, “Cearta teanga – cearta daonna [not “daonne”]” – “language rights, human rights”. “We demand respect for our culture.”

The same trio of Pádraıg Mac Pıaraıs, Winifred Carney, and Roıbéard Ó Seachnasaıgh appears in Cláraıgh Le Sınn Féın. Sands’s famous saying (“the laughter of our children …”) is translated into Irish: Is é gáıre ár gcuıd páıstí a bheas mar dhıoltas again.

Shiels Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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