The Ulster Volunteers were formed in 1912 as a response to the threat of Home Rule. When WWI broke out they became the 36th (Ulster) Division and went over the top at the Somme.
Shankill Road, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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36th (Ulster) Division board commemorating the battle of the Somme, above the outdoor seating next to the Rex bar.
Moscow Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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These three murals are at the Rex Bar (Moscow Street, Belfast), celebrating resistance to Home Rule – Covenant Day September 28th 1912; the formation of the Ulster Volunteers, being reviewed at Fernhill House in Glencairn Park by Edward Carson; “Deserted! Well I can stand alone”; and (in post-partition Northern Ireland) “a [masked!] Protestant farmer’s wife guards her husband against sectarian attack from across the border”.
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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Copyright © 2010 Peter Moloney
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(close-ups of the small boards along the top)
UDA and UVF murals on opposite corners of Northumberland St at the Shankill Road but with the same flute band – the Shankill Protestant Boys USSF (Fb | tw). “Ulster’s No 1 band, Shankill Protestant Boys, supports Drumcree.” The UVF side would outlast the UDA side, though the UFF board up above the Harp ad would remain until 2014 when the corner was redeveloped (into Conor’s Corner).
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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Copyright © 2010 Peter Moloney
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“Elizabeth the second by the grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and our other realms and territories, queen, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith.” “Elizabeth II dea [sic] gratia Britannia regina fidei defensor”. “We the British subjects of Ulster pledge our allegiance to her sovereign majesty Queen Elizabeth II now and forever. The heart of the empire Ulsters loyal citizens.” Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom in 1952 (she was crowned in 1953). 2002 was her golden jubilee year.
North Howard Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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“HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.” The mural includes a portrait of Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, wife of George VI and mother of Elizabeth II, her coat of arms (see also Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense), and a verse (sightly modified) from the Orange song The Bible And The Crown: “Salute our sovereign now we part/To us our Queen was dear/Because she had a soldier’s heart/And man she did not fear.//Her soul forlorn she will not scorn,/Where her worth is known/No rebel hate will harm this state,/The bible and the crown.” She died in 2002 at age 101. The four flags are those of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Conway Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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On the left, “this mural is a memorial to the volunteers of ‘A’ Coy 1st Batt who served the Shankill community so bravely during the years of conflict. Gone but not forgotten. Here lies a soldier.” On the right, landmarks in the history of the Ulster Volunteers and UVF: “1912 – newly formed Shankill Volunteers train at Fernhill Estate, Glencairn. 1916 – RIR (West Belfast UVF) go over the top at the Somme. 1969 – Volunteers defend Shankill community from republican attack. 2002 – At the crossroads?” with PUP leader David Ervine pictured holding a copy of the Good Friday Agreement. Canmore St, Belfast.
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
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The Ulster Democratic Party (UDP) was the political wing of the UDA, and supported a policy of an independent Northern Ireland (as described in the policy document ‘Common Sense‘). It won a few council seats in the late 1980s and early 1990s and dissolved in 2001 (BBC-NI). The fourth panel (top right) is of the Ulster Workers’ Council strike that brought down the Sunningdale Agreement.
Bellevue Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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“30 years of indiscriminate slaughter by so-called non-sectarian Irish freedom fighters.” The five bombing depicted at those at the Four Step Inn, Balmoral Showrooms, Mountainvew Tavern, Bayardo Bar, Frizzell’s fish shop. “Where are our inquiries? Where is our truth? Where is our justice?”
Bellevue Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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Greengairs Thistle (web | Fb) is a flute band from Scotland (Irvine, Airdrie, Fife) which carries the standards of C Company, 1st Battalion UVF.
Carnan Street, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
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Peter Moloney Collection 