Sınn Féın leader Gerry Adams said of the (Provisional) IRA in 1995 “They haven’t gone away, you know” (youtube). The phrase is used here (“hav’nt”) by post- and anti-Agreement IRA.
The second image shows a BRY board with a traditional spring-time republican message: “Honour Ireland’s patriot dead – wear an Easter lily.”
Both boards are in Iniscarn Crescent outside the City Cemetery, which is shown in the third image bedecked in Tricolours and Starry Ploughs.
“The Story Of The Murder Of Volunteer Seamus Bradley On The 31st Of July 1972, Operation Motorman.
On the 4th of July 1972, the British government met with army intelligence and army personnel, between them they created a blue print which was first called operation carcan to later be changed to operation motorman. In this secret meeting that place on the 4th of July, the army were to take 20,000 troops from the UN forces, and the government gave orders on a shoot to kill policy and confirmed that no soldier would be held accountable for their actions on that day. Over 1,500 of these soldiers and 300 centurion tanks were sent to free Derry to tear down the barricades and cause havoc, but the provisional IRA intercepted their blue print and decided to step down to protect the innocent people of Northern Ireland. It was 4:10am, there were 25 – 30 people at the Creggan shops when there was gunfire heard, Vol. Seamus Bradley unarmed drew attention to himself to save others.
He ran down Bishop field where a soldier was to get out of a saracen, take aim in a kneeling position and fire two shots hitting him in the back, Vol. Seamus Bradley fell. Then the saracen drove down the field to where he lay, they put him in the saracen and took him away to St. Peter’s school, no one knew what happened after that. All they know is that he was interrogated, the pictures tell their own story. He was shot again three more times at close range, he was tortured and beaten and left to bleed to death at the hands of the British army. Afterwards it was confirmed by a doctor that none of Seamus Bradley’s injuries had been life threatening and had he received medical aid he would have lived.
This memorial is to commemorate Vol. Seamus Bradley just yards from where he fell. Vol. Seamus Bradley on the 2nd Battalion of B company Oglaigh Na H-Eireann, even though he was shot five times and beaten they could not make him betray his comrades.
I lived and loved and laboured with a patriot’s heart and will that the dawning years might make you fearless and unfettered still. When a future age shall find thee free men stand by thy side Mother Ireland o” remember me.
They may kill our bodies and take our blood but they will never break our spirits. Vol. Seamus Bradley. The war is not over until Ireland is free.”
“End sectarianism – it hasn’t gone away. Bring down the walls.” Workers Party (web) stencil on Northumberland Street, Belfast. “It hasn’t gone away” echoes Gerry Adams’s remark (Sunday 13 August, 1995) that the IRA “haven’t gone away”.
A board in the Bogside for “International Women’s Day, 8th March 2013 – Battling On: From petrol bombs to yarn bombs.” The woman in the painting – in the style of Banksy’s Flower Thrower (also imitated in Bundoran Banksy) – seems to have a petrol bomb rather than a yarn bomb.
Hand-painted “BRY” [Bogside Republican Youth], “No RUC” and “Support our POWs” boards but also computer-designed and -printed stickers in the Bogside, Derry. The boards are probably local productions, while the stickers probably come from the same German store responsible for the anti-fascist, “Irish republican solidarity” and “Good night, loyalist pride” stickers (see Northern Ireland World). The Facebook sticker is presumably for the store or for antifa; as far as we know, BRY has never had a Facebook page or internet presence; the web address “www.irishrepublicansolidarity.info/” is defunct.
Dolours Price died on January 23rd, in Malahide, apparently from an overdose or adverse mixture of medications. Price had served seven years of a twenty-year sentence for the 1973 car bombing of the Old Bailey in London, during which she went on hunger strike and was force fed (WP). She was the sister of Marian Price; both were IRA volunteers. See previously (from 1974): Bring Home The Winchester 8.
“Easter Sunday commemoration march – assemble 2.00 PM Westland Street. Tírghrá [commemoration committee].” The same boards were used in 2011, but the start time was 2:30 (M06631).
“Eolas ar mo theanga, ealos ar mo shaol. [Knowledge of my language, knowledge of my world]” Líofa [fluent] is a new scheme set up by culture minister Carál Ní Chuılín of Sınn Féın (CAIN) that allows low-income people to attend Irish courses. It was launched in September, 2011, with an initial goal of getting 1,000 people to sign up and commit to using Irish by 2015, a goal that was immediately met (Belfast Media) and has now been doubled (An Sıonnach Fıonn).
The logo has been defaced and “scum” added below “Sınn Féın”, and “IRA” below “Join the 2,000+ already signed up”.
Peter Moloney Collection 