December 2017 saw the 45th anniversary of the attack by loyalist gunmen on Annie’s Bar in the Top Of The Hill area of the Waterside (Derry Journal). Four Catholics and a Protestant were killed. “In memory of Charles Moore, Frank McCarron, Michael McGinley, Bernard Kelly, Charles McCafferty who were killed in Annie’s Bar on the 20th December 1972.”
The IRA Derry Brigade memorial at the shops on Racecourse Road, Derry, includes quotes from Robert Emmet (not: Emmett) – When my country takes her place among the nations of the Earth, then and not until then let my epitaph be written – and the Easter Rising proclamation – We declare the right of the people of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible – in both English and Irish.
“Nuaır a ghlacfaıdh mo thír dhúchaıs a háıt cheart ı measc náısıún uıle an domhaın, ansın, agus chan go dtí sın, déanaıgí feartlaoı s’agamsa a scríobh amach. – Roıbéard Eıméıd 1803” – “When my country takes her place among the nations of the earth, then and not until then let my epitaph be written – Robert Emmett 1778-1803”
“Dearbhaıonn muıd gur cheart go mbeadh seılbh ag muıntır na hÉıreann ar thalamh na hÉıreann. Ba chóır ıad a bheıth ı gceannas ar thodhchaí na hÉıreann agus ar a dtarlóıdh dı amach anseo – Forógra na hÉıreann, An Cháısc 1916” – “We declare the right of the people of Ireland, to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies to be sovereign and indefeasible – The Proclamation, Easter 1916”
Short Strand is a Catholic enclave of about 1,000 people in Protestant east Belfast. Throughout 2001 and 2002, the interface saw gun battles and rioting between the two factions. Here is a Guardian account of events in 2002. Above is a rejection of the new PSNI “There are many reasons for not joining the PSNI – this is just one” with a series of wanted posters (seen Collusion! Collusion! and Collusion Is State Murder plus one of Patrick Mayhew). Both parts by Ógra Shınn Féın. Divis Street, Belfast.
Following the unrest of 1969, the British Army took over the top two floors (18 and 19) of Divis Tower, for use as an observation post (notice all of the devices on poles in both the painting and reality) and was accessed by helicopter. The post would be dismantled in 2005 (BBC-NI has some images). Divis Street, Belfast.
The Troubles in Belfast started in August 1969 with sustained rioting around Divis flats. On the night of August 14-15, nine year-old Patrick Rooney was hit in his home in the Divis flats by a bullet from an RUC machine-gun; he was the first child killed in the Troubles. A little later, 20 year-old Hugh McCabe, a (Catholic) British soldier on leave, was hit while dragging an injured person to safety on the roof of another flat (WP).
The long wall on Divis Street, Belfast, was originally largely covered by a to-scale stencil, called ‘Ban Plastic Bullets‘, detailing the distances at which the victims of plastic bullets were shot. The addition of Spot The Difference and West Belfast Taxis Tours in 2003 meant that only about half of it remained. These two are the right-hand side of the remaining mural.