No More Human Shields

The names of portraits of the ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers, plus Frank Stagg and Michael Gaughan, are on six of the seven New Lodge “houses” (high-rise buildings), two per house. Other slogans have appeared just below them, such as the “No more human shields – Brits out” shown in the first image, below the portrait of Bobby Sands on Teach Eıthne (perhaps a reference to the Army positions on top of Teach Mhéabha (Maeve House) and Teach Gráınne?). There are some more images in the Seosamh Mac Coılle collection.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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Remember The Hunger Strikers

Here are six images of the hunger strikers mural in Mountpottinger Road, Belfast. The ten portraits are on cut wooden boards while the rest is painted. On the far right (image 5) is a “spirit of freedom” lark and the names of the ten deceased 1981 strikers. In the centre (image 3) is blanket man Hugh Rooney.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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St James’s Supports The Hunger Strikers

St James’s supports the hunger strikes – in Long Kesh and Armagh and (on the right) in Turkey.

Various images and posters from 1980 and 1981 are reproduced. Along the top, we see (l-r) a soldier is confronted at the top of Springhill (image at Irish Times), “Wanted for murder [and torture of Irish prisoners]” (image at MSU), “Mothers hunger”, “Blessed are those who hunger for justice“, “Where there is oppression there is resistance”, Armagh hunger-striker Mary Doyle.

Along the bottom: “Stop strip searches“, “Save our children from plastic death”, “Support the hunger strike demands”, and portraits of 1981 hunger-strikers Bernard Fox and Pat Sheehan, both from the Falls Road.

For Turkish hunger-strikers, see F-Block Martyrs | Zehra Kulaksiz | Support The Turkish Hunger Strikers.

On the side-wall to the left, son Joseph McDonnell weeps at the foot of the coffin of his father, Joe.

For in-progress images, see the 2001 post.

Hugo Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2002/2003 Peter Moloney
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Unbowed, Unbroken

Bobby Sands takes centre place, while Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg are added to the cross-bar (on either side of Joe McDonnell, who lived in Lenadoon) in a 20th anniversary “H” on Stewartstown Road, Belfast. In the top right is a lark in a circle and the words “The spirit of freedom”.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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Hunger Strike 81

Here are two images of a variety of small boards in Gardenmore Road/Laburnum Way, Twinbrook, including three about the RUC, a tricoloured H-shaped board with ten crosses, and a portrait of Bobby Sands who lived in the building that the boards are on. (The portrait and the items in the second image date back to at least 1996. See C01012 and C01007.)

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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Let Us Not Forget

Here are two images from Twinbrook Road, Belfast, one of a hunger strike 20th anniversary board with portraits of the ten deceased men and a lark carrying keys in a circle of barbed wire and the other showing “IRA” in green, white, and orange letters.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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