Gaeilge

Charlie Monahan

Extramural Activity1 Comment

Charlie Monahan (Cathal Ó Monacháın/Ó Muıneacháın) died along with Con Keating and Daniel Sheehan in a motor accident in Kerry, when their car was driven off a pier on the way to help guide Roger Casement (shown in the top left) land a ship full of weapons. “T’was on Good Friday morning before the break of day/A German ship was signaling way out there in the bay/With 20,000 rifles already for to land/But no answering signal did come from the lonely Banna Strand … And the wild wind sings their requiem on the lonely Banna Strand.” “This mural was sponsored by the Brehon Law Society USA.”

Mountpottinger Road, Short Strand, east Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02912 [M02910] [M02911]

Comhıonannas Don Ghaeılge

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“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

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02888 M02889

Councillor Liam MacCarthy

Extramural Activity1 Comment

The Liam MacCarthy cup is awarded each year to the All-Ireland hurling champions. It was commissioned by and is named after London Irish-speaker Liam MacCarthy. He was elected a councillor for Peckham North and chaired the London GAA board, of which Michael Collins and Sam Maguire were also members (WP) – the All-Ireland champion footballers are awarded the Sam Maguire Cup. “Gael, patriot – Ireland’s forgotten son.”

Divis Street, Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02881

Cláraıgh Le Sınn Féın

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

These two “Join Sınn Féın” boards are above the Sınn Féın office on the Falls Road, Belfast. “Don’t wish for a united Ireland, work for it.”The second, with portraits of Pearse, Carney, and Sands, is an example of the Irish-language rights campaign which becomes a central policy around this time: Is í athgabháıl na Gaeılge athgabháıl na hÉıreann [the repossession of Irish is the repossession of Ireland]. (See previously Cearta Teanga, Cearta Daonna.)

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02887 M02886

BRY – RIRA – CIRA

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This series of images comes from the Lecky Road, Derry underpass. Patsy O’Hara, Joe McDonnell, and Tom McElwee get individual boards. Unusually, both the Real IRA and Continuity IRA are included in the final panel. As can be seen in the wide shot, to the left are Roll Of Honour and BRY 1969.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02765 M02766 M02767 M02768 M02869 M02770 [M03355] M03351 [M03300]

BRY 1969

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Roll Of Honour (to the hunger strikers) we have seen before, in 2003 and 2004. New is the BRY (Bogside Republican Youth) mural to the right, claiming to date back to 1969, with the shield of Ulster on a Tricolour and fadas randomly distributed over “tıocfaıdh ár lá”.

Lecky Road, Bogside, Derry

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02762 M02761 M02763

Staılc Ocraıs

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

IRA volunteer Michael Gaughan died in Parkhurst prison in 1974 after 64 days on hunger strike (staılc ocraıs). He was force-fed seventeen times during the strike and his family alleged that he died from food stuck in a punctured lung. The practice was ended after Gaughan’s death.

Frank Stagg was on the Parkhurst hunger strike with Gaughan, and another in Long Lartin prison, and a third in Wakefield in December 1975. He died after 62 days on February 12th, 1976.

Gaughan’s coffin was draped with the Tricolour used to bury Terence McSwiney in 1920, whose famous quote is at the top of the board: “It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can endure the most who will achieve ultimate victory.”

Falls Road, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02748