“Republican socialist movement, IRSP/INLA, remembers and salutes all those who gave their lives and liberty in the struggle for national liberation and socialism in Ireland 1916 – 2016.”
The Easter Lily on a red, five-pointed, star ties together the centenary of the Easter Rising with republican socialism. These are IRSP/INLA stencilled murals commemorating the centenary of the Rising. The first is in Beechmount, the second in Divis.
“Joseph Plunkett Society, Clady – Glebe [Fb]. One Ireland, one vote. Sign the petition online & register your support for Irish Unity @ http://www.1916societies.com [1916societies.ie]. West Tyrone remembers.”
The Clady chapter of the 1916 Societies is named after Joseph Mary Plunkett, one of the seven signatories to the 1916 Proclamation, an IRB member and planner of the Rising, and who was executed on May 4th.
Also included is a “People Should Not Inform” placard in the street.
“Strabane remembers them forever” – the dead of the “unfinished revolution, unfinished business” of the 1916 Easter Rising. The central image on the large tarp is a modified version of the 1941 stamp designed by Victor Brown showing an armed volunteer outside the GPO (stampboards).
The IRPWA (web) board reads, “Gavin Coyle – 4+ years in solitary confinement. End the isolation in MagHaberry.” Coyle is serving ten years for possession of arms and explosives and is now charged with the 2008 death of off-duty PSNI officer (Guardian | BBC). (An identical board was also placed at the Melmount Road roundabout. See M12838.)
The hand-made board reads, “End RUC-PSNI harassment”. For the small mural to the right, see Bobby & Che.
The board in the adjacent Townsend Street commemorates both the 1916 signatories – “We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland” – and Troubles-era volunteers Charles Breslin, Michael Devine, and David Devine.
“IRA”, “God bless Óglach Vinnie Ryan”, “1916 – 2016 IRA Unfinished business”, “#JFTC2/Brits out”, “Kill all PSNI officers now!!”.
Vincent “Vinnie” Ryan, brother of Alan Ryan, was shot in Finglas, Dublin, on February 29th. In the graffiti above he is given the title “óglach” but his family denied that he was in the (Real) IRA (BBC). In 2019, two people were convicted for their roles in Ryan’s killing (Irish Times).
“End forced isolation, end controlled movement, end forced strip searches”.
This is a new panel – perhaps the fourth in 2015 – in the RNU (Fb)/Cogús (Fb) mural on Northumberland Street. If you can identify the image or the style, please get in touch.
Joe Hill was executed by firing squad on November 19th, 1915, at the age of 36, convicted of shooting a father and son in Utah. Before his death, he sent a telegram to Big Bill Haywood, founder-member of the IWW, saying “Don’t waste any time mourning. Organize!” (WP) The centenary of his death was marked by graffiti on Free Derry Corner.
On the back of the wall is an RNU (Fb) board showing a prisoner behind bars, a victim of internment: “End internment and Britain’s torture of Irish POWs”.
On the buttresses are IRPWA flyers: “End controlled movement now!”, “End forced isolation”, “End the brutality of republican prisoners”, “Stop the brutal & degrading strip searches”, “End the brutality in Maghaberry”, “www.irpwa.com‘.
“All refugees welcome”, with the anarchism symbol “Brits out, not sellout!!!” “Political status now!!” “IRA” and “PSNI not welcome” old posters for events remembering the hunger strikers and current POWs “#JFTC2 – End British internment”
The masthead of the 1916 proclamation declaring a “Provisional Government of the Irish Republic” to the “People of Ireland” is faithfully reproduced in this éırígí stencil, along with busts of Padraıg Pearse and Tom Clarke.
Peter Moloney Collection 