British forces

We Want The Freedom Of Our Country

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repainted knot-work on the right in front, form July 8th, 2016:

detail shots, from August 9th, 2025, December 15th, 2025, and March 26th, 2016:

December 15th, 2025, portraits on small boards being added to either side of the (temporarily removed) proclamation:

July 31st, 2025:

July 14th, 2025:

May 5th, 2025:

Arrayed against the forces of the British Army (which are shown laying siege to the Dublin GPO during the Easter Rising in armoured cars and in sniping positions in the foreground of the mural, along the whole length of the wall) are various symbols of Irish nationalism: 

Oliver Sheppard‘s 1911 statue of Cú Chulaınn dying (see the Visual History page);
the pikemen of the 1798 Rebellion;
the four provinces of Ireland;
Érıu the mythological queen of Ireland/Éıre as designed by Richard J King/Rísteard Ó Cíonga;
Easter lilies;
the emblems of Na Fıanna Éıreann and Cumann Na mBan on either side of a quote from (The Mainspring) Seán Mac Dıarmada, “We bleed that the nation may live; I die that the nation may live. Damn your concessions, England: we want our country”; 
a phoenix rising from the flames of the burning Dublin GPO (inspired by Norman Teeling’s 1998 painting The GPO Burns In Dublin);
the GPO flying an ‘Irish Republic’ flag;
portraits of signatories and other rebels — (left) Padraig H. Pearse, Thomas J Clarke, Eamonn Ceannt, Thomas MacDonagh, (right) Countess Markievicz, James Connolly, Sean MacDiarmada, Thomas Plunkett; 
the declaration of independence, placed over the advertising box of AA Accountants – see the in-progress shot below.

At the very bottom is a quote from the mother of painted Gerard ‘Mo Chara’ Kelly, Harriet Kelly: “We want the freedom of our country and your soldiers out.”

McQuillan Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 2015/2016 Peter Moloney
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Dec 15th: Portraits M12904 [M12702] [M12701] wide M12903
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May 5th: M12551

Bloody Sunday

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Six photographs tell the story of Bloody Sunday (January 30th, 1972) and its aftermath:

“30 January 1972. A huge crowd gathers at Central Drive and Bishop’s Field in Creggan to attend an anti-internment march.”
“The marchers make their way from Creggan to the Bogside. The peaceful march, destined for the city’s Guildhall, was blocked by security forces creating agitation in the crowd and some rioting broke out.”
“British soldiers pursue fleeing marchers into the Bogside.”
“The British Army begin firing indiscriminately at the crowd, in the Rossville Street area of the Bogside, killing 13 and wounding 18 (one of whom later dies of his injuries.”
“2 February 1972. A city in shock attends the funerals of the Bloody Sunday dead at St Mary’s chapel in Creggan. Six of the dead were from the Creggan area.”
“Thousands line the streets to pay their respects to the families of the Bloody Sunday victims, as the funeral procession makes its way to the city cemetery.”

Central Drive, Creggan, Derry

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Copyright © 2016 Peter Moloney
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Aidan McAnespie

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“In loving memory of Aidan McAnespie, murdered at this spot by crown forces, on 21st February 1988, aged 23 years. RIP”

In November 2022, Grenadier Guardsman David Holden was found guilty of McAnespie’s manslaughter (BBC), having been previously charged with manslaughter at the time of the incident, but not convicted (Lost Lives 2907).

Monaghan Road, Aughnacloy, Co Tyrone, near the grounds of Aghaloo O’Neill’s GAC.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Ballymurphy March

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The QR code in the second image takes one to an interactive walking tour (“Walk Of Truth”) of sites associated with the Ballymurphy Massacre; the walk was launched on August 8th, one of a number of Féile 2015 events (web) which included a photographic exhibition in St Mary’s and the march announced in the first image, from Springfield Park to O’Donnell’s GAA club.

Bombay Street, Northumberland Street

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Britain’s Involvement In Torture In Prisons

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“Cogús [Fb] presents ‘Britain’s Involvement In Torture In Prisons, Past And Present’. Speakers: Joe Clarke & Jim Auld, Gerry Brannigan, Moazzam Begg. Sat. 8th August, Conway Mill 7 pm – 10 pm. Free admiss[i]on”

Northumberland Street, west Belfast, taking the place of Leonard Peltier.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Highland Fusiliers

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“On March 10th 1971 at this place three young Scottish Soldiers of the Royal Highland Fusiliers were murdered by republican terrorists. Fusilier John McCaig aged 17, Fusilier Joseph McCaig aged 18, Fusilier Dougald McCaughey aged 22. Always in our hearts. Never forgotten.” The trio were were lured by the IRA from a city-centre pub to their deaths in Ligoniel in 1971 (WP). The stone is frequently vandalised (BelTel | BBC | STV | BBC). 

White Brae/Squire’s Hill, Ligoniel, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Ceartas Anoıs/Time For Justice

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Three different campaigns for inquiries into deaths at the hands of British paratroopers are brought together into a single board on the site of the former Andersonstown RUC station (Visual History): the Ballymurphy Massacre of August, 1971, in which 11 were killed; the Springhill Massacre of July 1972, in which 5 were killed, and the killing of IRA volunteer Pearse Jordan, who, like the others, lived in the greater Ballymurphy area.

Pearse Jordan is commemorated by a plaque in Hugo Street and a mural in Ballymurphy. For recent (2014-12) news about the Ballymurphy inquest, see The Guardian.

See also Uncovering The Past | Our Truth | #TimeForTruth.

Here is a (youtube) video of the launch, 2014-09-24, produced by Sınn Féın.

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Copyright © 2015 Peter Moloney
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Fáılte Go Dtí Ard Eoın

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A British soldier patrols the streets while a girl walks home from school and a boy plays hurley. This is one of the panels in the long mural at the shops on Ardoyne Avenue.

The “Welcome” verbiage is just out of shot on the left-hand side; on the right is “Is fearr Gaeılge brıste ná Béarla clıste” [Broken Irish is better than clever English] and (out of shot) some Celtic knotwork. For close-ups of all of the panels, see Growing Up Too Fast.

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Copyright © 2014 Peter Moloney
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Belfast’s Bloody Sunday

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“Belfast’s Bloody Sunday. On the 9th July 1972 the British Army murdered 5 Irish citizens and severely wounded 2 others. It’s time for the truth.”

This is a mural by Mo Chara Kelly (with DD Walker, Michael Kelly, and Ta Heath) commemorating the deaths of five people shot by British Army snipers in 1972: Paddy Butler (39), David McCafferty (15), Margaret Gargan (13), John Dougal (16), Fr Noel Fitzpatrick (40). The snipers fired from JP Corry’s timber yard (shown on the right) and at the time the Westrock bungalows were still standing (shown lower left).

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Copyright © 2014 Peter Moloney
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Long Kesh 1974

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A new mural, above, on the International Wall commemorates the fortieth anniversary this year of the ‘Burning Of Long Kesh’ or the ‘Battle Of Long Kesh’, which took place on the night of October 15, 1974 and day of the 16th (when British Army units retook the camp).

The most comprehensive account available on-line of the conditions at the camp prior to the riot, the burning, and the battle on the morning of the 16th appears to be this 2004 piece in An Phoblacht by Joe Doherty and Christy Keenan. (For a virtual tour of the camp, see this video. Seamus Keenan’s Over The Wire (on again this month at the Derry Playhouse) attempts to recreate the scene.) Other accounts include those by Ronan Bennett, another inmate, in The Guardian. Here is a brief BBC News report from the 16th.

All accounts mention the use of gas and republican accounts state that CR was used on the morning of the 16th in addition to CS, dropped from helicopters as at the top of the mural. The Guardian, in 2005, confirmed that CR had been authorized for use in controlling riots and was available at the prison. CR is a carcinogen (WP) and in a post on his blog (now removed) Mairtin Óg Meehan suspects that exposure to CR is a cause of recent cancers among former prisoners.

In the lower left corner is a quoted telegram from Fr. Denis Faul, Fr. Raymond Murray: “To international Red Cross … Visited Long Kesh today with others … Request immediate investigation into use of CR gas … sub-human conditions … SOS … come immediately …” 20 Oct. 1974. These two wrote an 80-page report on the conditions at the camp following the event, entitled The Flames Of Long Kesh. See this 1999 An Phoblacht page for an image of the shelters constructed after the battle.

The photograph which the central part of the mural reproduces is HU 70205 from the Imperial War Museum’s collection (available at An Phoblact), though this is dated as October 1972.

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Copyright © 2014 Peter Moloney
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