H-Block

Hunger Strikers Memorial

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The hunger strikers memorial in Rossville Street, Derry, was launched in 2000. The central “H” carries the names of the ten deceased 1981 strikers, while the stones to either side carry the names of other republicans to have died on hunger strike: Thomas Ashe 1917, Michael Fitzgerald 1920, Joseph Murphy 1920, Terence McSwiney 1920, Joseph Whitty 1923, Denis Barry 1923, Andrew Sullivan 1923, Tony D’Aroy 1940, Jack McNeela 1940, Sean McCaughey 1946, Michael Gaughan 1974, Frank Stagg 1976.

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Copyright © 2001 Peter Moloney
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Our Revenge Will Be The Laughter Of Our Children

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For the 20th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike, this freestanding “H” was constructed along the Falls Road, Belfast. Across the centre bar are the words (usually attributed to Bobby Sands) “our revenge will be the laughter of our children” and images of IRA (Tricolour) and youth (Sunburst) volunteers firing over a lark encircled in barbed wire.

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Copyright © 2001 Peter Moloney
M01461

Hunger Strike

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M09534+

The sixth mural from the Bogside Artists commemorates the 1980 hunger strikes, first in Long Kesh and subsequently in Armagh Women’s Prison. The main figure is Raymond McCartney; the female figure is perhaps Mary Doyle (the other two female strikers were Maıréad Farrell and Maıréad Nugent). The info board is from 2007. Rossville Street, Derry.

“This mural is dedicated to the H Block/Armagh prison struggle and in memory of [the ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers]. Ní neart go cur le chéıle.”

The paint-bombed version is from May, 2013, but the mural would not be replaced until 2015.

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Copyright © 2000, 2007, 2013 Peter Moloney
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Free The POWs

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A collage of image from the previous 30 years, including banging bin-lids on the ground, Maıréad Farrell in Armagh prison, men on the blanket, the cages of Long Kesh, marches in support of the hunger strikers, and reproductions of various posters, against Margaret Thatcher, plastic bullets, internment, and censorship. There’s a quote from Bob Dylan in the middle, “How many times can a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn’t see – the answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind.”

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Copyright © 1997 Peter Moloney
M01351

Free The POWs

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Republican H-Block POWs divided into “sentenced’ (Lyttle, S. Campbell, Collins, McGarrigle, McKinney, McSorley, McEvoy, Doherty, McKeirnan, Thompson, Mary E. Campbell) and “remand” (Magee, Mahon, O’Hagan, Bradley, M. Campbell, Hughes, Stitt, Boyle, Lavery, McCart).

On the right, a manacled fist in front of strands of barbed wire, with “saoırse” and the male and female symbols in the green of the ‘green ribbon’ campaign. New Lodge Road, Belfast. Also rare: the mural is dated (1995).

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Copyright © 1995 Peter Moloney
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