“‘They cannot or never will break our spirit …’ – Bobby Sands. [A paraphrasing of a line from day 6 of Sands’s hunger strike diary.] ‘Tiocfaidh ár lá’.”
The back of the Springhill memorial garden is decorated for the 30th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike in which ten republican prisoners died in the H-Blocks.
Springhill Avenue, Belfast
M08875 [M08876] [M08877] [M08878]
M08879 [M08874]
Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
“H-Block 1981, Maghaberry 2012”, “End forced strip searches”, “End controlled movement”, “Stop the torture of Irish political prisoners.”
The “August 2010 Agreement” is an agreement reached between prisoners and authorities about treatment in Roe House, an exclusively republican wing in Maghaberry. The tower beyond is the Springfield Rd police station.
M08869 [M08870] [M08871] [M08872] M08873
Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
Here is a board announcing, and a gallery of images from, the hunger strike commemoration in 2012, Dungiven.
M08672 [M08658] [M08659] [M08660] [M08661]
[M08673] [M08674] M08675 [M08676] M08677 M08678 [M08679] M08680 M08681 M08682 M08683 M08684 M08685 [M08686] [M08687] M08688 [M08689] M08690 [M08691] [M08692] [M08693] [M08694] M08695 M08696 [M08697] [M08698] [M08699] [M08700] [M08701] M08702 [M08703] [M08704] [M08705]
Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
A large “H” stands between Killough Road and Ballymote Walk, Downpatrick as a memorial to the blanketmen and hunger strikers of the H-Blocks.
[M08419] M08420
Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
Welcome to the Bogside, with Easter lilies and “H” and a dove. “Painted by Niall C., Dylon M., Cian, Paddy, Kiefer, Marc Criomhthann, Liam, Eato”
Lecky Road, Derry
M08216 [M08217] [M08218] [M08219] [M08220]
Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
This is a late-life shot of the mural at the corner of Hugo Street. There are now two windows in the mural, graffiti has been blacked out across the lower third, and the mural on the side wall (to the left of image) has gone completely.
You can track its history to this point by comparing this image with those from 2006 | 2002 | 2001.
M07518
Copyright © 2011 Peter Moloney
30th anniversary commemoration of the 1981 hunger strike, with portraits of the ten who died. There is a better view of this board in the 2012 post.
Camlough Road, Newry.
M07435
Copyright © 2011 Peter Moloney
“Tógadh an leacht cuimhneacháin seo ag muintir an cheantar i gcuimhne an Óglaigh [Óglach] Réamonn Mac Raois a fuair bás ar an 21 Bealtaine 1981 i ndiaidh lá agus seasca ar stailc ocrais sna H-Blocanna. Rugadh Réamonn ar an 15 Feabhra 1957 ag Páirc Naomh Maolmhaodhóg. … Seasann an deich gcrann atá curtha taobh thiar den leacht chuimhneacháin do na firéin [fíréin].”
“This monument was erected by the people of the area in memory of IRA Volunteer Raymond McCreesh who died on May 21st 1981 after 61 days on hunger strike in the British H-Block prison at Long Kesh. Raymond McCreesh was born on February 25th 1957 at St Malachy’s Park, Camloch. … The ten trees planted behind the monument represent the ten men who died in the H-Blocks in 1981.”
There is a mural to McCreesh on the gable of Teach Réamoinn Mhic Raois – see Keep On Marching.
Newry Rd, Camlough
[M07322] M07324 M07323
Copyright © 2011 Peter Moloney
There are a couple of interesting elements in this 30th anniversary hunger strikers mural in the Bogside. The frame is formed by chains (as seen previously on the Bobby Sands mural in Belfast) rather than knot-work, the names of Frank Stagg and Michael Gaughan are mixed into the list (rather than appearing together at the beginning or end), both the lark and the dove are included, and – most unusual and possibly unique – is the Irish translation of Bobby Sands’s saying “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children”: Bainfear ár ndíoltas amach leis an gháire dár bpáistí. (And, as a super-extra bonus, the Irish has been – correctly – painted without tittles.)
“Derry remembers 1980-1981 hunger strikes. Rededication of mural 20th August 2011 on the 30th anniversary of Óglach Mickey Devine.”
Westland Street, Derry
M07214 M07213 M07209 [M07215] [M07216] [M07217] [M07218] [M07219] [M07220] [M07221] [M07222] [M07223] [M07224] [M07225] [M07226] [M07227] [M07228] [M07229] [M07230] [M07231]
Copyright © 2011 Peter Moloney
M07634
Copyright © 2012 Peter Moloney
The title phrase is attributed to Brian McCreesh of his hunger-striker brother Raymond, from Camlough, Co Armagh. “Remember the H-Block martyrs.” This board is (temporarily) on display in Main Street, Dungiven.
M06250
Copyright © 2010 Peter Moloney
peter moloney collection 