Leana An Dúın Unbowed Unbroken

The dying Cú Chulaınn (as portrayed in bronze by Oliver Sheppard, in a statue installed in the GPO in 1935) is used as a symbol for the locals from Lenadoon area of west Belfast who fought for freedom (“saoırse”): Tony Henderson, John Finucane, Brendan O’Callaghan, Joe McDonnell, Laura Crawford, Maıréad Farrell, Patricia Black, Bridie O’Neill (subsequently changed to Bridie Quinn).

See also the Cú Chulaınn Visual History page.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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They May Kill The Revolutionary

“They may kill the revolutionary but not the revolution.” The imagery of the open-throated volunteers goes back to a 1981 poster. The 11 portraits are perhaps those of the people listed on the roll of honour at Constance Markievicz House, a short distance away: Martin Skillen, Gerard Fennell, Sean McDermott, Paul Best, Pearse Jordan, Terence O’Neill, John Dempsey, Martin Forsythe, Tom Magill, Sean Savage. Kevin McCracken.

Norglen Parade, Belfast

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Copyright © 2002/2004 Peter Moloney
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Copyright © 2010 Peter Moloney
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An Gorta Mór

An Gorta Mór is the Great Famine, or the Great Hunger among those who point out that there was plenty of food in Ireland in the late 1840s, just not made available to peasants. Of a population around eight million, a million people died and a million more emigrated. “They buried us without shroud or coffin” is a line from an unrelated Seamus Heaney poem Requiem For The Croppies.

The mural comprises three images from Illustrated London News: The Ejectment, The Day After The Ejectment | The Embarkation, Waterloo Docks Liverpool.

“Ardoyne Art & Environment Project”. In 2004, “Emigration” was incorrectly spelled with two “M”s – see the post at Extramural Activity.

Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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The Mass Rock

This mural commemorates the repression of Catholicism and use of mass rocks as secret locations in the days of the penal laws, c. 1650-1800 under and after Cromwell.

“Is í an charraıg seo ıonad adhartha ar náıthreacha, áıt ar cothaıodh an creıdeamh do na glúnta a bhí le teacht.” [“This rock is our ancestors’ place of worship, where religion was preserved for the generations that were to come.”]

Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast. This image would also be reproduced in Andersonstown.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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Serving The Community Through Transport

“This mural honours black taxi drivers who were murdered in this conflict”, including the eight named in the ‘roll of honour’ on the right: Michael Duggan, Jim Green, Harry Muldoon, Paddy McAllister, Caoımmhın [sic] McBradaıgh (killed at Milltown), Thomas Hughes, Hugh Magee, Padraıg Ó Cleırigh. “In memory of all taxi drivers, public and private, who were murdered by loyalist/British crown forces  during the conflict serving their community through transport.”

Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast. For a similar mural on the Falls, see Serving The Community.

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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Comms

Two of the three comms (“communications”, messages by H-Block prisoners on tobacco paper or toilet paper and smuggled from wing to wing or to the outside) reproduced in this mural describe the decision to undertake the hunger strike (written by Bobby Sands) and the reaction to his death (from Ardoyne man Bik McFarlane to “Brownie” – Gerry Adams). The three describes a beating received by Ardoyne resident and blanket man Brendan McClenaghan.

Ardoyne Avenue, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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Freedom Hath Arisen

“It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can endure the most shall win [who will conquer].” (Terence MacSwiney). Those “from the Ardoyne, Bone, and Ligoniel who died because of Ireland’s troubles” are commemorated on the Celtic cross (which dates back to 1976). The plaque (dating at least to 1993) reads “Oft from prison bars, oft from battle flashes/Oft from heroes’ lip, oftenest from their ashes.” and includes names of deceased IRA and Sınn Féın members killed up to 1972, and civilian locals.

Berwick Avenue, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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GPO Dublin 1916

Walter Paget’s Birth Of The Irish Republic is painted as a mural: James Connolly lies injured on a stretcher, being tended to by Elizabeth O’Farrell (? WP), while Pearse, Clarke, and Plunkett (and Ceannt?) stand by.

For Paget’s original, see the Visual History page.

Berwick Avenue/Paráıd An Ardghleanna, Ardoyne/Ard Eoın, north Belfast

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Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
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