“This Poppy Cross is in memory of the five men murdered at this spot by a no warning sectarian IRA bomb attack on the Mountainview Tavern on 5th April 1975.” According to WP, the pub was full of punters who had been watching the 1975 Grand National (youtube) which Red Rum was attempting to win for a third consecutive time.
This is the new plaque to “William Morgan (Big Willie). Will always be remembered and sadly missed by all his mates in Tiger’s Bay. Murdered by cowards 11th July 2002. You will never be forgotten ‘big man’.”
Morgan was struck by a hit-and-run car on July 6th, 2002 and died in hospital five days later. The car is reported to have deliberately mounted the kerb where he was walking on North Queen Street and the attack was thought to have been sectarian, as the alleged driver and passenger were republicans and the car was found burned out in the New Lodge (NewsLetter | IndyMedia).
Two IRA memorial plaques have been mounted on a wall in Herbert Street, Ardoyne, close to the Sammy McLarnon plaque:
“Óglach James McDade 24 July 1946 – 14 Nov 1974 died on active service, England; Óglach Gerard McDade 22 Nov 1950 – 21 Dec 1971 murdered by British Crown Forces. A Mháthaır na hÉıreann, fáısc [strain, draw tight] do bhéırt mhac, Séamus agus Geraóıd, le do chroí. Throıd sıad agus fuaır sıad bás. Mother Ireland, hold your sons, James and Gerard, close to your heart. They fought and they died.”
The McDade family lived in Ardoyne. James died while planting a bomb in Birmingham, England; Gerard was shot by a British Army soldier – there is a plaque to his memory in Beechmount. (Sutton)
“Óglach Frankie Donnelly 26 Aug 1954 – 5 Jan 1979 died on active service; Óglach Laurence Montgomery 12 June 1954 – 5 Jan 1979 died on active service. Níl sa saol seo ach tréımhse gaırıd ar an bhóthaır fada chun na saoırse [in this life there is only a short period on the long road to freedom] – life is but a short part on the long journey to freedom”
Donnelly and Montgomery were killed in Northwick Drive, Ardoyne, by the premature detonation of a car-bomb. (Sutton)
Anti-Agreement stencilling in Meenan Square, Bogside, Derry: “Ireland unfree shall never be at peace – P. Pearse. PSNI-RUC not welcome. Tıocfaıdh Ár Lá” and “CIRA – RUC/PSNI scum beware”
The three images employed here are: a scene from Grafton Street in the Battle Of Dublin in the civil war (1922) (irishhistory.blogspot.com), PIRA volunteers on patrol in 1987 (top right), and (bottom left) a home-made rocket-launcher used in a 2014 attack on police (see, e.g. irishmirror.ie).
“There can never be peace in Ireland until the foreign, oppressive British presence is removed leaving all of the Irish people as a unit to control their own affairs and determine their destinies as a sovereign people, free in mind and body, separate and distinct physically, culturally and economically.” Bobby Sands (Prison Diary May 1st)
“Cumann Na mBan” in Irish is “the women’s organization/council/society” in English. The organization in question is the republican paramilitary group which was founded on April 2, 1914 and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014.
The mural is at the bottom of Teach Na bhFıann/Fianna House (formerly Dill House) in the New Lodge.
“Set The Truth Free” was the name of a campaign for justice and transparency concerning Bloody Sunday (see An Phoblacht | Pierce Youtube | Bell (2010)) but the numbers cited on this banner – “3,600 dead, 40,000 injured” – refer to the Troubles as a whole.
“Easter Sunday Commemoration 2015 – Sunday April 5th, Westland Street, 2pm sharp, main speakers Gearóıd Ó hEára. Cuımhnıgh ár maırbh thírghrácha [patriotic dead] le bród.”
These anti-Agreement graffiti are in Foylehill (mostly Kildrum Gardens and Southway): “Smash Maghaberry”, “IRPWA”, “RUC not welcome in Foylehill”, “Victory to the POWs”, “End British internment”, Tıocfaıdh ár lá”.
The phrase “We only have to be lucky once” is from the IRA statement on the 1984 Brighton hotel bombing (WP).
The final piece dates back to 2009: “Internment 71-09. What has changed? Brits out, not sell out.”