painted wall

Those That They Forgot To Kill

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“Says Joe, ‘Those that they forgot to kill went on to organise’ – from The Ballad Of Joe Hill”

Conway Street sponsored by the Australian Electrical Trades Union (ETU) in Victoria (web). “Independent, strong, united”

In Conway Street, alongside another Australian-sponsored mural: Australian Aid

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10445

Blood Of An Irish Rebel

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“Che Guevara – Blood of an Irish rebel.” Che’s father declared that the blood of Irish rebels ran through his son, in reference to their Irish ancestry. For genealogical information, see the previous entry on the Che Guevara Lynch mural in Derry.

The mural was painted for the anniversary of Che Guevara’s death, on October 9th, 1967. The mural features multiple copies of Korda’s iconic Guerillero Heroico (discussed in the Visual History page on Jim Fitzpatrick), two quotes from Che – “When forces of oppression come to maintain themselves in power against established law, peace is considered already broken” and “If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine” – and the flags of (from left to right) the Basque Country, Palestine, Ireland, Cuba, Catalonia and Argentina (where Che was born; or perhaps Guatemala, where he was first active – the shield above contains no central icon, which would distinguish the flags).

The artist is Damian “DeeDee” Walker, of the Gaelforce group (Fb).

McQuillan Street, Falls Road, Belfast.

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10439 [M10440] [M10441] [M10442] [M10443] [M10444]

Daffodil Nation

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“The Ulster conflict is about nationality. This we shall maintain” with the red hand for “Ulster”, the thistle for Scotland, the Union Flag for the UK, the rose for England, and – new to this version of the mural – the daffodil for Wales. For the previous version of the mural, which uses the dragon for Wales, see M02376.

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10412

Freedom Must Be Demanded By The Oppressed

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Hooded gunmen return to Sydenham, in east Belfast. The George Best mural that had “re-imaged” a UVF emblem has now (controversially – BBC | Guardian | U.tv video | Slugger) been replaced by an armed gunman.

The quote on the right – “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” – comes from the section of Martin Luther King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail in which he considers the merits of civil disobedience or direct action.

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10398 [M10399] [M10400] [M10401] [M10402]

Moss Side Community Hall

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“Moss side” is probably Scots, with “moss” meaning “marsh” or “(peat) bog” (DSL) and this mural is appropriately on Ballybog Road (in Dunmurry), “bog(ach)” in Irish meaning “soft (ground)..

In the mural, “QFB” is Queensway Flute Band – they used to have a mural in Seymour Hill – and “LOL 136” is a lodge in the Derriaghy District (Fb). It’s not clear if there is a specific referent for the dolmen in the centre.

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Copyright © 2013 Peter Moloney
M10375 [M10376]

Eyes That Have Cried

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The phrase “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried” is attributed to Óscar Romero, a Catholic priest in El Salvador. He was a critic of the military government and was assasinated in March 1980 while saying mass. He was made a saint in 2015. (WP) 

Sister Janet Mead had a surprise hit in 1973 with a pop-rock rendition of the Lord’s Prayer (youtube). Her name would be added to the mural – see the image from 2015 below.

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Copyright © 2013/2015 Peter Moloney
M10223 [M10224] M11748