Bouquets of tricoloured flowers are placed on the Free Ireland mural at the corner of Beechmount Avenue and Falls Road, Belfast. A hand clasping an Easter lily is manacled by bonds “Made in Britain”. The mural is now in its fifteenth year. For the plaque, see the original 1990 post.
Joe Cahill joined the Fianna in 1937 and was involved in the republican movement from then until his death in 2004, including being in Tom Williams’s company in 1942 and later a founder member and Chief of Staff of the Provisional IRA. In the centre of the image he is at the end of the table at the August 13, 1971, press conference to comment on the introduction of internment (CAIN). He is honoured in the mural above alongside his brothers Tom and Frank Cahill. (Pat O’Hare is painted between Tom and Frank.)
In the top left are small boards with portraits of Ned Maguire Snr, Ned Maguire Jnr, Sam Holden, Dal Delaney, Rita McParland, Paddy Meenan, Paddy Corrigan, Sean Wallace, John Petticrew, Alex Crowe.
“Never will they label our liberation struggle as criminal – Bobby Sands [March 6th Diary].”
The handgun is “authorised by MI5” and “approved on behalf of her majesty’s government”.
Quote from Gusty Spence: “[There was] An element of the UVF [reconstituted in 1935 and some] were covertly enlisted by the Ulster Government at a fee of ten shillings a day to promote a sectarian war …”. (Balaclava Street)
The report of the Stevens Inquiry was published in 2003 and the Cory reports in 2004; both concluded that there had likely been collusion between the RUC and loyalist paramilitaries and called for public inquiries into specific cases.
“Freedom fighters outside the GPO – Easter Rising 1916”. Connolly, Pearse, and Markievicz lead the attack on the GPO. Markievicz was in fact at St Stephen’s Green.
“Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” was a slogan used during the French Revolution of 1789. The Society Of United Irishmen was inspired by both the American and French revolutions. It was founded in 1791 and planned to rebel when French troops arrived. 15,000 attempted to land unsuccessfully in 1796 and only a thousand were involved in 1798. South Link, Belfast
2004 image of the ‘UN Day For The Eradication Of Poverty’ (October 17th) mural in Dunlewey Street, Belfast, previously seen in 1998. “1/4 of W. Belfast is under 15 yrs”. “12 of 16 most deprived wards are in WB”.
This, in 2004, is still the first version of the ‘chained’ Bobby Sands in Sevastopol Street, Belfast, originally painted on the new SF building in 2000. The image from 2001 lacks the paint-bomb.
In 2004, the left-hand side of Divis Street, Belfast had yet to be painted (with Kieran Nugent) and the Palestinian V-for-victory sign led the lineup. The International Wall has its own Visual History page.