British Ulster Alliance

The British Ulster Alliance is a flute band with a ‘British nationalist’ ideology that occasionally travelled to Northern Ireland to attend marches, such as one in the White City (north of Belfast) in 2006 (Mirror). There was a Rathcoole mural to the band in 2001 (see J0823).

The Union Flag is a composite of the St George’s Cross (England), St Andrew’s Saltire (Scotland), and the Order of St Patrick/St Patrick’s Saltire (Ireland). No Welsh flag is included in the Union Flag. The Northern Irish flag (Ulster Banner) is based on the flag of Ulster.

Fountain Street, Londonderry

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
M02858

Fighting For Human Rights

“His only crime was fighting for human rights without violence – Say a little prayer today for Martin Luther King and the Bloody Sunday victims”. A poster of MLK is placed at the base of the Bloody Sunday memorial in Joseph Place, Derry. He was shot in Memphis on April 4th, 1968. The phrase “his only crime” is used by loyalists in the phrase “his only crime was loyalty”, which dates back (at least) to home rule.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2004 Peter Moloney
M02133

Collusion! Collusion!

Added to the drawing of collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries are portraits and news reports of its victims: John Slane, John Devine, Peter Watterson, Anthony McGrady, Sadie Larmour, Paddy McAllister, Jim ‘Skipper’ Burns, Paddy BRady, Philomena Hanna, Patrick Hamill, and shopkeepers Jim Carson and Sean Hughes.

Beechmount Avenue, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2003 Peter Moloney
M01981 M01982

The Derrybeg Martyrs

Pat Hughes was a former British Army soldier who later joined the IRA and was killed in an accidental explosion (in 1972). He is remembered along with Edward Grant (1973), Michael Hughes (1974), Brendan Watters (1984), Colm Marks (1991). Together the five are known as the “Derrybeg Martyrs”.

Main Avenue, Newry

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
M01734

McLarnon – McCabe – Doherty

“Dedicated to the memory of INLA volunteer Matt McLarnon, Nora McCabe and Peter Doherty who were murdered in this area by British state forces during the 1981 H-Block hunger strike. A Mhuıre banríon na nGael guí ar a son”. The area in question is Clonard/Falls. Doherty and McCabe were hit by plastic bullets; McLarnon was shot by a sniper on Divis tower. Erected by a Sınn Féın group (Lower Falls/Clonard Committee) rather than INLA.

old Linden Street, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
M01678

Unbowed, Unbroken

Bobby Sands takes centre place, while Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg are added to the cross-bar (on either side of Joe McDonnell, who lived in Lenadoon) in a 20th anniversary “H” on Stewartstown Road, Belfast. In the top right is a lark in a circle and the words “The spirit of freedom”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
M01640

Murder In Mind

A small tribute to the Bloody Sunday dead on the 30th anniversary of the event: portraits of fifteen victims with two verses of a song “Murder In Mind”: “They came to our town, the Paras, with murder in mind//As people marched down from Creggan/Towards the Guildhall for civil rights/It was a cold but sunny day/No one could image what was in front of them that sunny day.//The Paras stood in William Street/Laughing and chatting and raring to go/To murder for king and crown/And for Ted Heath 10 Downing Street”.

For the memorial pillar itself, see these images from 1974, its inaugural year.

Rossville Street, Derry

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2002 Peter Moloney
M01606