printed board/placard – Paddy Duffy Collection

Republican Clady

2026-03-082026-03-16Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“We salute all those who have fought, died and assisted in the fight for Irish freedom. Ar dheıs Dé go raıbh a n-anamacha. West Tyrone remembers.”

Above is a recent (2025-06) mural painted in Clady of IRA volunteers c. 1971 defending the bridge a stone’s throw outside the town, to prevent it from being blown up by the British Army. A history of the bridge, and the photograph which the mural reproduces, can be found at The Pensive Quill. The work of painting the mural and refreshing the window-boards of the building has been undertaken by the Joseph Plunkett 1916 Society Clady/Grebe (Fb).

The two monuments, to volunteers generally and Neal Lafferty (d. 1975) specifically (Fb), stand together at the junction with Cluney Gardens. There is also a memorial to James McPhelimy (d. 1988) on the other side of Urney Road, and one to Jim McGann (d. 1973) on the bridge.

Urney Road, Clady

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08555 T08557 T08556 [T08558] T08559 T08560 T08561 T08562 [T08563]

God Save The King

2026-03-062026-03-14Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The Lisbellaw community celebrates the coronation of his majesty King Charles III. God save the King.” Charles’s coronation was on May 6th, 2023, eight months after acceding to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. He turns 78 this year (2026).

This is a large printed board in the Brook Street, Lisbellaw, below the A4.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08539 [T08538]

100 Years Of Northern Ireland

2026-02-252026-03-06Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Harmin celebrates 100 years of Northern Ireland”. Placard in Harmin Park, Glengormley, Newtownabbey

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08520

Costello & Gallagher

2026-02-152026-03-07Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Costello House, home of the IRSP and site of these two new boards, is named after Seamus Costello (b. 1939), who fought for the IRA during the Border Campaign and was interned in the Curragh for two years. He stayed with the Officials during the split, but was driven out in 1974 and formed the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) and the INLA. He was shot and killed in 1977 (WP).

Costello appears alongside one of his successors as INLA leader, Gino Gallagher, for whom see the recent Gino Gallagher, Chief Of Staff.

Falls Road, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
[T08501] T08502

Our Wee Town

2026-02-122026-02-16Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

These placards for two local flute-bands are on light-poles in Markethill: above, the Kilcluney Volunteers flute band (Fb), below, the Markethill Protestant Boys (Fb). The crossed rifles and RIR emblem, and the graveside mourner and poppies, are WWI imagery; Markethill men joined the second battalion of the Armagh brigade of the Ulster Volunteers and (in the Great War) the ninth battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers. (See also UVF 3rd Battalion Armagh in Tandragee).

Main Street, Markethill, Co Armagh

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08492 [T08493] T08494

UVF 3rd Battalion Armagh

2026-02-122026-02-25Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The Tandragee company of the Ulster Volunteer Force were formed in 1913 as part of the wider Ulster fight against Home Rule. Tandragee ‘B’ Company where [were] part of the third battalion of the County Armagh Regiment UVF with headquarters in Tandragee Castle. Upon the outbreak of the Great War many of the Tandragee Volunteers joined the 9th Service Battalion Royal Irish Fusiliers of the 36th (Ulster) Division.”

The 9th battalion comprised volunteers from Armagh, Monaghan, and Cavan.

For a fuller version of the photograph, see Cyberprod.

Montague Street, Tandragee

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2026 Paddy Duffy
T08496 T08497 T08498 T08499 [T08495]

Cavan Volunteer Force

2026-02-112026-03-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Cavan County Museum (web) in Ballyjamesduff includes a “WWI trench experience”, with 350 metres of trench and more than 6,000 sand-bags. The Cavan volunteers joined the 9th battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (108th brigade of the 36th). The officer commanding of the Division, Oliver Stewart Wood Nugent, was from Cavan (History Ireland).

“Battle Of The Somme 1st July – 18th November 1916”, “”Comrade, friend, foe/come home, come home/tired, broken bones.//Remember them,/remember them all,/comrade, friend, foe.//After war comes peace/and when peace comes/never let it go.//And never ever forget/to remember them,/comrade, friend and foe.” – Jim Cleary, Virginia.”

“”The 36th (Ulster) Division had 5,500 casualties on July 1st 1916 and were men drawn mostly from one community in the province of Ulster. Nearly 2,000 soldiers from cities, towns, villages and town lands of the North were killed in the first few hours of fighting. The 16th (Irish) Division had 4,330 casualties in September 1916, of whom 1,200 were killed. These casualties came mainly from the other three provinces of Ireland.” – Department Of An Taoıseach”

The Cause Of Labour

2026-02-112026-02-12Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The board on the left includes a quote from Séamus Ó Conghaıle [James Connolly] from a 1916 piece entitled The Irish Flag, extolling the “cause of labour” as the cause of Ireland (alongside a quote from Pádraıg Mac Pıaraıs [Patrick Pearse] and portraits by Jim Fitzpatrick (Revolutionaries)).

The board on the right, from “Independent Republicans Armagh” – of a Celtic cross draped with a Tricolour – was generated by AI.

The board on the left was seen in 2023, in Ní Amháın Saor Ach Gaelach Chomh Maıth; the imagery on the right was also included in Only Our Rivers Run Free.

Dalton Park/Irish Street, Armagh

The Men And Women Of Violence

2026-02-102026-03-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

These two Saoradh (web) boards are at the roundabout on Camlough Road, Newry. The one above shows a vintage mural from nearby Carnagat Road that goes back to (at least) 1994 – the version painted in 2000 can be seen in the Peter Moloney Collection.

The other board reads “Salute the men and women of violence”, among whom are the seven signatories to the 1916 Proclamation, the IRA of the Troubles era – illustrated by Colman Doyle’s famous ?1973? (staged) photograph of a female IRA volunteer with AR-18 – and the post-Agreement groups (such as the New IRA) – illustrated by a home-made RPG (shown in Resistance).

Don’t Forget The Palestinian Children

2026-02-102026-03-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“This Christmas, don’t forget the Palestinian children! Nollaıg shona daoıbh agus athbhlıan faoı mhaıse daoıbh! Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!” As the final image shows, this board is next to the Egyptian Arch in Newry, and is on public land. The DUP called for the board’s removal in January; Liz Kimmins, minister for Infrastructure, said that at the time that there were no plans to remove it (BBC), and a few weeks later (February 10th, the day of these photographs) it was still in situ, though an investigation by Newry, Mourne, and Down council is on-going.