Author: Extramural Activity

The Cost Of War

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From the info plaque (shown last below): “This mural depicts three plinths which stand in the Island Of Ireland Peace Park in the city of Messen [Mesen]/Messines in Belgium. Each plinth represents the number of casualties for each division which was raised on the island of Ireland during the 1st World War. A total of 69,947 soldiers from the island of Ireland were either killed, wounded or reported missing during the four years which the war lasted. The price of freedom.”

The numbers given are: 36th (Ulster) division, 32,186; 16th (Irish) division, 28,398; 10th (Irish) division, 9,363.

The Peace Park is also featured in another mural in the car-park – see The Spirit Of Brotherhood.

Ebrington Centre car park, Waterside, Londonderry

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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We Carry On

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“This mural is one part of a community led project by Hive Cancer Support and Ulster University [web]. It was designed and painted by Peaball street art collective [web] based on the findings of an Ulster University research study [UU | Derry Now] commissioned by Hive Cancer Support that looked at the mental health impact of cancer surgery. We want to thank all those who took part weer willing to tell their personal story to help create this piece. The singular sunflower looks at each individual journey and the focus and determination to look to the light in dark times. It also represents the innovative air purifying paint [Hypo Air] used on this mural. The vase illustrates the Japanese art of Kintsugi- repairing pottery with gold making it stronger and more beautiful that before. The healing golden seams become part of the beauty and history of the object, to be appreciated rather than disguised. Cancer does not discriminate. Many homes around the world have been affected in some way- the window is a representation of this. The project was made possible through funding from The Ideas Fund.”

Strand Road, Derry

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Peace If Possible, Truth At All Costs

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“Londonderry west bank loyalists” are “still under siege”, from two decades of “Republican violence” – “Between 1971 and 1991 the Protestant population of the Cityside declined by 83.4% as a result of Republican violence (Shirlow et al. 2005)”. (The words “as a result of Republican violence” are not included in the Shirlow article).

Fountain Street, in the Fountain, Londonderry.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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We Are The Dead

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This mural at the Ebrington Centre in the Waterside, Londonderry, commemorates the WWI dead and wounded from the entire island of Ireland.

The 10th (Irish) Division fought only briefly “in Flanders fields”, towards the very end of the war, having spent most of its time in Gallipoli (in the Ottoman Empire), Macedonia, Egypt, and Palestine. The 16th took part in the Somme, especially at “Guinchy” [Ginchy] and Guillemont, while the 36th were deployed on the first day (the Battle Of Albert).

The poem in the middle is the first half of John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields: “In Flanders fields the poppies blow/Between the crosses, row on row/That mark our place, and in the sky/The larks, still bravely singing, fly/Scarce heard amid the guns below.//We are the dead; short days ago/We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow/Loved and were loved, and now we lie/In Flanders fields.”

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Cuımhníonn Doıre

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For many years there were portraits of the hunger strikers (either the 10 deceased from 1981 or the 12 from the 70s and 80s) along the long wall in Bishop St Without – see 2009, 2004, and 1998 (before that time the wall was divided into a number of panels for a variety of republican imagery – see 1984 and 1982) but in the portraits – which were on boards – soon started coming off and over the next decade the wall began to fade and become covered in graffiti (as can be seen in Street View). For the 40th anniversary, the deceased hunger strikers were restored to the wall, as shown here. From the info board (to the left of Sands’s head): “Cuımhníonn Doıre: 40th anniversary of the 1980-1981 hunger strikes. Rededication of mural, by the Bogside and Brandywell Monument Committee.”

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After We Are Gone

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Patsy O’Hara was born in 1957 Bishop Street, Derry, and joined Na Fıanna in 1970 and the local Sınn Féın cumann in 1971 and, in August was shot in the leg by British soldiers. In 1972 he joined the Republican Clubs and in 1975 the IRSP. He was imprisoned multiple times, the final time being in January 1979 for possession of a hand grenade (Bobby Sands Trust). He went on hunger strike 41 years ago tomorrow (March 22nd) and was the first of the three INLA hunger strikers to die in 1981. The long-standing mural in Bishop Street was repainted for the 40th anniversary of his death. (For the previous version, see Let The Fight Go On.)

“Óglach Patsy O’Hara, INLA Derry Brigade, Irish hunger striker, who died after 61 days on 21st May 1981, age 23. Last words ‘Let the fight go on’.”

“After we are gone, what will you say you were doing? Will you say you were with us in our struggle or where you conforming to very system that drove us to our deaths?” – these words also appeared in the 2013 mural to O’Hara on Shaws Road, west Belfast.

Bishop Street, Derry

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Conspicuous Gallantry

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“Dedicated to the memory of the men and women who served with the UDR C.G.C (Conspicuous Gallantry Cross) under OPERATION BANNER during the Troubles. Lest we forget. Also in memory of local veteran Geoffrey Lindsay who passed away on the 12th November 2022.”

The Conspicuous Gallantry Cross is shown (in the close-up below) at the top of the board; it was awarded to the UDR retroactively in 2006 for its role in ‘Operation Banner’, i.e. the deployment of British Army troops to Northern Ireland – the regiment had been folded into the Royal Irish Regiment in 1992. The mural is specifically to the 5th (Co. Londonderry) battalion – here is a list of the 11 battalions (and bases).

There is also a UDR information board (and an Ulster Volunteers board) in the green-space in front of this mural – see Leckagh Remembers The Fallen.

The memorial mural to the 36th (Ulster) Division on the end wall has also been completed since last (2023) year – in-progress images for both murals from last August are included below. For the previous murals on these walls, see C07766.

Two other pieces are included, below: the UVF mural was seen last year in Pause, Reflect, Remember; the ‘Ignite the fire’ board appears to be new.

Leckagh Drive, Magherafelt

August 27th green-washing of previous mural:

August 27th in-progress image of mural immediately above:

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Hit The Coast

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Woskerski (ig)

The pillars under the Harbour Highway at Bridge Street were repainted on July 28th in a jam called “Hit The Coast”. The wall along the back of the space was also painted, along with the large piece above on the back wall of Ruby’s, to give approximately 37 total pieces. Where known, the artist(s) is given in the caption.

These images were taken on August 2nd, after Wee Nuls repaired several pieces that were vandalised soon after painting (BelTel).

For images from the artists at work, see Grahame Morrison’s ig. For the previous (2022) paint jam, see Be The Change.

Lost Lines (ig)

Alana McDowell (ig)

KloWi (ig)

Leo Boyd (ig)

Katriona (ig)

Not Pop (ig)

FGB (ig)

Jam2 (ig)

KVLR (ig)

Malarko (ig)

Malarko

Malarko

Malarko

Danni Simpson (ig)

Danni Simpson + Mr Fenz

Mr Fenz (ig)

Ana Fish (ig)

Imogen Donegan (ig)

Wee Nuls (ig)

Shona Hardie (ig) + Zippy (ig) + Kerrie Hanna (ig)

emic

RAZER (ig)

NOYS (ig)

Shane Ha (ig) + Niall OL (ig) + Ink Fun (ig)

Malarko

Niall OL

HMConstance (ig)

HMConstance

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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pillars: T05097 T05100 T05099 T05101 [T05102] T05103 T05104 T05105 T05106 T05107 T05108 T05109 T05110 T05111 T05112 T05113 T05114 T05115 T05116 T05117 (wide T05139 [T05138] [T05140]) T05118 T05122 T05123 T05141 T05142