Belfast west – Page 50 – Paddy Duffy Collection

Saoırse

1995-01-012026-01-20Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The frame of this mural in St James’s was originally painted by Andrea Redmond (Fb) in 1994 for a mural (included below) showing local pensioners remonstrating with a British Army soldier, under the title “The Spirit Of Freedom”, reproducing a photo that appeared in a French-language magazine (see below).

The central circle was repainted (again Redmond) for the 1995 “green ribbon” campaign: the dove holds the keys that will set free the republican prisoners, symbolised by the barbed wire and the lark in the apex. There was also a side-wall, showing two rows of green ribbons, each with the name of a POW (see immediately below).

“Sponsored by AP/RN” has been moved from the side-wall to the main wall.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00106

The 1994 ‘Spirit Of Freedom’ mural:

In small letters on the part of the circle at the back of the soldier is written “This mural is dedicated to the memory of J[…] D[…] and M[…] Fitzsimons”.

On the side wall is a verse from the poem The Crime Of Castlereagh by “Volunteer Bobby Sands MP”: “All things must come to pass as one/So hope should never die/There is no height or bloody might/That a freeman can’t defy./There is no source or foreign force/Can break one man who knows,/That his free will no thing can kill/And from that freedom grows.”

Fág Ár Sraıdeanna

1995-01-012025-09-16Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a mural on Whiterock Road, west Belfast, bidding “Slán Abhaıle” to a British soldier who is himself standing on Whiterock Road in front of the 1916 mural (Who Fears To Speak Of Easter Week?).

In the medallions to the left and right are four demands from during the (first) ceasefire: “End collusion, Release POWs, Disband RIR RUC, End Unionist veto”.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00105

Time For Peace, Time To Go

1995-01-012025-09-16Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A Cormac cartoon is reproduced as a mural by Mo Chara Kelly: the ceasefire means that doves (“Time for peace”) can/should be carrying British soldiers (who themselves recognise it is “Time to go”) from Ireland (tricoloured, with dolmen) to Britain (with Union flag) over the Isle of Man.

Whiterock Road, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00099

An Gorta Mór

1995-01-012025-09-20Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Nature sent the potato blight, government & landlords created the famine.” 1845-1849 saw one million Irish people die and a million more emigrate. During the period, the full range of other foodstuffs was produced and shipped to England, being too expensive for the native population.

This is one of about nine murals painted in 1995 on the Great Hunger (Visual History).

Lenadoon Avenue, west Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
T00158

George Seawright

1994-01-012025-09-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Murdered by the enemies of Ulster Nov 1987. “Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life” – Revelation 2 V.10″

Controversial DUP and later independent politician and preacher George Seawright served as city councillor and NI Assembly member from 1981 to 1986, when he was jailed for his role in physically attacking NI Secretary of State Tom King. The “enemies of Ulster” in this case are the IPLO.

Side-wall: “In remembrance of all those who have given their lives and their freedom in the struggle to keep Ulster Protestant.”

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image; possibly 1993)
T00228

Alosa/Fuıseog

1994-01-012025-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Lark” in Catalan is “alosa” and in Irish “fuıseog”. This appears to be the earliest Catalan mural in the extant collections and it appears from the sponsorship in the lower corner – “Catalan comite [committee] in support of Ireland” – to be an expression of Catalonian solidarity with Ireland, rather than the other way around.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 1994 Paddy Duffy (undated image)
T00112

Your Ship Awaits

1994-01-012025-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This mural calling for British troops to leave uses the same slogan as in other murals — “Slán abhaıle” — but different imagery, of soldiers boarding the Belfast-Heysham (Lancashire, England) ferry.

This is possibly a cover of An Phoblacht but no source has yet come to light. The image below appeared in the edition of August 11th.

At the front of Rossnareen, Shaw’s Road, west Belfast

Foundation Stones

1994-01-012025-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Equality, freedom, fraternity – peace, unity, saoırse, freedom, equality, justice for all, meas, courage, respect, amnesty for political prisoners, cearta Gael, truth, dialogue, trust, democracy – the foundation stones for lasting peace.”

Amnesty for political prisoners and Irish-language rights are the concrete goals among many vague concepts being sought in the peace process – represented by the dove carrying a tricoloured ribbon on the chimney. Fág Ár Sraıdeanna adds collusion, RUC disbandment, and ending the Unionist veto.

Falls Road at the top of Fallswater Street.

25 Years Of Resistance

1994-01-012025-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Falls/Clonard 25 years of resistance”. The mural combines an image of British troops deployed to Belfast in 1969 (similar to this Stan Meagher photo) with Stephen Bradley’s photo of women banging bin-lids on the ground to alert the community to the presence of soldiers, against a background of burnt-out buildings (reminiscent of Bombay Street).

The writing on the lower wall – “25 years – time for peace, time to go. Demilitarise now!” – was produced by a stencil – see the Peter Moloney Collection for in-progress images.

The Irish Holocaust

1993-01-012025-09-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“The Irish holocaust, 1845, 1,397,740 deaths”. A family of four sits with their meagre possessions, perhaps having been evicted from their home or waiting to board a ship to America. The source of the (hyper-precise) number of deaths is unknown; deaths are roughly put at a million and emigrants at two million for the period from 1845 to 1852. The period is commonly known as “the famine” but the term is rejected by many, given the continued production and exportation of other foodstuffs, contrary to the policy enacted for the famine of 1782-1783 (History Ireland | Great Hunger Museum | NJ Schools’ Commission pdf). Hence the use of “holocaust”

This is the earliest mural depicting the Great Hunger; in 1995, for the 150th anniversary, at least nine pieces were painted on the topic in Belfast – see the Visual History page. Many of those pieces reproduced drawings from the Illustrated London News; the source of this image is unknown.

Malcolmson Street/Springfield Road, west Belfast