Operation Motorman, the British Army’s retaking of ‘Free Derry’, took place on July 31st, 1972. This is a repainting; for the previous version, see T02079, and for the 2001 original, see M01426.
(Part of The People’s Gallery by the Bogside Artists.)
The plaque is to Patrick Shiels (see M03583).
For the ICA-INLA board, see T04237.
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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Commemorations of the INLA’s fiftieth anniversary have so far been limited to graffiti – see Saoırse Go Deo in Derry and Let The Fight Go On in Belfast – but here we have two deliberately painted panels in the Bogside (specifically Meenan Square) (one replacing The Way We Were).
The “Men’s Mental Health” addition to the Mandela-Sands mural is also from the IRSP (Xitter)
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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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X10917 courtesy of Seosamh Mac Coille 2022
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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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Ahed Tamimi is a young Palestinian activist famous for slapping and pushing two Israeli soldiers in 2017, when she was 16 (footage at NBC News), after her cousin was hit in the head by an Israeli bullet. She was arrested soon after (USA Today) and served seven months (Al Jazeera | Guardian). She was also arrested last (2023) November (Al Jazeera) and released about three weeks later as part of a prisoners-for-hostages swap on November 29th (BBC).
The mural to Tamimi (above) is in Catherine Street, Newry. Also included (below) are an older mural with the cartoon character of resistance Handala (WP) in front of a Palestinian flag with the words “Let this child return home”, and a Connolly-Costello IRSP (Fb) board.
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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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Here is an INLA/IRSP/RSYM pro-Palestine mural from Derry (see also يومنا قادم). “PFLP” stands for “Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine” (WP). A very similar PFLP-INLA board was seen in west Belfast: Peoples United. There was PFLP graffiti in Creggan: Victory To The PFLP.
The first two are from William Street and the Bogside; the small INLA nail-up in the final image is in Creggan.
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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
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“Est 1913 Irish Citizen Army / Irish National Liberation Army Est. 1974”. The Irish Citizen Army was founded in Dublin in 1913 to protect striking workers from police violence. After taking part in the Easter Rising of 1916, however, the ICA did not participate in the War Of Independence and the Civil War. In 1974, some founding members considered reviving the “ICA” name to reflect the organisation’s “allegiance to the working class” while Costello (pictured on the right) suggested “National Liberation Army”, which was then amended to include “Irish” (History Ireland | WP | WP). MNI includes an “ICA-INLA” Starry Plough on the stairs into the New Lodge from 1989 (C00105).
The banner raised over the Liberty Hall headquarters of the ICA read “We serve neither king nor kaiser but Ireland” – the famous photograph is included in the post of the same name – but this has been updated. The Belfast version of the board, on Northumberland Street (above) and outside Costello House on the Falls Road (below), reads “nor Nato”.
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Copyright © 2023/2025 Paddy Duffy
T02781 T06510 james connolly
“Victory to the workers”. Costello House is home to the IRSP (tw) “Advice Hub” with representative Dan Murphy (Mid Falls & Springfield) and Michael Kelly (Lower Falls). Murphy (in Black Mountain) received 2.7% and Kelly (in Court) 3.2% of first-preference votes in the recent local elections (WP).
Falls Road, west Belfast.
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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T02550 X11440 courtesy of Extramural Activity
“Irish National Liberation Army, Belfast Brigade, roll of honour. For national liberation and socialism in Ireland.” With the named of 22 volunteers who died between 1975 and 2021: Ferguson, Loughran, McNamee, Daly, Bunting, Little, Power, McLarnon, Craven, McCann, Power, O’Reilly, Kearney, Gargan, Gallagher, McColgan, Campbell, McWilliams, O’Hara, McMullan, McElkerney, McWilliams.
This is an extension, to the right, of the yellow-backgrounded panels seen in For A Socialist Republic (2021-05), Defund The Police (2022-09), and Bap McGreevy (2022-11).
Falls Road, Belfast.
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Copyright © 2023 Paddy Duffy
T01934
Here is a gallery of images from the Falls Road/Glen Road junction (site of the old Andersonstown RUC barracks). The images top to bottom follow the wall from right (Glen Road) to left (Falls Road).
Above: a call for the release of Basque prisoners.
Below: Mervyn and Rosaleen McDonald were Catholics living in the mixed Longlands area of Newtownabbey when they were visited by “UFF loyalist assassins” and shot dead in front of their two young children. The killings are described in most detail in Jack Holland’s Too Long A Sacrifice, which contains an interview with the gunman and the claim that the unit had access to RUC files (p. 94).
Seamus Costello 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 in 1977. (WP)
A large Fıanna banner.
Metalwork commemorating the deceased 1981 hunger strikers.
A Sınn Féın electoral banner.
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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
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“In memory of our fallen INLA volunteers, upper Springfield area: Hugh Ferguson, Ronnie Bunting, Noel Little, Hugh O’Neill, Micky Kearney, John McColgan, Paddy “Paddybo” Campbell. Comrades: Barry “Baz” McMullan, Sean “Shanto” fleming, Harry O’Hara, Paul Collins, Bernado Brownlee, Emmanuel Kelly, Michael Conlon, Billy Lynch, James “Harpo” Murray, John Kennaway. Saoırse go deo [freedom forever].” Ferguson was the first member of the INLA to die, in 1975 in the feud with the OIRA. Bunting and Little/Lyttle (both Protestants) were shot dead in 1980 in Bunting’s Andersonstown home by masked gunmen from the UDA or SAS with RUC complicity.
Whiterock Road, Belfast, next to the Kevin Lynch – Marian Price – Kevin Lynch wall.
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Copyright © 2022 Paddy Duffy
T01015
Paddy Duffy Collection 