Sinn Féin – Paddy Duffy Collection

The Martyrs Will Haunt Us Forever

2025-10-052025-11-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“We must take no steps backward, our steps must [or: will] be onward, for if we don’t, the [ghosts of the] martyrs that died for you, for me, for this country will haunt us forever [or: for eternity].” The words of Máıre Drumm (from an anti-internment rally in Dunville Park on 10th August, 1975 – RN p. 4) appear below a roll of honour for the IRA’s South Armagh Brigade. The list of volunteers is included below; in 1976 Drumm herself was shot dead in her bed by the RHC in the Mater hospital where she was a patient (WP) – she was Vice President of Sınn Féın at the time.

Michael McVerry, Sean Boyle, Francis Jordan, Gerry McKiernan, James Lochrie, Sean Campbell, Peter Cleary, Seamus Harvey, Liam Farrelly, Peadar McElvanna, Kevin Caherty, Raymond McCrees, Brendan Moley, Brendan Burns, Fergal Caraher, Packie Duffy, Eugene Martin, Tim Daly, Malachy Watters, Gary Toner, Keith Rogers, Francie Caraher, Gerald Fearon, Pat Lynch

Twelve more of the martyrs – the Troubles-era hunger-strikes – are on the stone across the street (for a close-up, see the Peter Moloney Collection).

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Comóradh Blıantúıl Ar An Staılc Ocraıs

2025-08-142025-08-26Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Michael Devine was the last of the 1981 hunger-strikers to die, on August 20th, 1981, and although the strike was not called off until October 3rd, his death now marks the end of the strike for commemorative purposes. The 44th annual national commemoration of the strike will take place this year on the 24th, “assembling at Dunville Park” in west Belfast.

Beechmount Street, west Belfast. The MLK tarp goes back to 2014.

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In Memory Of Ian Ogle

2025-06-082025-06-21Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is (at least) the third different tarp at the entrance to Cluan Place in memory of Ian Ogle, who was killed on the evening of January 27th, 2019. Five people have been found guilty of the murder and officially received their sentences in March; four others have been convicted of lesser charges (BBC | ITv | Belfast Media | Judiciary NI).

The small board “In memory of Ian Ogle” (immediately below) is also a recent addition.

For the previous tarps and background on Ogle’s death, see 2022 (burned), 2022 (unmolested), and 2020.

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Am D’Aontacht

2025-04-202025-04-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

For Sunday’s parade (in Belfast) commemorating the Easter Rising of 1916, Sınn Féın lined the route with placards featuring quotations from republican heroes past and present: the first Dáıl, Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmet, James Fintan Lalor, Roger Casement, the Proclamation of 1916, William Allen, the Declaration Of Independence, James Larkin (as Gaeılge), Máıre Drumm, Rita O’Hare, Martin McGuinness, Mary Lou McDonald, Bobby Sands, O’Donovan Rossa, John O’Mahony, Seán Mac Dıarmada, James Connolly, Liam Lynch, Thomas Clarke, Pádraıg Mac Pıaraıs, Maıréad Farrell, the IRB, Michelle O’Neill, Gerry Adams, Constance Markievicz, Winifred Carney, Na Fíníní.

William Allen was one of the “Manchester Martyrs” – for a link to background and the photograph used on the placard see the Peter Moloney Collection.

All of the placards include the emblem of the “Time For Irish Unity/Am Le hAontacht Na hÉıreann” campaign.

The speaker in Belfast was Donegal Sınn Féın TD Pearse Doherty; party leader Mary Lou McDonald spoke in Carrickmore, Co Tyrone; Michelle O’Neill was in Coalisland and Dublin.

See also the new National Graves Association/Cumann Uaıgheann Na Laocradh Gaedheal mural in Beechmount: Cuımhnímıs.

A Saoradh parade takes place in Belfast this afternoon (Easter Monday) in Derry – see Wear Your Easter Lily With Pride.

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Saoırse Go Deo

2024-08-042024-11-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The 1918 ‘Representation Of The People’ act gave 8.4 million women in the United Kingdom the right to vote (WP). (For the two women on the left holding the ‘Votes For Women’ sign, see Women’s Hall And Cost-Price Restaurant.) In that same year, Countess Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected to Westminster and became Sınn Féın Minister For Labour in the first Dáıl Éıreann that was established as an alternative. Ten years earlier, she had co-founded Na Fıanna Éıreann with Bulmer Hobson. The names of Derry fianna are listed on the right. “Fuaır sıad bás ar son saoırse na hÉıreann.” (This board replaces the former Fianna mural that celebrated the centenary in 2009.)

To the left (above) is a “Join RSYM” stencil with the names of the ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers; to the right is a picture of the memorial across the street to the dead of the 3rd battalion of the Doıre Brigade Óglaıgh na hÉıreann.

“But while Ireland is not free I remain a rebel, unconverted and unconvertible. There is no word strong enough for it. I am pledged as a rebel to the one thing – a free and independent republic.”

“Ach a fhad is nach bhfuıl Éıre saor, seasfaıdh mé an fód mar cheannaırceach, gan géılleadh, gan athrú. Níl focal dá bhfuıl atá chumhachtach go leor. Tá gealltanas tugtha agam mar cheannaırceach, cuspóır amháın a chur ı gcrích – poblacht shaor agus neamhspleach.”

Fight Back, Vote Unionist

2024-07-012024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“By not voting, these people win. Fight back, vote unionist.” “These people” are: lawyer Pat Finucane, who was assassinated by the UDA in 1989 (far left panel); Shankill bomber Seán Kelly (WP) (second and third panels, with a 2017 BelTel quote about Kelly canvassing for Finucane); John Finucane, the incumbent Sınn Féın MP for Belfast North (fourth panel, with Gerry Kelly, MLA and previously unsuccessful candidate in Belfast North), and Gerry Adams (fifth panel, with Kelly and Finucane).

In the 2019 election, both the UUP and SDLP did not field candidates in Belfast North, and Sınn Féın’s John Finucane won over the DUP’s Nigel Dodds. In this election, the SDLP is fielding a candidate while the UUP is not; however, recent changes in the constituency boundary are predicted to favour nationalists (Bangor Dub | Slugger) and Finucane is generally odds-on favourite to win (OddsChecker).

A very similar tarp was mounted on the Shankill (part of which is in the Belfast North constituency) in 2019 (see Steeped In Blood). See also: Sinn Fein-IRA’s Golden Boy.

Also from this election’s campaigning: Get The Brits Out | Liberation Isn’t On The Ballot.

Hitting The Wall

2024-05-112024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Belfast marathon (web) took place on May 5th (the same day as Hit The North) and as the runners completed their twentieth mile at the Waterworks on the Antrim Road they might have seen the mile marker shown above, which hopefully inspired them to power through ‘the wall’ they typically hit around 18-20 miles/3.5 hours of running (Marathon Handbook).

Also along the route, in North Queen St, and with a suitable theme, is the Sınn Féın placard shown below: “Let’s not run from the conversation” about a united. Ireland.

New Lodge Volunteers

2024-03-302024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Twenty portraits in circular frames have replaced the twenty-one square portraits seen on the ‘Out Of The Ashes Of 1969’ mural in the New Lodge. From left to right, those portrayed are Michael P Neill, Seamus McCusker, Gerard Crossan, Colm Mulgrew, Francis Liggett, Brian Fox, John Kelly, Robert Allsopp, Louis Scullion, Billy Reid, Danny O’Hagan, Michael Kane, Sean McIlvenna, Jim O’Neill, Rosemary Bleakley, Martin McDonagh, James McCann, James Sloan, Dan McCann. Paddy McManus is no longer included, as compared with the earlier portraits.

For the mural without any portraits, at the time of its launch in 2012, see X00857.

New Lodge Road, north Belfast.

Ireland Says “No”

2024-03-212024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“… to Genocide Joe”. This mural – a copy of a cartoon by Carlos Latuff – was painted in Divis Street in advance of the visit by Irish politicians to the United States for St Patrick’s Day – for background, see Don’t Look Away and The Fog Of War (which showed the same message on Slıabh Dubh).

In the mural, the leaders of “SF”, “FF”, and “FG” (Sınn Féın, Fıanna Fáıl, Fıne Gael) on their knees offer shamrock to US president Joe Biden, the blood dripping from whose hands spells “Gaza” on the ground.

However, the mural was completely blacked out the week before March 17th (Xitter) and then had to be cleaned, to give the version shown above.

In 2016, a Latuff reproduction in Beechmount, which was critical of Martin McGuinness’s shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth of England, was whitewashed (and was not subsequently restored). See The Butcher’s Apron for ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos.

A Citizens’ Assembly

2023-01-272024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Citizens’ Assembly is a group of 99 randomly-chosen Irish citizens, plus a chair, that considers large-scale issues over the course of months. It began in 2016 by taking up the Eighth Amendment on abortion, the “pensions timebomb” fixed-term parliaments, voter turnout and referendums, and climate change – it is not restricted, like its predecessor the Constitutional Convention, to constitutional issues (WP). The 2020-2021 Assembly considered gender equality and biodiversity loss.

Sınn Féın called for an Assembly on Irish unity at its November (2022) Ard Fheıs (Irish Examiner | Derry Journal | youtube panel) and Belfast City Council passed an SDLP motion to recommend that the Taoıseach form an Assembly (News Letter); in December, the Dublin City Council approved a measure calling for an Assembly to consider the topic (SF).

“The Irish government should establish a citizens’ assembly on Irish unity/tıonól na saoránach ar aontú na hÉıreann.” Sınn Féın’s preferred outcome of such a process is given at the bottom of the board: “#Time4Unity/Am d’Aontacht”. The images show the board in south Belfast (Cromac Street).