The Woodvale Defence Association (WDA) was the largest of the local associations which merged together in 1971 to form the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and the WDA became B company of 2nd battalion (WP).
Both pieces are in Heather Street, Woodvale, west Belfast. Between the two are the words “Ulster Freedom Fighters” in large letters – see D00967.
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
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“In memory of Ben Redfern, Lindsay Mooney, Cecil McKnight, Gary Lynch, Ray Smallwoods, William Campbell. Lest we forget.” For Redfern and Lynch, see It’s Still Only Thursday; Smallwoods has a WP page; Campbell died in 2002 in a premature pipe-bomb explosion (Guardian).
Lincoln Court, Londonderry
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01195
“We have achieved peace, we have maintained peace – now stop the injustice: release our political hostages.” “Dedicated to Mark Rice”, a Tullycarnet resident who was jailed for 20 years for possession of an assault rifle used in the attack on Sean Graham bookmakers on the Ormeau Road in February 1992 (Relatives For Justice). To the left of centre, a red fist smashes through an Irish Tricolour; a Tricolour is also worn by the volunteer in the crosshairs.
Granton Park, Tullycarnet, Dundonald
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
T00431
Cú Chulaınn (or, as here, Cuchulainn) is usually shown dying, in the pose made famous by Oliver Sheppard in his statue that was installed in the General Post Office in Dublin in 1935. (See the Visual History page about Cú Chulaınn in murals.) Here, however, he is a living warrior (carrying a sword and a shield emblazoned with the crest of Northern Ireland) as an analogue to loyalist paramilitaries and prisoners of war (“LPOW” on the right).
Lincoln Court, Londonderry
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01194
UDA mural in Avoniel Road showing two hooded gunmen kneel on a free-floating Northern Ireland. Avoniel Road and Dee Street would fall within the territory of 2nd battalion, east Belfast.
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
T00434
A Visual History page details the various appearances of Eddie The Head in his guise as a Red Coat soldier-cum-UDA volunteers. In this Shankill Eddie, he carries an assault rifle and an Ulster Banner as he marches over the graves of “E[ddie] Copeland”, “S[ean] Kelly”, and “S[tephen] Larkin”. The three are IRA volunteers: Kelly, along with Thomas Begley, bombed Frizzell’s fish shop on the Shankill Road in 1993 – Kelly survived; Copeland was injured during an attack on Begley’s wake; Larkin made an attempt on the life of Johnny Adair in 1993.
There is also a Visual History page for the murals painted in the era of Johnny Adair’s C company, of which this is one.
Hopewell Crescent, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01178
Spike (the dog from Tom & Jerry) wears a Union Flag t-shirt and brandishes an assault rifle as he chases Sınn Féın’s Gerry Adams, wearing a Celtic top, out of Belfast and towards Dublin, in front of the UDA murals at (D00971) and behind (D00969) the KFC.
This is one of the murals painted in the era of Johnny Adair’s C company.
Hopewell Crescent, lower Shankill, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
T01190
“Free our prisoners o[f] w[ar]”, specifically prisoners from the South Belfast UFF/UDA. This pair of smaller murals is in the garden next to St Alban’s, and the gable mural is across the road.
Blythe Street, south Belfast
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
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Ulster’s defenders, past and present, from Cuchulainn “Ancient defender of Ulster from Gael attacks”, via the 1893 UDU and WWI soldiers memorialised in the towers at Messines and Thiepval, to the modern UDA/UFF: “In memory of the officers and volunteers of A. Coy. [“Glencairn, Highfield, Springmartin”] UDA/UFF West Belfast Brigade who unselfishly dedicated their lives in defence of their country.”
High Green, Highfield, west Belfast
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Copyright © 2000 Paddy Duffy
T00267
“South Belfast UFF commander Joe Bratty, murdered by the enemies, 31st July ’94.” Bratty was killed along with Raymond Elder by the Provisional IRA (WP). The pair were also remembered in a Lemberg Street mural in 2001, and later in the Sandy Row memorial garden.
The red fist in the larger mural famously has five fingers and two thumbs.
Roosevelt Street, south Belfast
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Copyright © 1999 Paddy Duffy
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Paddy Duffy Collection 