assault rifle – Paddy Duffy Collection

ONH

2025-11-232025-12-15Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Anti-Agreement armed group Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann split in 2024 (BelTel) with the larger faction following Tony McDonnell (BelTel). Death threats against seven members from the smaller faction (under Sean O’Reilly) were issued and attacks were made in February (BBC), March (Irish News/reddit), and July (Irish News).

The signage seen here is in the New Lodge in north Belfast. On the left are the names of the ten deceased 1981 hunger-strikers, on the right, armed and masked volunteers pose against a background of a vintage picture of the flats (from Getty Images – BBC).

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T08138 [T08080] T08081 T08082

Continuity, Not Compromise

2025-11-142025-11-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The CIRA (Continuity IRA) is the military wing of Republican Sınn Féın (RSF web), which split from Provisional Sınn Féın in 1986, though the military campaign did not begin until the Provisional IRA ceasefire in 1994. Like all of the various IRAs, the CIRA claims to be continuing the fight for (all-island) Irish freedom begun with the 1916 Easter Rising – the board (above) commemorates the centenary of the Rising.

To the left is a slightly newer RSF board: “Stop the extradition of Liam Campbell now – don’t hand him over, don’t play England’s game”. Campbell was extradited from the Republic to Lithuania in 2022 (BBC) but was returned to Ireland later the same year when a court ruled the statute of limitations has expired (RN).

The CIRA’s armed campaign is represented by the hooded gunman in the ‘warning sign’ below.

Also included (last below) is a small IRSP (web) stencil.

The pieces are in the adjacent Meadowbrook and Drumbeg areas of Lurgan.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T08028 T08027 T08040 T08041

Feriens Tego

2025-10-312025-11-02Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Stop The Boats has been painted out below the large “Loyalist Tiger’s Bay” and the entire wall painted in solid blue and book-ended by UDA and UFF boards showing silhouetted gunmen in active poses.

The side-wall, home to painted Orange Order symbols since 2017, has been painted black and a board (above) added to E company from Tiger’s Bay. (It’s possible “North Belfast brigade” and “3rd battalion” are the same thing.)

For the KCIII board above, see I Here Present Unto You Your Undoubted King.

Limestone Road and North Queen Street, Tiger’s Bay, north Belfast

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07949 T07950 T07951
T07948

If England Drive Us Forth

2025-06-292025-07-14Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Rudyard Kipling’s 1912 poem ‘Ulster’ (Kipling Society) predicts destruction for Protestants under Home Rule and calls for violent resistance, even if it means sacrificing one’s own life: “Believe, we dare not boast/Believe, we do not fear/We stand to pay the cost/In all that men hold dear”.

As is well known, the Ulster Volunteers were founded and smuggled in weapons, but before they could be used, the Great War began and the Volunteers signed up for Kitchener’s Army – the flag on the left includes the battles in which the Central Antrim Regiment of the Royal Irish Rifles (as part of the 36th Division) participated, fighting “For King and Empire”.

The graveside mourner on the right, the 1st East Antrim Battalion UVF, and all of the smaller panels on the right, belong to the Troubles era. There is no information about Jim Curran in 1975; the image of Curran’s funeral appears to be AI-generated.

In The Larches, Carrickfergus, replacing the mural and boards seen in Comply With Your Country’s Demands.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07121 [T07122] T07123
T07124 T07125 T07126
T07127

Recovery

2025-06-262025-07-07Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The UVF mural overlooking the entrance to Mount Vernon has been repainted after Storm Darragh back in December (2024) knocked down part of the wall it was painted on (see Taken By Storm) and the remainder of the wall was subsequently knocked down (see Prepared For Space, Ready For Wall).

There were local voices against the repainting of the mural (Sunday World) but after the wall (which is owned by the Housing Executive) was rebuilt, scaffolding went up at the end of March (BelTel) and painting began in June.

The mural will be officially launched at the Twelfth celebrations. The repainting has been criticised by the father of one UVF victim (BelTel). One (very) small mercy is that neither of the gunmen – from the North Belfast UVF – is directly confronting the viewer (including the drivers coming off the M2 at Fortwilliam.

Images of the completed mural are from June 26th; the in-progress images are as dated below.

June 18th

June 11th

June 9th

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07030 [T07029]
T06994 [T06995]
T06990 [T06989]
prepared for peace ready for war

Volunteer Sam Rockett

2025-06-182025-07-05Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

A few changes have been made to the Sam Rockett mural (compared to the 2023 original): Rockett’s hair has been lightened, the “Prods out” graffiti on the row of burned-out houses has been brightened, a simple “B Company” has replaced the smaller “1st Belfast Brigade, B Company”, and “Murdered by cowards 21.06.79 – 23.08.00” has been added on the left.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2025 Paddy Duffy
T07023

Inár gCroí Go Deo

2025-02-092025-03-10Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“West Tyrone Brigade, Óglaıgh Na hÉıreann. Vol. Charles Breslin, Vol, David Devine, Vol. Michael Devine”. The three were killed on February 23rd, 1985, in a hail of 100-200 SAS bullets, as they returned arms for an aborted mission to a dump near the Fountain area of Strabane; their families were later (2002) awarded compensation. (An Phoblacht | WP | UTv)

The board shown above is in the Fountain Street memorial garden, which centrally features a stone-wall enclosure to the trio. Individual stones have also been added to the garden, to Danny McCauley (TPQ | An Phoblacht), Tobias Molloy (An Phoblacht), and Eugene Devlin (An Phoblacht) (shown below). The local SF cumann is named after Molloy/Devlin/McCauley (Fb).

For the gravestones of many of the volunteers, see Strabane’s Republican Graves.

Fountain Street, Strabane

Let The Fight Go On!!!

2024-12-012024-12-17Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The Miriam Daly board (mounted in 2016) was temporarily taken down while the frame was painted to mark the fiftieth anniversary (“1974-2024”) of the creation of the INLA on December 8th, 1974 (WP). “Let the fight go on” are the final words of (INLA) hunger-striker Patsy O’Hara; the group officially ended its armed campaign in 2009 (BBC).

See also the fiftieth anniversary graffiti in Waterford St | mural and graffiti in the Bogside, Derry.

Oakman Street, west Belfast.

November 28th:

November 23rd:

Here is flyer in Waterford Street from April:

Forever Honour Their Sacrifice

2024-11-072024-11-29Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a new mural to UVF volunteers (l-r) Robert McIntyre, William Hannah, James McGregor, Robert Wadsworth, and Thomas Chapman, who were killed between 1973 and 1978. Compared to the previous mural, the volunteers generally present a more relaxed appearance, lacking their jackets and parkas, though still brandishing a wide variety of weapons.

It is not clear who the two gentlemen in the top, wearing vintage UVF arm-bands, are.

Carnan (or “C. Coy”) Street in the Shankill. For the mural to the left (to Joe Coggle and Paul McClelland) see S. Company, C. Company.

Prepped for the launch:

July 7th: The plaster was taken back to the brick and then re-plastered and painted before the mural was added.