knot-work – Page 2 – Paddy Duffy Collection

The Lurgan Ambush

2024-08-132024-08-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Fuaır sıad bás ar son saoırse na hÉıreann. Óglach Sean Burns, Óglach Gervase McKerr, Óglach Eugene Toman. “But they dared to hold their heads up high and never once did fail to declare their wish for freedom like true sons of the Gael” – The Lurgan Ambush (A poem by Ita Green [set to music at Irish Folk Songs])”.

The IRA volunteers were three of the six people shot in Lurgan in three incidents in November and December of 1982; the others were Seamus Grew, Roddy Carroll, and Michael Tighe. The deaths of the three would be investigated by the RUC and then by the Stalker Inquiry into the shoot-to-kill policy (RN); an inquest was begun by the Coroner in 2007 (BelTel | Madden-Finucane). Under the Legacy Act, which came into effect on May 1st (2024), the inquest has been suspended and the case transferred to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (Irish News).

Taghnevan Drive, Lurgan

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T05391 gervaise gervais

The INLA

2024-08-042024-12-06Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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
T05239 T05240 T05241 T05242
X10917 courtesy of Seosamh Mac Coille 2022

After We Are Gone

2024-08-032024-11-07Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

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
T05159 T05160

Keep On Marching

2024-06-212024-11-10Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

“Beıdh bua agaınn go fóıll” [victory will be ours yet] – Keep on marching, don’t give up – Raymond McCreesh 1957-81, age 24. Died after 61 days hunger-strike, H-Block Long Kesh 1981.” The phrase was spoken at the end of a visit with Jim Gibney.

Outside Raymond McCreesh House – his birthplace – at Maryville, Camlough.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04812

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.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04307 T04306 [T04305]

Joe Cahill Annual Tournament

2024-02-252024-08-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Easter Saturday is traditional day for the Joe Cahill tournament, hosted by Cardinal O’Donnell’s (Fb) and involving about 250 children (Belfast Media). Shown above is the new board in Beechview Park, updating the one from last year.

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Copyright © 2024 Paddy Duffy
T04075 [T04076] [T04077] “Mol an óıge agus tıocfaıdh sí” [encourage youth and it will flourish, or less literally, youth responds to praise]

Kevin Lynch

2024-02-142024-11-11Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the repainted version of the mural to Kevin Lynch in Dún Geımhın/Dungiven. Lynch died after 71 days on hunger strike – the longest-surviving striker – in Long Kesh/the Maze prison (WP).

The four black-and-white squares show (top left) Mary Nelis, Kathleen Deeny and Theresa Deery, protesting the arrests of their sons; (bottom left) the memorial to Lynch in nearby Park, where has was born; (top right) blanket-men Hugh Rooney and Freddie Toal; (bottom right) Lynch’s gravestone in Dungiven.

Along the bottom are the emblems of Kevin Lynch Memorial flute band (Fb), Kevin Lynch’s hurling club (“mısneach ‘s dílseacht”), and St Dympna’s football club, Luton (Fb).

“Mural unveiled on Saturday 4th August 2012 by Bridie Lynch & Jeannie McTaggart to commemorate Kevin Lynch and his comrades who died in the 1981 hunger strike.”

Pádraıc Fıacc

2024-01-022024-10-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Patrick O’Connor was born on this day in 1924 on the lower Falls but after his father emigrated he spent his early years – until age 5 – with his grandparents in East Street in the Markets. It was as a high-schooler in New York that he adopted the name Pádraıc Fıacc (“fiach dubh” is “raven”) and began writing poetry. He settled in Glengormley upon his second and final return; it is not clear that he ever saw East Street lined with British Army soldiers, as shown in the mural above. He wrote of his early life in ‘First Movement’:

Low clouds, yellow in a mist wind
Sift on far-off Ards
Drift hazily …
I was born on such a morning
Smelling of the bone yards
The smoking chimneys over the slate top roofs
The wayward storm birds
And to the east where morning is, the sea
And to the west where evening is, the sea
Threatening with danger
And it would always darken suddenly

Some of Fıacc’s poems are in the TroublesArchive. He was interviewed by NVTv’s Bernard Conlon (Vimeo); he also appears in a reception in Belfast City Hall (youtube).

Lower Stanfield St, Markets, south Belfast

Gort Na Móna

2023-08-182024-07-08Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

These two boards are at Gort Na Móna CLG. The one above was put developed by young Gorts as they learned about the history of the club as part of a twentieth anniversary celebration of Terry Óg Enright (Fb) who was killed by the LVF in 1998. The second board, below, combines the two previous boards to Terry Óg, seen previously in No Such Thing As Failure and Páırc Mhıc Ionnrachtaıgh.

Ruaırí Óg CLG

2023-07-152025-04-18Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is the second version of the Ruaırí Óg (web) (and Clann Lır) mural in the middle of Cushendall – the original dates back to 2006, which was the 100th anniversary of the club’s founding (“bunaıthe”) (see M02832). The hurlers and Curfew tower remain; the “Big Ears” (Volunteer) trophy is gone and in its place are three traditional musicians. The Clann Lır has been painted to include the harper seen in Jim Fitzpatrick’s painting of the Lear myth. A Celtic warrior has appeared on the bridge over the Dall.