international – Page 14 – Paddy Duffy Collection

We Aim To Be Free

1988-04-012025-08-28Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

The death by hanging of African National Congress supporter Benjamin Moloise on 18 October, 1985, for the alleged murder of a South African policeman, drew international condemnation and led to widespread rioting in Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. (ExecutedToday | Jet)

Moloise’s words, “tell the world, freedom is at hand”, originally appeared on the right of this ANC-IRA mural, paired with a phrase from Bobby Sands, “we aim to be free” on the left of the assault rifle and a zulu shield and spear. The quote and signature have been painted out due to paint-bombing. (There was (at least) one other paint-bombing of the mural – see the Peter Moloney Collection.)

The boards above the mural (“erected by Sınn Féın April 1986”) declare west Belfast an “apartheid free zone”/”ceantar saor ó apartheıd”. Note the “A/A” [anti-aparteid] emblem in bottom-left of the left-hand board.

“Beır bua” [seize victory] along the bottom is partly obscured by the skip.

Ascaıll Ard Na bhFeá/Beechmount Avenue, west Belfast

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Copyright © 1988 Paddy Duffy
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One Struggle

1982-07-012025-07-25Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

Masked soldiers from the PLO (left) and IRA (right) jointly hold aloft an RPG, while holding assault rifles in their off hands.

“Painted by the Irish republican youth movement” on “RPG Avenue” or Beechmount Avenue.

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Copyright © 1982 Paddy Duffy
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Colonial Child

1981-10-012025-10-27Extramural ActivityLeave a comment

This is a difficult mural to interpret and might be incomplete. It appears to show an indigenous child, whose skin is marked with a Union Flag, feasting on the bloody arm of a human adult whose skull sits behind the child. It is perhaps a reference to the colonial exploits of the British in Kenya or in the Putumayo – please comment/get in touch if you can shed any light on the mural.

The mural is in the bricked-up display-window of a shop between Spinner Street and Leeson Street (on the eastern/Dunville Park side of the Falls Road).

Falls Road, west Belfast