political

Ring Of Peace

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“Ring Of Peace” is a massive, three storey piece in Waring Street, undertaken in 1998 to mark the Good Friday Agreement, by Francisco Letelier (with Jennifer Trouton, Colin McGookin, Marie Thérèse Davis) – here is a shot of the artist working on the piece. The mural shows four double-handed arms clasping each other in a circle against a back-drop of cosmic and nature scenes. In the lower portion, two human figures reach out to each other.

Letelier is a Chilean living in Los Angeles, USA; he flew from LA to paint the mural (LATimes). Here is his blog, and a set of Letelier images on Flickr.

Waring Street, Belfast city centre

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Copyright © 1998 Paddy Duffy
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Remember The Ten

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“Remember the ten H-Block martyrs. 1981-1998. Unbowed – unbroken.” With a pair of fists in barbed wire, a funeral volley fired over a coffin covered with Tricolour and beret, and a line-drawing of Bobby Sands. Signed “Republican Youth”

Berwick Road/Paráıd An Ardghleanna, Ardoyne,Ard Eoın, north Belfast/tuaısceart Bhéal Feırste

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Copyright © 1998 Paddy Duffy
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We Demand Nothing Less Than Equality!

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A trail of skulls flows from the base of Carson’s statue, which is adorned with an Orange sash. “No internal settlement” means a settlement among the northern parties only, but rather that there should be an all-Ireland dimension to any agreement.

“No return to Stormont rule – no internal settlement. In the history of Stormont the unionists exercised absolute power in order to keep nationalists subjugated and on their knees. Nationalist MPs only succeeded in passing one act – The Wild Birds Act! In 1969, the nationalist people got off their knees. In the past 30 years we have resisted numerous attempts to force us back down. Neither will we be conned nor duped back down! We demand nothing less than equality!”

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Copyright © 1998 Paddy Duffy
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Peace With Justice

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“Peace with justice”, “Fáılte go dtí Bóthar Garbh Achaıdh”, “Re-route sectarian marches”.

Three murals were painted by three Belfast artists (DD, Marty Lyons, Mo Chara Kelly) in 1997 in Hurson Park (renamed from Churchill Park), Portadown, along the route of the Orange Order parade to and from Drumcree, in order to support the local residents who were attempting to block the march through the CNR Garvaghy Road.

In 1996, an initial decision to block the parade was overturned at the last minute, and 1,200 Orangemen marched down Garvaghy Road. The 1997 march also went ahead and “sit-down” protesters were physically removed from the road. (Here is 90 minutes of news footage from 1997 (youtube). There are brief clips of the muralists at work, at 20m44s, 28m48s, 35m16s, 37m32s, 43m26s, 53m23s, and 58m44s. The images of protestors being removed begin at 1h02m)

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Copyright © 1997 Paddy Duffy
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Stop At Nothing

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“Our rulers will stop at nothing to attain their ends. They will continue to rule and rob until confronted by men who will stop at nothing to overthrow them.” The quote is from James Connolly on Conscription. Local volunteer Joe McDonnell is portrayed between the names of the ten deceased 1981 hunger strikers. 

Lenadoon Avenue, west Belfast

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Copyright © 1997 Paddy Duffy
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A New Opportunity For Peace

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This high wall is in front of the Sınn Féın offices (Connolly House) on the Andersonstown Road, west Belfast. Along the top is a list of concerns being pressed in the on-going peace process: “Roısín McAliskey, preconditions, Drumcree 95-96-?, Dunloy, Ormeau Rd, Garvaghy, Loyalists no ceasefire, Lee Clegg, RUC – no change. A new opportunity for peace – Bóthar Bhaıle Andarsan for all inclusive talks.”

Gerry Adams stood for Sınn Féın in Belfast West in the 1997 UK general election, regaining the seat from the SDLP’s Joe Hendron with 56% of the poll (WP). He is wearing a green ribbon, emblem of the campaign to release republican POWs.

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Copyright © 1997 Paddy Duffy
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An Gorta Mór

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This is one of about nine murals painted in 1995 for the 150th anniversary mural of An Gorta Mór/the Great Hunger (Visual History).

There is a wall to the right that reads, “There was no famine; it was genocide.” (See the Peter Moloney Collection.)  

The dove on the chimney and the green ribbon below are a nod to the other main movement during this period, the release of political prisoners as a leading goal of the peace process.

Signed “Roısín Byrne & Kathy Rooney”.

Falls Road at Fallswater Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
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Bobby Sands

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This is the second Bobby Sands mural on the wall of the offices of Sınn Féın and An Phoblacht/Republican News on the Falls Road. For the first, see The Spirit Of Freedom. Gone from that first mural is the lark in barbed wire, replaced by a skyline of Maze/Long Kesh watch-towers, but the smiling Sands and the quotation from him remain: “Everyone, republican or otherwise, has his [here: “his/her”] own [particular] part to play”.

This wall has its own Visual History page.

Sevastopol Street, west Belfast

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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy
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An Gorta Mór

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“When the potato crop failed causing the great hunger, people watched in despair as shiploads of food were escorted away by British troops …”. This mural combines an image from Illustrated London News (Bridget O’Donnel And Children) with five bodies faces drowning in the sea.

This is one of about nine murals painted in 1995 on the Great Hunger (Visual History).

Shaw’s Road/Rossnareen, west Belfast

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Copyright © 1995 Paddy Duffy (no date given)
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