These two pieces are both by cartoonist “Cormac” (Brian Moore), as reproduced on the wall of Corry’s Timber at the top of Springhill Avenue, west Belfast, by Mo Chara Kelly.
Cormac produced cartoons for Resistance Comics, Republican News (and then An Phoblacht/Republican News), Socialist Challenge (and then Socialist Action), and Fortnight. His “Notes (For A History Of Ireland)” appeared in RN and AP/RN for about 30 years.
The mural on the left reproduces a cartoon from February 1979, combining hatred of the “Britz” and RUC with criticism of a left-leaning London bookshop that no longer stocks the paper because “violence is only acceptable if it doesn’t happen here”.
The other is an eleven-panel version of the nine-panel image that appeared on the cover of the 1982 collection Cormac Strikes Back, showing the Union Flag crumbling and the Starry Plough rising from its ashes.
The main panel, of three IRA volunteers with raised weapons, was painted by Sean ‘Conker’ Connolly, presumably based on or inspired by the poster below.
Also on the wall are (below right) a Tricolour and (below left) “Sinn Fein/Gerry Adams” and a small board (at the top) with a raised fist and the slogan “Unity is strength”.
This pair of murals was painted by Mo Chara Kelly at the top of Springhill in 1987 after his release from prison. Both are inspired by the work of Jim Fitzpatrick. The central figure of the Rí Nuadha [King Nuada] mural above and immediately below comes from a painting of Fitzpatrick‘s called ‘Nuada Journeys To The Underworld’ while the background has a Fitzpatrick style and colour-scheme.
Of the myth of Nuada, Mo Chara said, “I had never heard the story of King Nuada before. Then I read the story. Wow! What a yarn! Nuada Of The Silver Arm is one of my favourite stories. As one of the Tuatha Dé Danann you had to be whole and physically perfect to hold the kingship. Nuada lost an arm in the first battle of Moy Tura and so he lost his kingship. He went into the other world, to middle earth, fought through trials and tribulations until Dıan Cécht made a silver arm for Nuada and he was restored to the kingship for another twenty years. But the moral of the story to me was that, no matter what happens, get up again and fight back. No matter how bad the situation you are in, you get back up and fight again. Do not let people isolate you. Get up and fight again. It was very inspiring!” (Painting My Community/An Pobal A Phéınteáıl – English-language version available for free.)
The Loch gCál/Loughgall mural likewise draws on Fitzpatrick for the landscape behind the Celtic cross and funeral guard in memory of the eight IRA volunteers from the East Tyrone brigade who were killed in an SAS ambush during an attack on an RUC base in May, 1987 (WP).
The names of the eight volunteers are given here in Irish and (partially) in the old script:
“I ndıl cuimh[n]e de [= ar] Óglach Pádraıg Ó Ceallaıġ [Patrick Kelly], Óglach Séamus Ó Donn[ġ]aıle [Seamus Donnelly], Óglach Deaglán Mac Aırt [Declan Arthurs], Óglach Séamus Laıghneach [Jim Lynagh], Óglach Gearóıd Ó Ceallacháın [Gerry O’Callaghan], Óglach Pádraıg Mac Cearnaıgh [Pádraıg McKearney], Óglach Antóın Ó Garmaıle [Ó Gormghaıle | Tony Gormley], Óglach Eoghan Ó Ceallaıġ [Eugene Kelly]
an ochtar óglach de óglaigh na hÉireann a dúnmharú ag Loch gCál ar an ochtú lá Bealtaine 1987.” [the eight volunteers from the Irish Volunteers [IRA] who were murdered at Loughgall on the eighth day of May, 1987]
The town (Loughgall) and the four provinces are also named in Irish. An Easter lily is at the centre of the Celtic cross in the middle of the image, above a lark in barbed wire and a gal gréıne/sunburst.
This is an interesting mural from North Queen Street, if only because of its psychedelic colour-scheme and composite style.
The two bulls (presumably from the Táın though they are not the classic brown and white bulls) provide a centre, on either side of which we find Cú Chulaınn dying (and Tuan the eagle) and a dolmen. The horse on the right is perhaps Galloper. There are four faces superimposed on flying geese. The cranes Samson and Goliath are on the left (which suggests a cross-community sponsorship) and a Pride rainbow is on the right.
A wide shot of the whole can be seen in the Peter Moloney Collection. If you have any information about the piece, please get in touch.
North Queen Street, presumably at the bottom of the New Lodge (either where the playing pitch opposite (what was then) Artillery House (now Teach Ghráınne) is, or on a wall of Gallagher’s factory, where the car park for the shopping centre now is?).
These are murals from completing organisations, the UVF (above) represented by an Uzi above various flags and the emblem of the UVF, and the UDA (below) represented additionally by hooded volunteers on manoeuvres. They were together on the Crumlin Road, on waste-ground at the top of Queensland Street and at the top of Tasmania Street. On the gable next to the UVF flags large YCV and 36th Division emblems would be added – see the Peter Moloney Collection.
“In loving memory of Rev Robert Bradford.” Bradford was killed in 1981 (see To Bathe The Sharp Sword Of My Word In Heaven) and the mural dates back to (at least) 1983. It perhaps shows the Lindsay Street arch, which was first mounted in 1964. On either side of the arch are written “Honour all men, love the brethren” and “Fear God, honour the King”.
The King Billy mural survived until 1988 and was reproduced on the other side of Donegall Pass in 1989 – see the Peter Moloney Collection. King Billy is subtly coloured red-white-and-blue, while the dying Jacobite is in green-white-and-gold.
At the junction of Apsley Street and Howard Street South, at what is now the entrance to Reverend Robert Bradford Memorial Park.
Voting for Sınn Féın is seen as the way to address the social issues named on placards carried by protestors – culture, houses, Brits Out, jobs – in order to bring about “a new Ireland”.
Sınn Féın’s electoral strategy emerged from the 1981 hunger strike, during which Bobby Sands was elected as an MP and Paddy Agnew and Kieran Doherty were elected as TDs. In October of that year, Danny Morrison famously asked at the Ard Fheıs, “Will anyone here object if, with a ballot paper in this hand and an Armalite in the other, we take power in Ireland?”
In 1983, Alex Maskey stood for Belfast City Council in a by-election [after the resignation of … whom? – please get in touch] and was successful (WP) – there are a campaign graffito and posters to the right. Shortly afterward, Gerry Adams stood in the Westminster election and was successful (ARK).
Beechmount/RPG Avenue, Beechmount, west Belfast, replacing James Connolly in Let Us Rise and Cormac’s Notes.
“Solidarity between women in armed struggle” would be added in the bottom right (or is perhaps obscured by the burnt-out lorry. The imagery shows female members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Cumann Na mBan, and the Southwest African People’s Organisation (from Namibia) drawn within the symbol for woman (also the planet Venus in astrology).
This mural celebrates the IRA (“Óglaigh Na hÉıreann” at the top) from 1919 (the army of the independent Dáıl Éıreann) to the “present” day of 1982. In the centre, a lark flies against a Tricolour, with the word “Saoırse” (“freedom”) beneath.
This is a repainted version of the original, which was one of several murals in Beechmount and the Rock streets that were paint-bombed by “marauding Coldstream Guards” (according to AP/RN of 1982-04-29) – for the damaged mural, see the Peter Moloney Collection. The “1919” date would be changed to “1916”.
Paddy Duffy Collection 