The plaque to the left reads, “This mural is dedicated to all those who tragically died on the streets of Derry during the hunger strike era. Suaımhneas Dé da nanamacha. 3rd October 2006.” The mural referred to is in fact the ‘crumbling cell’ mural (see M03350); the ‘Spirit Of Freedom’ mural was first painted in 2011 for the 30th anniversary (see X00999) – the 30th anniversary plaque remains, on the right of the mural but for the 40th anniversary of the 1981 hunger strike “40” replaced the “30” in the bottom border.
The mural features both the lark and the dove (Visual History).
On the side wall, two new panels remember members of the IRA’s Derry brigade, replacing the single board seen in M07635.
Here are both the new and the old pieces from French artist (now based in London) Nerone (ig | web). The new piece is a wide arrangement of flowers in Upper Arthur Street. The older piece (shown in the final image, below) is from 2021’s Hit The North, “Life Won’t Wait” above the night-club (currently Club Lux) in Dunbar Road.
On February 21st, 1988, 23 year-old Aidan McAnespie was shot in the back by 18 year-old Grenadier Guardsman David Holden at a British Army checkpoint in Aughnacloy, Co. Tyrone as he (McAnespie) walked to the nearby GAA club. In November (2022), Holden was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence (BBC | Belfast Live) and he was sentenced yesterday to three years, suspended for three years, thus avoiding jail unless he is sentenced for some additional crime (BBC | BelTel | UTv | Irish Times). He is the first British soldier convicted since the Agreement of a Northern Ireland killing; he might be the only one, as legislation is pending in Westminster that would end prosecutions (RTÉ video | Sky New video). The legacy legislation was discussed previously in Was This Lawful? | Soldier A-Z | Come For One, Come For All | Paras Fight Back | Stop The Witch Hunt.
The banner shown above was hanging on the railings at Laganside Courts, Oxford Street: “Operation Banner supporters group, Belafst and Scottish branch. Our veterans are heroes, not criminals. Leave our Operation Banner veterans alone and stop appeasing Sinn Fein/IRA terrorists.” “Operation Banner” is the name given by British forces to their operations in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007; since then, the deployment of British forces in Northern Ireland has been known as “Operation Helvetica” (Irish News).
Here is a gallery of many of the pieces in the courtyard of the Dark Horse bar in Belfast city centre, presented in clockwise order from the entrance on Commercial Court.
Above and immediately below: the scene in the Klondyke Bar. Links to additional pieces can be found at their appropriate places in the “rotation”, below.
Martin McGuinness and Ian Paisley in the clouds
Belfast Stripped Bare – a view into people’s houses by Ciaran Gallagher (web); many of the painted pieces in the yard are by Gallagher.
A variety of vintage advertisements from the late 1800s and early 1900s: Lloyd & Yorath’s stout (Newport, Wales), Hall’s paints (Hull), Guinness, Gold Flake tobacco (in both English and Irish: Sásuíonn sıad!), Batey’s ginger beer (London), Gilbey’s wines, Mew’s brewery (Isle of Wight).
“Ourma says if you stick t’herown diet of land-an-dairy prod you’ll be firmanna an’trim down” – a saying in which the names of all six Northern Irish counties are (phonetically) included.
August 2019 was the 50th anniversary of what are euphemistically called “The Troubles”. The Battle Of The Bogside (Derry) began on August 12th; in Belfast, fighting began on the night of August 14th and before dawn three people in the Divis Street area were dead: Protestant Herbert Roy and Catholics Patrick Rooney and Hugh McCabe, both shot in the Divis flats complex by the RUC’s Shorland armoured cars. (Two other Catholics were killed in rioting in Ardoyne.) This board is on Divis tower, next to the plaque commemorating Rooney and McCabe.
Four paintings by Michael O’Neill were added in 2008 to Warehouse Lane with the redevelopment of the Four Corners buildings (BBC) (at the junction of Waring Street and Donegall Street) depicting scenes from the history of the United Irishmen: Wolfe Tone and the Muddlers; Henry Joy McCracken goes to the gallows; Russell, Bunting, and Mary Ann McCracken; Russell with the first edition of the Northern Star.
The backdrop to the Red Hand Commando memorial garden in Rathcoole has been repainted with the emblem of the “Red Hand Comrades Association” (for background on the see We Await In The Shadows). “The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms for one’s faith, community and country. [George S. Patton, Jr.] Honour, service, sacrifice.” With the names “N[orman]. Williamson, L. Orr, S. Wasson, N. Anderson, A. Moore.” (Anderson and Moore are new additions, compared to M16237 and M16236, below; also included is M13106 for the plaque in the main mural.)
It is in the same colour-scheme as the main wall, which is now fading somewhat: Founded in 1970, “To this day our principles remain the same: to protect the loyalist community, to retain our Britishness.” The mural shows the “Rathcoole Elite” unit (1st Batt., B. Coy) of the Red Hand Commando, complete with four masked men each bearing weapons.
South Belfast UDA commander Robert Dougan killed by the IRA on February 10th, 1998 while sitting in a car outside Balmoral Textiles in Dunmurry, two months before the Good Friday Agreement was signed. Ed Maloney summed up the situation at the time in a Sunday Tribune article. “A gentleman till the very end, he died as he lived, he was everyone’s friend.”
The twelve “Gertrude Street Great War Fatalities” are: Robert Harvey; William Duff; James Fagan; Alexander Leckey; George McCune; Hugh Nabney; William Nabney; Matthew Scott; Robert C. Skillen; James Watson; Samuel Wright; James Burns.
This board was originally next to the To France And Flanders mural on the adjacent wall; the mural also named these twelve but which only lasted a year. That mural depicted the damaged basilica tower in the village of Albert and there is a similar mural in the village itself – a photograph of the mural and the rebuilt tower can be seen in the top right of the board; the mural can be seen in full here.
As the map in the top left shows, Gertrude Street was where Wolff Close now is, running north from the Newtownards Road; the original Gertrude Star mural (circa 1989) was on the first gable of what is now called “Freedom Corner” – see D00388.
The emblem of the Gertrude Star flute band serves as a background. The band’s 50th/60th anniversary mural is across the street.
“‘The Legacy Of Gertrude Street. Twelve brave young men from Gertrude Street,/Bravely fought in world war one./They tried their best as legends do./But never returned back home.//They dragged through muddy trenches,/In the darkness of the night./But never once would they give up,/As they bravely continued to fight.//Each year these men will be honoured,/As we stand together taking time to reflect./It’s vital to show these heroes the uttermost respect.//For now they lie in Flanders fields,/Between crosses row by row./They lived, they fought for our country,/And gave their lives many years ago.//Forever we will speak of these men,/Who came from Gertrude Street./Their legacy will always live on,/When we think of their marching feet.’ By Angela McCully”
Paddy Duffy Collection 