“Ballybeen Youth C. Company” Red Hand Commando, with the names of the six counties and the slogan “Lamh Dearg Abu” (a corruption of “Lámh Dhearg Abú”, “red hand to victory”).
“Where so ever, how so ever or whenever we are called upon to make our exit, we shall do so as proud men.” (Another UVF mural in east Belfast has “as free men”.) A hooded gunman from the Red Hand Commando stands at the ready. The first of the four crests is the (rare, possibly restricted to the Morven Park murals) “RHC Youth”; then PAF, UVF, and YCV. Morven Park, Ballybeen.
Here are eight images of the long (very long!) mural on the wall between Divis and the motorway, with scenes of life in Divis from yesteryear: kids swinging on lampposts, people praying in St Peter’s, women having a pint in the pub. Also notable is the hut made out of SDLP electoral signs. For a larger (in progress) set, see C01256.
[Partial ordering From left to right: shop + drinking + van | 3 women (above) + Belfast Celtic + boxer | pub house + 3 girls washing feet | trike + lamppost swing | praying | …]
[… | paperboy + pair on bike + communion pair | boy with ball + solo older man | 3 women in pub + street | …]
“Ambassadors For Peace” is a programme for young people from the Shankill, Divis, and Newington who, along with students from Susquehanna University, painted both sides of the two security gates on Lanark Way with positive messages in 2010. “Today’s riots are tomorrow’s history”, “There was never a good war or a bad peace” and the two included here “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war” and “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make them your friend”.