Behind Bars

IRPWA is the Irish Republican Prisoners Welfare Association (web | Fb | tw), a body working to support republican prisoners and their families in Maghaberry, Portlaoise, and Hydebank. Barbed wire has long been the symbol of political prisoners, both republican (1981) and loyalist (1988). Previously in this series of boards: éıstıgí | Sniper At Work | IRA | Beır Bua

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04284

Frontline Of British Occupation

This is a tarp from republican party Saoradh (“liberation” web | tw | Fb), alleging that the “supposed police service in the north of Ireland” is engaged in “the brutal militarised suppression of a civilian population”. “The uniform may be different but the brutal tactics are the same.” “End human rights abuses in Ireland now”. Replaces the Resistance tarp (previously seen in Ardoyne).

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X04657 Hugo Street

Comóradh 100 Blıaın

Thomas Ashe was born on January 12th, 1885, in County Kerry, into a bi-lingual household. He became an Irish teacher in Lusk and joined the Gaelic League and the Irish Volunteers, commanding the Fingal battalion during the Easter Rising. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment, which in fact lasted only a year. He was released but soon charged and convicted with sedition, and died on hunger strike on September 25th, 1917, after an “inhuman and dangerous” attempt at force-feeding by the authorities (WP). See also Tomás Ághas.

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Kieran Nugent

The first blanket man, Kieran Nugent (obituary at An Phoblacht), is back in the first spot of the Divis Street wall, where he has resided, with brief interruptions, since 2005. Most recently, a board with the same image as this one was replaced by part of the 1916 centenary mural (see Young Ireland); before that, he was moved further down the wall to the hunger striker mural (along with Mairéad Farrell) to make way for a pro-Catalan mural.

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Stronger Together

Here are eight images of the new Ardoyne mural featuring (from left to right in the image below) Ardoyne Youth Club, Ard Eoın Kickhams, and the John Paul II Youth Club as alternatives to bullying, racism, homophobia, addiction and other social ills. In addition to Irish dancing, soccer, and Gaelic games, there are also images of young people practicing martial arts, DJing, and boxing.

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X04699 X04698 X04697 X04700 X04701 X04666 X04672 X04696 Havana Way Ardoyne Youth Enterprise

End British Rule

“Éıstıgí” (Listen! (plural)). “Stormont must go!” “End British rule”. Éıstıgí is the youth organisation of Saoradh (web | tw | Fb).

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04300

End Isolation

IRPWA (Fb | tw) board protesting the treatment of republican prisoners in Maghaberry “torture camp”, next to Free Derry Corner, with a Palestinian flag and the Bogside Artists’ Bloody Sunday mural in the background.

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04281

Lidl On Equality

The PPR (Participation & The Practice Of Rights) project has called for homes to be built at the Crumlin Road “Hillview” site but the council’s planning council approved a retail park (Belfast Live) by a vote of 7 to 6 (BelTel). The connection to supermarket chain Lidl is unclear, as there is no mention of a supermarket in the plans for the retail park. If you can shed any light, please leave a comment. Their slogan “Lidl: Big on quality, Lidl on price” has been rephrased as “Lidl: Big on quality, Lidl on equality”.

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X04662 X04663 ardoyne ave

Free The Innocent

The JFTC2 campaign (Justice for the Craigavon Two Fb | web) continues with this banner on Northumberland Street, demanding the release of John-Paul Wootton and Brendan McConville, convicted of killing of PSNI Constable Stephen Carroll in 2009. Sponsored by Cogús.

Previously: 2014 murals in Ligoniel and New LodgeJFTC2 on the mountain | Justice in Hugo Street

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X04608

No Justice

Mervyn and Rosaleen McDonald were Catholics living in the mixed Longlands area of Newtownabbey when they were visited by “UFF loyalist assassins” and shot dead in front of their two young children. The killings are described in most detail in Jack Holland’s Too Long A Sacrifice, which contains an interview with the gunman and the claim that the unit had access to RUC files (p. 94). They are buried in Milltown Cemetery (see final image).

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Copyright © 2017 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X04628 X04629 Seamus Costello | Pat Finucane 25 | Askatasuna