CNR

Brıogáıd Dhoıre

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02834 2015-08-25 BriogaidDhoire+

The Provisional IRA emerged from a split in the IRA in the wake of sectarian unrest in 1969. The Derry battalion became the Derry Brigade (An Brıogáıd Dhoıre) in 1972 when the number of people wishing to become volunteers swelled in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday. It is estimated that 1,000 Derry Catholics (2% of the population) were imprisoned for IRA activities in the 70s and 80s. (WP) The image above shows a mural with Cú Chulaınn, an oak leaf with crossed rifles, and a lily. In the centre is a board commemorating volunteers from the 1st battalion — an identical board can be found on Westland Street; see Spirit Of Freedom – and below are a commemorative standing stone and dolmen a short distance away.

02827 2015-08-24 StandingStone+

02812 2015-08-24 Dolmen+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02834 X02827 X02812 lecky rd irish republican army óglaıgh na héıreann lafferty donaghey keenan starrs mcgillen carr mcdaid moyne heaney coyle harkin duffy quigley english mcsheffrey mcfadden unbowed and unbroken erected in memory of the fallen in ireland about 3000 BC it is believed that they were erected to honour an esteemed chieftain or warrior tógadh an leacht cuımhneacháın ın ónóır agus ı gcuımhne ar chéad chathlán bhrıogáıd dhoıre óglaıgh na héıreann tugtar ómós do mhısneach saoırse poblachta

Slí Na Gaeltachta

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03225 2015-12-18 Slí na Gaeltachta+

Slí Na Gaeltachta (The Gaeltacht Way) is a 2.5-mile trail of twenty-six “art and heritage” stops from the city centre to the Whiterock Road in west Belfast. A gaeltacht is an Irish-speaking region.

See previously: Onwards – memorial mural to Clive Dutton, author of the Dutton Report calling for the regeneration of west Belfast by (in part) developing its Irish-language identity.

02752 2015-07-24 SlíNaGaeltachtaSquaring+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03225 X02752 brighton st www.forbaırtfeırste.com fáılte go welcome to Ag fíorú ghaeltacht bheo Bhéal Feırste – Driving forward Belfast’s vibrant Gaeltacht.

Let The Fight Go On

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02844 2015-08-25 OHaraLetFightGoOn+

Patsy O’Hara mural and (out of shot to the left but shown in close-up below) memorial stone: This memorial is dedicated to the memory of Volunteer Patsy O’Hara, Irish National Liberation Army and H-Block martyr, who gave his life on 21st May 1981. Also dedicated to his nine brave comrades. “If you strike at, imprison, or kill us, out of our prisons or graves we will still evoke a spirit that will thwart you, and perhaps, raise a force that will destroy you! We defy you! Do your worst!” – James Connolly

02845 2015-08-25 OHaraPlaque+

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X02844 X02845 IRSP socialist party Bishop St Derry

Reclaim The Republic

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02987 2015-09-03 Poblacht Na hEireann+

The masthead of the 1916 proclamation declaring a “Provisional Government of the Irish Republic” to the “People of Ireland” is faithfully reproduced in this éırígí stencil, along with busts of Padraıg Pearse and Tom Clarke. Pearse, Clarke, and the other signatories will likely be familiar faces in the months leading up to Easter 2016, which is at the end of March, and the anniversary of the date itself, April 24th, 1916.

See also Thursday’s post featuring a fly-paper reproduction of the 1916 Proclamation: Brotherhoods.

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X02987 poblacht na héıreann

A Bottle Of Wine & Patsy Cline

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02986 2015-09-03 Patsy Cline+

Gerard ‘Mo Chara’ Kelly painted these three images of Patsy Cline in the back garden of a Springhill neighbour. Cline died in 1963 at age 30; the three panels show different stages of her short career: the first shows her in cowboy gear, before turning to pop music, the second is based on a 1957 publicity shot for her new label, Decca, and the third shows her in 1961. Her cover of Don Gibson’s Sweet Dreams was released as a single in the wake of her death.

Here is video of Patsy singing Willie Nelson’s Crazy and, below that, Marsha Thornton doing the song from which today’s title comes:

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02986

Flag Of Flags

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02766 2015-08-16 ThistleCourt+

Three images of flags. In the one above, flags are seen on either side of the Short Strand “peace” line: the Irish tricolour and the flag of Palestine stand over a Union flag hung next to the local bonfire site.

The second is a “flag of flags” in Tullycarnet – the Union flag, the cross of St. George,  St. Andrew’s Saltire, and the Ulster banner, all together around the red hand of Ulster and the crown, and “No Surrender”.

In the third, the flag of Hamas flies above the red-and-yellow Starry Plough of the Irish Republican Socialist Party in Derry’s Bogside.

02877 2015-08-28 FlagOfFlagsMagennis+

02805 2015-08-24 ArabFlag+

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X02766 X02877 X02805

Never At Peace

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03612 2016-07-07 Ireland Unfree+

Contemporary Republican stencil containing a trio of classic slogans: Patrick Pearse’s famous closing words at the funeral of O’Donovan Rossa (which was re-enacted this August on its centenary) — “Ireland unfree shall never be at peace”; “PSNI-RUC not welcome”; and – of the greatest vintage – “Tıocfaıdh ár lá. IRA”. Meenan Square, Derry.

02804 2015-08-23 IrelandUnfreeDerry+

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X03612 X02804 our day will come

It Is Cold And We Are Tired

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03198 2015-12-01 It Is Cold And We Are Tired+

Two murals by Mark Bodé (web) and another in his style (and that of his father, Vaughan Bodé). The first is on the Cupar Way “peace” line and shows a disgruntled caveman and the Yellow Hat character; the second is in the Lecky Road underpass in London-/Derry and shows the character Cobalt 60; and the third is a promotional mural in the style of the Bodés in Gresham Street. All three date to this (2015) summer, when Bodé came to Derry for the ‘Release The Pressure’ street art festival. (Bodé’s official piece for the festival, painted with Dave Bonzai, can be seen in Metalmorphosis.)

02759 2015-08-14 BodéHolster+

02763 2015-08-16 ReleaseThePressure+

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03198 X02759 X02763 ebrington Karl Donal Adam Glenn Blaze FX

Car Crime Is A Growing Problem

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02981 2015-09-02 Car Crime+

“Car crime is a growing problem — don’t let it impact on our community.” Board at the junction of Falcarragh Drive and Suffolk Road.

See also: Where’s The Joy? | Death Driving

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X02981 gone hurt crash glen parent

Vol. Eamonn Lafferty

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02863 2015-08-26 Lafferty+

19 year-old Provisional IRA volunteer Eamonn Lafferty was killed on August 18th, 1971, in a gun-battle with British Army forces who were attempting to dismantle barricades in republican “Free Derry”. The mural and plaque shown (and a headstone) are situated—as the mural states—in the location where he was killed, in Creggan’s Kildrum area. (His body is buried in City Cemetery.)

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Copyright © 2015 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X02863 killed on active service at this spot on by crown forces whilst defending his community was just 19 years old fuaır sé bás ar son na héıreann derry brigade óglaıgh na héıreann beırıgí bua song in Lafferty’s honourimages from Lafferty’s funeral commanding officer 1st battalion