The painting (by Rıstead Ó Murchú) on the board shows the killing (from the direction of Springmartin) of Father Hugh Mullan in waste ground near Springfield Park. It was previously on the Whiterock Road but has now been moved onto the Springfield Road to join the murals calling for justice. (Out of frame to the right are more panels, including one about the children left behind and one of locals protesting.)
“Ballymurphy Massacre – August 1971 – We demand the truth” with portraits of the 11 dead – Quinn, Mullan, Connolly, Teggart, Philips, Murphy, McCarthy, Doherty, Laverty, Corr, McKerr.
“Freedom for the Basque political prisoners.” “Askatasuna” is Basque for “freedom”. In January 2010, all 742 Basque political prisoners went on hunger strike to protest the policy of dispersing them to prisons all over Spain and France.
Alex “Hurricane” Higgins died on July 24th, and a new mural has been painted in his memory outside The Royal at the top of Sandy Row (shown above).
It joins a slightly older mural on Donegall Avenue, at the end of the street where Higgins grew up, Abingdon Street (which is now Abingdon Drive).
Both are near the clubs where he learned the game – the Jam Pot and the YMCA – before going on to twice become world snooker champion, in 1972 and 1982. He was a heavy smoker and suffered mouth and throat cancers. (WP)
The photograph of a stretchered soldier giving a ‘thumbs up’ (shown below) was set up and photographed by Captain Ed Hodges of the King’s Royal Hussars in Basra, Iraq, in 2007 (Daily Mail). In silhouette (as shown here) it has become the icon of the Help For Heroes charity raising money for British forces.
“In loving memory of Vol. John Hanna , murdered by the enemies of Ulster 10th September 1991. Always remembered by the offices and volunteers of 2nd Batt. “B” Coy Village. Its [sic] not for riches nor for glory but the love of one’s country which [we] are prepared to die for. Here lies a soldier. Gone but not forgotten. FGAU.” The two smaller plaques on either side of the RHC wings on the left are to “Friend Sammy Mehaffy 13th November 1991” and “Volunteer Stevie McCrea 18th February 1989”, both “murdered by the enemies of Ulster”.
There was previously a painted “Village B Coy” banner at the bottom of the wall – see M04207.
The UVF flag contains the flag of England (St. George’s Cross) in one corner and in the other an orange star; “1912” – the year the Ulster Volunteers were founded – in this example is in the top right. The colour-scheme is the reverse of the Orange Order’s: its flag has the purple star of the Williamites on an orange field.
“Gary Hamilton – world kickboxing champion – www.prokick.com“. Hamilton held the featherweight full contact world title from 2002-2009 (WP). The Prokick gym is in east Belfast.
Above and below are images from the August 15th (feast of the assumption) march of the Ancient Order Of Hibernians, taken at Milltown Cemetery where AOH leader Joe Devlin is buried. The first two show banners of the Gortrighey division (387) – the first includes an image of a priest celebrating the nativity on Christmas morning at a mass rock in the penal days which is also reproduced in an Ardoyne mural. The Glassdrummand banner shown next includes a very similar image.
We then have two showing the assumption of our lady, the first from the first Derry division and the second from Rosnashane.
The final banner, from Randalstown, shows ‘Our Lady Queen Of Ireland”.
The final two images are of the lapels of a well-traveled Newry member, with badges from Michigan and Pennsylvania alongside a pike (1798), an easter lily (1916) and commemorations of Bloody Sunday and the hunger strikers, and of the side entrance to the local Clonard AOH lodge, division 58, which hosted the gathering.
This mural of an eagle is particularly striking because it is a piece of street art (by TMN members Raser and Akin/Aken) in Andersonstown (specifically Glen Parade, opposite the Kennedy Centre). Its presence so close to sectarian murals is perhaps explained by the fact that it is on the side of a business – Vogue hair stylists.
Extramural Activity 