In the course of its history, the UDA has flirted with the idea of an independent Northern Ireland and of a repartitioned Northern Ireland. This mural in Avoniel Street, just off Albertbridge Road in east Belfast, shows a Northern Irish island, supporting two masked gunmen, beneath a red fist. The Ulster Freedom Fighters (and its youth organisation, the Ulster Young Militants) was formed in 1973 to give legal cover to the UDA; the UFF was banned immediately, the UDA in 1992.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01388 u.y.m. terrae fillius quis separabit formed 1973 dee st. coy. ulster defence association

The image above shows the centre of a mural in Canada Street depicting Protestant women and children on-board a steamer, the Ulster Queen, leaving Belfast because of rioting and headed for Liverpool, where they were hosted by local Orange families. A shot of the whole is below, as well as a close-up of the laminated letter of thanks to Elsie (Allen) Doyle, one of the organisers in Liverpool.

A very similar mural was in this spot several years ago (though not immediately prior to this one – the wall was blank), featuring three youngsters on the boat, rather than a mother and children. The panel to the right began “In August 1971 many Protestants fled their homes as the IRA launched a bitter sectarian attack on Protestant communities throughout Belfast.” (See M04069.)

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01394 X01392 X01393 in august 1971 many protestants fled their homes as the scale of violence erupted throughout belfast the loyal people of liverpool held out the hand of friendship in our hour of need up to 2000 terrified women and children escaped from burning homes to live in the safety of liverpool that act of friendship by the people of liverpool will never be forgotten a bond never broken no surrender telegraph the big flight of fear is on refugee problem is still growing number of homeless running into several thousand moving out of riot areas echo city gets ready northern ireland steamship ulster queen princes dock just after 6.30 am tired and strained hastily packed suitcases told of there anguish elsie allen doyle the debt of gratitude owed to this lady cannot be measured sitting in liverpool she seen the plight of the protestant families having to flee their home some of them burning as a member of lily of north ladies l.o.l. 79 she decided something had to be done her husband & father-in-law traveled to belfast in august 1971 what she saw motivated her to think that people could come and stay these needed a break away from mayhem that was going on in the name of the republican cause started to make plans and phoned friends including the orange order the hand of friendship was being extended across the irish sea they would not be found wanting took over 900 no mean feat seen they were all housed and cared for god bless you grandchildren loyalist stretched out to us

After a delay, the UVF mural in Inverwood Court, replacing a George Best mural, has been finished. (The Belfast Telegraph reports it was finished on 2013-09-21, and that negotiations to remove it are “ongoing”.) The quote on the right – Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed – comes from the section of Martin Luther King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail in which he considers the merits of civil disobedience or direct action. For a shot of the half-finished piece, see Second Best.

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Copyright © 2013 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X01330 for god and ulster