painted board

Self-Government Is Our Right

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03724-2016-08-06-casement2

Here is the second (of three) new paintings on the exterior wall of Casement Park in Andersonstown, west Belfast celebrating the life and death of Roger Casement. The words come from Casement’s speech from the dock at his trial on charges of treason. The quote in fact reads “Self-government is our right, a thing born in us at birth; a thing no more to be doled out to us or withheld from us by another people than the right to life itself — than the right to feel the sun or smell the flowers or to love our kind.” As the post on the first painting (see It Is Better For Men To Fight And Die) noted, Casement made his name (and was knighted) for his reports into abuses of “human rights” in Congo and Peru.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03724 Andersonstown Rd

The Re-Birth Of The Irish Republic

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03747-2016-08-14-atown-gpo

In addition to the seven signatories of the Proclamation of an Irish Republic, 9 other leaders of the Easter Rising were executed in the wake of the rebellion. The portraits of all 16 are part of the — newly refreshed — mural of Walter Paget’s painting The Birth Of The Irish Republic. The mural now includes a bright red phoenix. (For the original mural, and Paget’s painting, see the painting’s Visual History page.) In order of appearance, the 16 (with links to their WP pages) are …

             (Left-hand side)

  1. John MacBride
  2. Roger Casement
  3. Thomas MacDonagh
  4. Éamonn Ceannt
  5. Thomas Kent
  6. Con Colbert
  7. Michael Mallin
  8. Edward Daly
  9. Michael O’Hanrahan
  10. Willie Pearse
  11. Seán Heuston
    (Right-hand side)
  12. James Connolly
  13. Joseph Plunkett
  14. Patrick Pearse
  15. Tom Clarke 
  16. Seán Mac Diarmada

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03747 andersonstown road provisional government

Unfinished Business

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03616 2016-07-03 Unfinished Revolution+

The centenary of the Easter Rising, 1916 – 2016, serves as a touchstone for the painters of this mural in Derry who hold that the work of the rebellion is incomplete: “Unfinished revolution, unfinished business”. The same slogan and image of a hoodied volunteer appears in two murals both entitled Resistance, one in Belfast, one in Derry.

Update: In the last 24 hours, the papers are reporting that “Join the IRA” has been added to the board, which has been condemned as a hate crime by local DUP politician Gary Middleton. For more, and a pic, see Derry Journal.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03616 westland street

It Is Better For Men To Fight And Die

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03723 2016-08-06 Casement1+

Shown above is the first of three new boards at Casement Park in west Belfast, named for Roger Casement. Working for the British Colonial Services, Roger Casement wrote extensive reports on the abuse of indigenous people in Congo Free State (1904) and in Peru (1910).

In Congo Free State, King Leopold II of Belgium was using a private force to suppress the locals while extracting rubber; Casement’s report (archive.org) led to the Belgian government taking over Leopold’s operation and creating the Belgian Congo.

In Peru, Casement investigated abuses against the Putumayo indians at the hands of the Peruvian Amazon Company. As a result of his report, the PAC gradually lost business and folded. (WP) Casement was knighted in 1911 for his human rights work, though this title would be stripped shortly before his execution.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03723 Andersonstown Rd

Tír Na nÓg

Extramural Activity2 Comments
03631 2016-07-05 Tir na nOg+

In the myths of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Fıan Oısín falls in love with Nıamh from the Land Of Youth, but after three years — which is 300 human years — he yearns to return to Ireland. She gives him a magic horse that will preserve his youth while he remains on it. But he falls from it and dies of old age.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03631 central drive, Derry/Doıre

End The Torture

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03614 2016-07-03 End The Torture+

IRPWA mural showing prisoners being beaten and lying in a pool of blood, next to the “#DerryHappy” mural in Lecky Road: “End the torture in Maghaberry now!!”

03659 2016-07-08 End The Torture w+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03614 X03659

Britain’s Torture Of Irish POWs

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03611 2016-07-03 End Internment+

RNU board in Westland Street, Derry showing a prisoner behind bars, a victim of internment. The wide shot includes a nail-up with “Brits out now – IRA”.

The board was previously on the rear of Free Derry Corner.

03661 2016-07-08 Brits Out+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03611 X03661

Grant’s

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03579 2016-06-30 Grant's 1+

We travel through time with these three images of Grant’s shop on Bishop Street, Derry. The first above, is labelled “circa 1972” and shows Henry Grant; the second shows children playing marbles in the street in front of Patrick Grant’s shop “circa 1918”, while the third, with a horse and cart, is dated to 1932.

03580 2016-06-30 Grant's 2+

03581 2016-06-30 Grant's 3+

03582 2016-06-30 Grant's w+

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03579 X03580 X03581 X03582

c. 1918 possibly Annie Doherty on the right

Culann’s Hound

Extramural ActivityLeave a comment
03632 2016-07-05 Cu Chulainn+

“Cú Chulaınn” is Irish for “Culann’s Hound” after the boy Setanta killed the smith’s hound and promised to take its place until another one was raised. In one version of the legend, Setanta kills the original hound by driving a slıotar (hurley ball) down its throat – hence the hero is shown here holding a camán (hurley stick) rather than a sword. In the original picture on which this mural is based, the hero is not Cú Chulaınn but Jim Fitzpatrick’s vision of Nuada Silverarm and he carries a sword.

On the right hand side, Tuan the hawk/eagle/sea-raven bears witness to all of Irish history.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03632 central drive

The Heaneys

Extramural Activity3 Comments
03638 2016-07-06 Heaneys+

UVF 3rd Battalion [East Antrim? North Belfast?] board in Ballyclare to Vol. Robert Heaney and Vol. Brian Heaney. There doesn’t seem to be any information about these two in the usual places – please get in touch if you know anything about them.

Click image to enlarge
Copyright © 2016 Seosamh Mac Coılle
X03638 erskine pk