To The Victor Belong The Spoils

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A robin sits atop the skull of a cat. Work by Glaswegian street artists Spore, EjekRogue-One, and Vues Oner for the Release The Pressure festival in London/-Derry/Doire back on July 25-26th. See below for a shot of the whole thing and a video of the piece in production.

 

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Free Stephen Kaczynski

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Stephen (or Stephan) “Steve” Kaczynski will go before a Turkish court on September 18th on charges of membership of the Marxist-Leninist ‘Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front’ (DHKP-C). (WP) In April, members of the group took over a courtroom and held a state prosecutor hostage; when special forces stormed the building, the hostage and two of his captors died. (Independent) Kaczynski, a freelance journalist from Scotland, is alleged to be instrumental in financing the group. Alternatively, (according to various newspaper reports) he is an undercover agent of the Germans (Daily Sabah) or the British (Brian Shaw). He was on hunger-strike in protest at the conditions in Maltepe #3 from June 25th to August 12th.

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X02803 rnu in west belfast are today leading the way in combating anti-social behaviour reclaiming republican values fighting the benefits cuts tackling the increased drug problem exposing the slum landlords rebuilding community pride the only secure community is an organised one socialism communism red star phoenix

The Bog Side

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The eastern side of what was the island of Derry is called the Water side and the western side, although originally under water, became the Bog side in about 1600. The two murals shown here are on either side of the shops adjacent to the Bogside Inn. There is an excellent history of the area from 1162 to the construction of Rossville flats in 1966 at the Museum Of Free Derry.

The piece above is by RAZER (ig).

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Absent Friends

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Three images from the Tullycarnet Flute Band’s (Tw | Fb) memorial mural for members who have died. The mural is in Lochinver Drive, due south of Stormont, as can be seen in the third image, below. The mural shows two band-members in uniform “In memory of past members and supporters of the Tullycarnet Flute Band. In memory of Steven Dawson (Big Penny). Gone by not forgotten. A light shone in the night. In memory of Joseph Baxter Corry (Joe). Gone but not forgotten. You’ll always be in our hearts. Farewell our absent friend.”

The Pride Of The Hill’s memorial mural was previously featured in a previous Absent Friends

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In Defence Of The Nation

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This is a new mural from the 32 County Sovereignty Movement (web) on the international wall, Divis Street, (Visual History) with symbols of nationalism (the crests of the four provinces, the harp, the tricolour), socialism (the plough in the stars) and support for republican POWs (the barbed wire).

For images of the mural being worked upon, see the Peter Moloney Collection; for an earlier version see 100% British.

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X02744 End British Rule Smash Stormont 32 County Sovereignty Movement 1997-2015

Dhabihah

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The images above and below show a new UDA mural in memory of John Gregg, “The Reaper”, who waged a campaign of terror against Catholics in south-east Antrim and was reputedly associated with British neo-Nazi groups. Gregg was gunned down in 2003, while returning from a Rangers match, as part of the power struggle with Johnny Adair. Watta-Chip (from the previous mural) has been replaced by Turkish Kebabs (Fb).

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X02724 X02725 south east antrim brigade in proud memory of brigadier john gregg 1st batt rathfern b coy grugg Carrickfergus Larne Rathcoole cloughfern young conquerors

United Irishwomen

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Here are two images of the extremes of the Mná Na hÉıreann mural.

In the four corners are circles of Betsy Gray, Anne Devlin, Mary Ann McCracken, and Máıre Drumm. Gray and McCracken were Presbyterians; Gray fought (or at least, was killed) in the 1798 rebellion, as did McCracken’s brother Henry Joy; Mary Ann went on to work for the poor of Belfast and lobby against slavery. Anne Devlin assisted in Robert Emmet’s 1803 rising. (National Graves Assoc) Máıre Drumm was vice-president of Sınn Féın and commander of Cumann Na mBan, who are shown marching on the right-hand side.

In the cloth cap and holding a rifle is Eithne Coyle, a leader and later president of Cumann Na mBan, imprisoned both by the Black and Tans before the treaty and after it by the Provisional Irish government (WP). For the photograph on which her pose here is based, see An Phoblacht‘s History Of Cumann na mBan, which also includes the photo of marching women (discussed previously in Mothering Sunday In Beechmount) though the faces have been changed here, presumably to those of more contemporary volunteers. The same is probably true of the third woman with a bin lids on the left – leave a comment or send an e-mail if you can put a name to any of these faces.

See also Do You Care?

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Do You Care?

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Here are two details from the Mná Na hÉıreann mural. This one shows three Derry women protesting the conditions in Armagh Women’s Prison and in the H-Blocks. This article on Mary Nelis (the protester on the right, with Kathleen Deeny and Theresa Deery) describes the photograph on which this part of the mural is based. The women in Armagh prison were allowed to wear their own clothes and so were not ‘on the blanket’ as their male counterparts in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh were. However, they did engage in a “no wash” protest, which lasted from February 1980 until March 1981, and three of them – Maıréad Farrell, Mary Doyle, and Margaret Nugent – joined the 1980 hunger strike.

In the second image, below, grieving mothers, wives, and sisters stand over a coffin draped in the Irish tricolour with paramilitary gloves and beret on top.

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Mná Na hÉıreann/Women Of Ireland

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Countess Markievicz, carrying a flag of Cumann Na mBan, and Ethel Lynch, carrying a flag of the Derry IRA, take centre stage in the Mná Na hÉıreann mural in London-/Derry/Doıre’s bogside. Markievicz is famous for her role in the Easter Rising of 1916 (WP); Lynch died in December 1974 of injuries sustained when a bomb exploded prematurely. (Derry Journal – also contains the photo on which the painting above is based.) Between them, “Liberty leads the people” waving an Irish tricolour.

This is the one of three posts detailing the 2014-09 piece. See also: Do You Care? and United Irishwomen.

Launched 2014-09-30. In-progress shot in Derry Journal.

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X02738 X02733 brıogáıd dhoıre maire drumm mary-ann mccracken betsy gray anne devlin h-block armagh do you care