“… in a safe community.” “Young people at work” in east Belfast on the Dee Street bridge onto “The Island”.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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We All Have A Future
painted wall
Innocent
On January 30th, 1972, the Parachute Regiment, 1st battalion (“1 Para”), opened fire on a civil rights march in Derry’s Bogside, hitting dozens of people of which fourteen ultimately died.
Seven of the dead were teenagers, including Gerald (“Gerard”) Donaghey/Donaghy, who is featured (in younger days) in the apex of this new mural commemorating the dead, none of whom were judged to be attacking Army soldiers when they were shot.
It was alleged, however, that Donaghey had nail bombs in his pockets. This judgment was upheld in the Saville Report, though most of the people who were with him and who handled his body – including the medical officer who pronounced him dead – did not see any bombs (WP | BelTel). The launch was on June 15th, the same date that the Saville Report was issued in 2010.
The ‘Bloody Sunday ’72’ emblem is to Donaghey’s right – see Bloody Sunday 72 | Domhnach Na Fola | Remember Bloody Sunday. The oak leaf is a symbol of Derry.
Painted by JMK (ig) in Fahan Street, Derry, (on the wall that was briefly home to the Mike Jackson “War Criminal” mural – see From The Top Down). The owner of the gable wall granted permission for the painting of the mural (see the video of the launch on the Museum Of Free Derry’s youtube channel).
The names of the 14 dead and 17 injured on the side walls were painted by Paddy Nelis (tw). His previous work includes the 2013 Brıogáıd Dhoıre mural in Lecky Road and in 2022 (with Razer) the Bogisde mural to his brother, Donncha Mac Nıallaıs.
As a fıan, there is a plaque to Donaghey at the spot where he was killed in Glenfada Park (M09537) and he was included in the roll of honour in Shantallow (X02870).
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Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
X12622 X12623 X12624 X12625 Gerald Donaghey, Patrick Doherty, Jim Wray, Hugh Gilmour, Michael Kelly, Michael McDaid, Kevin McElhinney, William Nash, Bernard McGuigan, John Johnston, William McKinney, Gerard McKinney, John Young, Jackie Duddy. Bloody Sunday Trust. Damian Donaghy, Margaret Derry, Michael Bridge, Michael Bradley, Pius McCarron, Patrick Brolly, Alana Burke, Thomas Harkin, Alex Nash, Joe Friel, Michael Quinn, Joe Mahon, Patrick O’Donnell, Daniel Gillespie, Patrick Campbell, Daniel McGovern
The Boys Are Back In Town
Before rock band Thin Lizzy played the King’s Club at the Queen’s Court hotel in Bangor on July 27th, 1974 (Thin Lizzy Guide), they took to the water in order to take in the town. They were photographed in the act by Dublin photographer Liam Quigley (Indo profile), and the picture (see it at Thin Lizzy Guide) was turned into a mural by Friz (ig) in Crosby Street, Bangor, last year.
Original guitarist Eric Bell (who was also a member of Them) is featured in a mural of famous faces in east Belfast – see Inspiring Belfast.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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New Lodge Gardens
Here is a gallery of images from the new, multi-panel, floral mural in the middle of the New Lodge.
The mural was painted by emic (ig) with young people from the New Lodge Youth Centre, sponsored by Communities In Transition (a programme of the Executive Office) and organised by Community Restorative Justice Ireland (web).
For the POW mural, see Unbowed, Unbroken; for the JFTC2 mural, see JFTC2; for the Noah Donohoe mural, see 14 4 Ever.
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A Champion Gets Up
“A champion shows who he is by what he does when he’s tested. When he gets up and says “I can still do it”, he’s “a champion.” In Irish mythology, the Tuatha invade Ireland and battle the Fır Bolg. They are successful but their king Nuadha loses his arm and with it his kingship of the Tuatha. He had it replaced with an arm made of silver and regained his position. He is used here as an inspiration for those struggling with mental health, who are encouraged to call Lifeline or Aware.
(A history of Nuadha in murals is included in the Visual History page on Jim Fitzpatrick.)
The modern-day hero accompanying Nuadha is boxer James “The Assassin” Tennyson, current Irish super-featherweight champion. There are also four mental health boards (shown below) around the corner from Urban Villages Colin Safer Streets Initiative with messages such as “Think, Talk, Feel – Positive”, “Everything that you are is enough”, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”,
Laurelglen Pharmacy, on the Stewartstown Road.
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X14037 X14038 X14039 X14040 sally gardens youth saints youth centre ar scáth a chéıle a mhaıreann na daoıne
The Rarer Action Is In Virtue
“Our revenge will be the laughter of our children” – The words of Bobby Sands are illustrated on an electrical box on the Whiterock Road, Belfast, with silhouettes of children at play in nature.
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Copyright © 2023 Seosamh Mac Coılle
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Óglach George McBrearty
A ceremony to mark the forty-second anniversary of the deaths of IRA volunteers George McBrearty and Charles “Pop” Maguire – shot by the SAS on May 28th, 1981 – was held last Sunday (May 28th) in the garden of remembrance in Linsfort Drive, Creggan (Derry Now). On patrol in Creggan with two other IRA men, McBrearty and Maguire pursued and a car whose driver they suspected of being an SAS soldier and eventually stopped it at the bottom of Couch Road/Southway at the edge of the Brandywell. The driver shot McBrearty as he approached the car and Maguire was shot by the driver and/or by other undercover soldiers from 14th Intelligence who emerged from two other cars. A third volunteer was injured. (Lost Lives 2330)
The “Crann Na Poblachta”/”Tree Of The Republic” – a silver birch – was originally planted in front of the previous mural to George McBrearty mural in Rathkeele Way (see Freedom Fighter For The Republic) (Derry Journal). Both that mural and this one were painted by ‘Bogside Artist‘ Kevin Hasson.
There is a plaque to McBrearty & Maguire near the spot where they were killed on Coach Road/Southway (see M01544).
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Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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A Vision Of The Future
Australian artist Fintan Magee (ig) in Ebrington Square, Londonderry, showing a young girl – a symbol of the next generation – (Bel Tel) behind obscure glass. To the right is a dove; the orca in the bottom right is Dopey Dick, who swam up the Foyle in 1977 (Fb).
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Copyright © 2023 Andy McDonagh/Eclipso Pictures (ig | Fb)
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Summer’s Blood
The inspiration for this new street art by emic (ig | web) – perhaps in both pose and pallette – was Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Blackberry Picking’ (Derry Journal). A young person appears to be searching intently: “You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet/Like thickened wine: summer’s blood was in it/Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for/Picking.” (Full poem)
The official title is “Younger Days”; in Creggan, Derry, for Gasyard Féıle; with support from the Communities In Transition programme.
Replaces Creggan 75; there is still republican graffiti on the adjacent wall (final image): “Stop normalisation of RUC/PSNI”.
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Rotten And Corrupt
“Rotten And Corrupt: Christopher Little (39) entered guilty pleas to nine charges at Belfast Crown Court last month – including attempting to have sex with a child. [Irish Times] 20 officers shared racist, sexist and misogynistic messages including texts and images which mocked Arabic and Islamic people. [Spotlight programme] Six PSNI officers all had hearings for an array of alleged offences. PSNI revealed they themselves had dismissed 11 police officers amid claims of over 130 misconduct cases throughout the force. [Belfast Live]”
It’s not clear who is behind these flyers in north Belfast; the harpist on the electical box is by Kerrie Hanna (ig).
New Lodge Road, Belfast.
Update: the posters have been removed (by the end of July, 2023).
See also the Visual History page for electrical boxes.
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Extramural Activity 