“Putting Ireland first [in Europe]”. Sinn Féin European election hoarding for candidate Bairbre de Brún on the side of the Andersonstown office (Connolly House).
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Copyright © 2009 Peter Moloney
Ireland
Gateway To West Belfast
The power station below Divis tower, rather than the so-called International Wall a little further up the road, is becoming the starting point for (republican) west Belfast. Visitors from around the world are greeted in a variety of languages. The board is sponsored by Gort Na Móna Historical Society. Above it is a Fáilte Feirste Thiar [Welcome To West Belfast] tarp: “Promoting west Belfast tourism”.
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Copyright © 2009 Peter Moloney
Tóirsire
Sinn Féin Youth claims to be the “tóirsire”/”torch-bearer” for the campaign to unite Ireland. Racecourse Road, Derry.
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Copyright © 2007 Peter Moloney
West Tyrone
Three constituency offices – the SDLP’s Byrne had lost in 2003 and 2007, pushed out by Kieran Deeny who was campaigning to keep the Tyrone County Hospital open – and a Sinn Féin hoarding in Omagh. James Street (x2), Dublin Road, Dromore Road
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Copyright © 2007 Peter Moloney
ETA – RIRA
These hand-drawn BRY/RIRA murals are a montage of many traditional republican symbols, such as Celtic FC, the Easter lily, Bobby Sands, an assault rifle, the Tricolour and a crude island of Ireland. Plus support for Basque separatists ETA. “CRF” = “Catholic Reaction Force”? Dove Gardens, Derry.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
INLA
The island of Ireland (without border) floats above cross rifles. D’Alton Park, Armagh
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
The Five Demands, 2006
A very different ‘Five Demands’ from Sinn Féin on the 25th anniversary of the hunger strike: “1. The Irish Government should produce a Green Paper on Irish Unity. 2. The work of the All Ireland Ministerial Council should be expanded and additional All Ireland Implementation Bodies created. Westminster MP’s elected in the 6 Counties should be accorded speaking rights in the Dail [sic]. 3. Voting rights for Presidential elections should be extended to citizens in the six counties. 5 The Irish Government should actively engage with the British Government and Unionism to promote and seek support for re-unification.”
The original ‘Five Demands’ are given as “1. The right to wear our own clothes. 2 The right to refrain from prison work. 3. The right to free association with fellow prisoners. 4. The right to organise recreation and leisure activity – with one letter, parcel and visit allowed per week. 5. To have remission lost, as a result of the blanket protest, restored.” For versions of the five demands from the period, see one | two | three.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
Sinn Féin Offices
Four Sinn Féin offices (or co-opted buildings as in the first image), in Crossmaglen, Armagh, Coalisland (including an IRA Tyrone Brigade plaque), and Derry.
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
Cláraigh Le Sinn Féin
These two “Join Sinn Féin” boards are above the Sinn Féin office on the Falls Road, Belfast. “Don’t wish for a united Ireland, work for it.”The second, with portraits of Pearse, Carney, and Sands, is an example of the Irish-language rights campaign which becomes a central policy around this time: Is í athgabháil na Gaeilge athgabháil na hÉireann [the repossession of Irish is the repossession of Ireland]. (See previously Cearta Teanga, Cearta Daonna.)
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Copyright © 2006 Peter Moloney
Free Ireland
Bouquets of tricoloured flowers are placed on the Free Ireland mural at the corner of Beechmount Avenue and Falls Road, Belfast. A hand clasping an Easter lily is manacled by bonds “Made in Britain”. The mural is now in its fifteenth year. For the plaque, see the original 1990 post.
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Copyright © 2005 Peter Moloney
