Belfast Murals
Murals in Northern Ireland have become symbols of Northern Ireland, depicting the region's past and present political and religious divisions.
Belfast contains arguably the most famous political murals in Europe. It is believed that almost 2,000 murals have been documented since the 1970s. In 2014, the book,
Murals commemorate, communicate and display aspects of culture and history. The themes of murals often reflect what is important to a particular community. A mural therefore exists to express an idea or message and could generally be seen as reflecting values held dear to that community.
In Irish republican areas the themes of murals can range from the 1981 Irish hunger strike, with particular emphasis on strike leader Bobby Sands; murals of international solidarity with revolutionary groups are equally common, as are those which highlight a particular issue.
In working class unionist communities, murals are used to promote Ulster loyalist paramilitary groups such as the Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Volunteer Force and commemorate their deceased members. However traditional themes such as William III of England and the Battle of the Boyne, the Battle of the Somme and the 36th Ulster Division are equally common.
UK: NORTHERN IRELAND: SITUATION UPDATE (2)
English/Nat
Prospects for peace in Northern Ireland were in jeopardy on Sunday following an attack in a Catholic neighbourhood that left one dead and three others wounded.
The outlawed Protestant Loyalist Volunteer Force claimed responsibility for killing the Catholic hotel security guard and injuring three others, including a teenage boy.
The killing followed the murder hours earlier of a prominent L-V-F member, Billy Wright, inside the Maze high security prison near Belfast.
Police said gunmen fired on customers leaving this Catholic-owned hotel disco near Belfast on Saturday night.
A 45-year-old security guard of Glengannon Hotel was shot in the head. The guard had served time in prison in 1980 for a terrorist-related murder.
Three others were injured, including a 14-year-old boy.
The outlawed Protestant Loyalist Volunteer Force claimed responsibility for the attack, which was an apparent retaliation for the killing on Saturday of prominent L-V-F member Billy Wright.
The L-V-F issued a statement threatening further attacks, saying that for too long the Protestant people have watched their very faith, culture and identity being slowly eroded away.
Eyewitnesses said the masked gunman started firing as soon as their car pulled up outside the hotel.
Party-goers, mostly Catholic youths, didn't realise they were under attack.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
Just all of a sudden there was several loud bangs but a lot of people thought is was like firecrackers or bangers left over from the Christmas period.
SUPER CAPTION: Colin Little, eyewitness
SOUNDBITE: (English)
Well, I think there's a great deal of fear both here and throughout Northern Ireland, fear that the kind of violence that we experienced in the past could be reborn. Hopefully it won't, hopefully this incident is an isolated incident.
SUPER CAPTION: Dennis Haughey, SDLP
The three survivors were rushed here, to Dungannon's South Tyrone Hospital.
Two of them - both men - were shot in the chest and were in serious - but stable - condition.
The 14-year-old boy was hit in the arm and leg. He too was reported to be serious - but stable - condition.
The shooting is threatening to plunge Northern Ireland back into violence.
The murderous rampage came just hours after the killing of Billy Wright by pro-Irish nationalists in Northern Ireland's top security Maze prison.
The Maze houses hundreds of inmates from both sides of the Northern Ireland debate.
The two sides are segregated to prevent any violence, but a serious lapse in security meant Republican gunmen, who want Britain to give up its rule of Northern Ireland, were able to shoot and kill Wright.
Prison officers said the attackers got onto a roof of the jail and fired on Wright while he was being escorted to the visitor's centre.
The men were thought to be from the splinter group the Irish National Liberation Army, which wants to see British-controlled Northern Ireland reunited with the Irish Republic.
Wright was serving an eight year sentence for threatening to kill witnesses testifying against him in a case unconnected with the conflict.
He had been the subject of six previous assassination attempts by Republican paramilitary groups and had said he always expected to die a violent death.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: Billy Wright, Assassinated LVF Leader
After Wright's shooting, three men gave themselves up without a struggle and two guns were recovered.
Police closed roads in religiously divided west Belfast on Saturday and kept watch elsewhere for possible retaliatory strikes against Catholics.
In Wright's home town of Portadown, rioters hijacked cars on Saturday night and set them alight.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
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u.f.f shoot sein fein/ira man bernard o'hagan
Bernard O'Hagan was the last elected member of Sinn Féin to be assassinated but he was not the last party member to die. The early 1990s also witnessed the killing of Pat McBride, Paddy Loughran, Malachy Carey and Peter Gallagher.
Hundreds turn out for funeral of leading loyalist William 'Plum' Smith
Hundreds of people turned out on Belfast's Shankill Road today for the funeral of leading loyalist William 'Plum' Smith.
Mr Smith, who was 62, had been a UVF prisoner in the 1970s but went on to become a leading member of the Progressive Unionist Party and was instrumental in formulating their strategy in the peace process.
He was a member of the panel when loyalists announced their own ceasefire in October 1994, six weeks after the IRA had announced their own cessation of violence.
Speaking at the service in St Matthew's Church of Ireland, Mr Smith's niece Mandy McDermott said: He continued to work tirelessly to spread his message and help others to understand and learn from his experiences.
He got young people to learn and understand the impact of The Troubles, building relationships on the journey towards peace.
Jim Wilson, himself a former loyalist prisoner who now works as a community worker in east Belfast, said Mr Smith's commitment to loyalism during The Troubles was massive.
But he said he went on to be an architect of peace and played a major role in formulating the PUP's peace strategy in the move away from conflict.
He said the fact that several Sinn Fein members had turned up to pay their respects to Mr Smith before the funeral showed the esteem in which he was held across the city.
He put out the hand of friendship at a time when many others didn't, he said.
UVF murder 2 Catholic civilians working on building site North Queen Street, Belfast 17 May 1994
The Ulster Volunteer Force double sectarian murder in cold blood, leading UVF man Mark Haddock was in charge of the killings. Eamon Fox (42) and Gary Convie (24), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the UVF at a building site on North Queen Street, in the Tiger Bay area of Belfast. 17th May 1994. more info see =
HUNGER STRIKER THOMAS MCILWEEN DEAD
he was sent to prison for killing a innocent women at work, after planting a bomb and killing the mother of three.
Republicans kill a catholic man from londonderry in Buncrana..2012
Dissident republicans are being blamed for shooting dead a Londonderry man in Buncrana, County Donegal.
Andrew Allen, 24, from the Top of the Hill in the Waterside area, was shot at a house in Links View Park, Lisfannon on Thursday night.
Mr Allen, a father of two, was one of several men forced out of the city by a republican vigilante group last year.
It has emerged that dozens of other young people are also living elsewhere because of threats.
Army in Northern Ireland. Archive film 94072
An armoured car goes through the streets of a Northern Irish town, possibly Belfast. 1970's. Soldiers rehearse putting on their riot gear in an army barracks. Close-up shots of them putting on their bullet-proof vests, helmets and visors, riot shields and batons and of a soldier putting a canister of CS gas in his pocket.
A column of soldiers leave a house protected by sand-bags and a barrier. One soldier stands watch for snipers as the others leave one at a time bearing their guns. They are seen through barbed wire as they turn a corner. The patrol continues through the streets of Belfast, civilians and other soldiers look on. They pass a sign indicating that the Falls Road is closed to all traffic without authorisation. The patrol passes three smiling women standing in a doorway.
Northern Ireland: Segregation
A film about Northern Ireland with Prof James Anderson, Queen's Univesrity Belfast.
Part of the Contested Spaces Video Project, University of Sydney
Ardoyne
Ardoyne is a working class and mainly Catholic and Irish nationalist district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It gained notoriety due to the large number of incidents during The Troubles.
This video is targeted to blind users.
Attribution:
Article text available under CC-BY-SA
Creative Commons image source in video
REPUBLICAN BAR SPRAYED WITH GUN FIRE
a shankill loyalist attack on a republican bar.
PENGUINS VIDEO
FUKIN GOOD
Gerry Adams TD - His long journey (Documentary)
Gerard GerryAdams (Irish: Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh) is an Irish republican politician, President of the Sinn Féin political party, and the Teachta Dála (TD) for Louth since the 2011 general election.
From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament (MP) for Belfast West.
He has been the President of Sinn Féin since 1983. Since that time the party has become the second-largest political party in Northern Ireland and the largest Northern Irish nationalist party. From the late-1980s onwards, Adams was an important figure in the Northern Ireland peace process, initially following contact by the then-Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Leader John Hume and then subsequently with the Irish and British Governments.[citation needed]
In 2005, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) indicated that its armed campaign was over and that it was exclusively committed to democratic politics. Under Adams, Sinn Féin changed its traditional policy of abstentionism towards the Oireachtas, the Parliament of the Republic of Ireland, in 1986 and later took seats in the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly.
Credit to Press TV for the footage.
Drugs war more internal loyalist violence.
More internecine loyalist violence, after the ceasefires loyalism in its undiscipline state turns their guns on each other
Shankill Graveyard Tour SASH group
Alternatives- Shankill Area Social History (SASH) group on a guided tour of Shankill graveyard by local Historian Bobby Foster
Full Montage of 19 Ulster VC s Won in The Great War
This poster has been recently published by the Ulster Scots Agency Gordon Street Belfast. It is painted by remowned local artist Philip Armstrong. Using old photographs he accurately poses each Ulster hero, school photograph style, side by side with other V C winners.
Shankill Road Victims Memorial Services 2013
Shankill Road Memorial.
The People of the Shankill Road have suffered deeply over the years through the actions of Sectarian Sinn Fein IRA Terrorists.
This service was not only to Recognise & Remember those killed within these atrocities, but for all victims of Nationalist Extremist Terror.
SF IRA Murderers constantly state that they were, & are not, a Sectarian Army. However these massacres of innocence, alongside Darkley, Tullyvallen, La Mon House, Kingsmill, Teebane, Enniskillen etc & the Murder of Protestant & Orange Man David Black, prove that they were & are exactly that, A Sectarian Nationalist Extremist Gang of Murderers.
When SF IRA set out to kill on each of these occasions, they did so knowing they would be killing Protestants, Not British Soldiers, nor Police, but simply Protestants. They cared not what Protestant, any Protestant would do. SF IRA Man Bik McFarlane admitted being part of the killer gang responsible for the innocent victims of the Bayardo Bar massacre. Because of this crime, & while serving his jail sentence, he was unable to take part in the Hunger Strikes, as to do so would show him & SF IRA up for the sectarian gang they are.
Hundreds of £ Millions has been spent on Bloody Sunday, Pat Finucane, Rosemary Nelson, Robert Hamill, Hundreds of £ Millions more is wanted for Ballymurphy, Newlodge etc.
Everyone has the right to find out who played what part in their loved ones deaths.
But how much has been spent on Massacred Protestants?
Is the PUL Community entitled to Truth, Justice & Accountability?
Why is the PUL Community not receiving any Truth, Justice & Accountability?
Why is the Life & Death of a Protestant worth less than a Catholic?
Do the families of those mentioned below not deserve Truth, Justice & Accountability?
Why are they not receiving them?
Much has & is wrote & reported about what the British have done within Northern Ireland, with hypocritical SF IRA murderers leading the calls for answers.
Yet have SF IRA even admitted to carrying out a Sectarian Killing Campaign against Innocent Protestants?
Have they admitted to their crimes, served jail sentences for their crimes, & been held accountable for those crimes?
Below is a list of Sectarian Massacres.
Four Step Inn Bomb, 29 September 1971. 2 Innocents Killed.
Alexander Andrews (60) and Ernest Bates (38)
Balmoral Furniture Shop Bomb, 11 December 1971, 4 Innocents, 2 Children, Killed.
Hugh Bruce 70, Harold King 29, Tracey Munn 2, Colin Nicholl 0
Mountainview Tavern Bar Bomb, 5th April 1975. 5 Innocents Killed.
William Andrews 33, Alan Madden18, Albert Fletcher 32, Nathaniel Adams 29, Joseph Bell 52.
Bayardo Bar Bomb, 13 August 1975, 5 Innocents Killed.
Linda Boyle 19, William Gracey 63, Samuel Gunning 55, Hugh Harris 21, Joanne McDowell 29.
Frizzells Fish Mongers, The Shankill Bomb, 23rd October 1993, 9 Innocents, 2 Children, Killed.
John Frizzell 63, Sharon McBride 29, Michael Morrison 27, Evelyn Baird 27, Michalle Baird 7, Leanne Murray 13, George Williamson 63, Gillian Williamson 49, Wilma McKee 38.
They Will Be Forever Within Our Hearts.
They Will Forever Be Part Of The Shankill Road.
God Bless Them All.
NORTHERN IRELAND - WikiVidi Documentary
____________________________________
Shortcuts to chapters:
00:05:07: History
00:08:46: Partition of Ireland
00:13:35: Northern Ireland
00:15:46: The Troubles
00:20:03: Peace process
00:24:57: Background
00:29:31: Governance
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Wikipedia link:
The Troubles | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
The Troubles
00:03:18 1 Overview
00:05:50 2 Background
00:05:58 2.1 1609–1791
00:07:30 2.2 1791–1912
00:09:09 2.3 1912–1922
00:13:29 2.4 1922–1966
00:15:22 3 Late 1960s
00:15:58 3.1 Civil rights campaign and unionist backlash
00:22:52 3.2 August 1969 riots and aftermath
00:27:25 4 1970s
00:27:34 4.1 Violence peaks and Stormont collapses
00:29:41 4.2 Bloody Sunday
00:34:18 4.3 Sunningdale Agreement and UWC strike
00:38:13 4.4 Proposal of an independent Northern Ireland
00:40:39 4.5 Mid-1970s
00:43:13 4.6 Late 1970s
00:45:07 5 1980s
00:50:41 6 1990s
00:51:44 6.1 Escalation in South Armagh
00:53:30 6.2 First ceasefire
00:55:31 6.3 Second ceasefire
00:58:24 6.4 Political process
01:00:44 7 Collusion between British forces and loyalists
01:05:24 8 The Disappeared
01:06:59 9 Shoot-to-kill allegations
01:07:42 10 Parades issue
01:08:55 11 Social repercussions
01:11:08 12 Casualties
01:13:17 12.1 Responsibility
01:15:02 12.2 Status
01:16:12 12.3 Location
01:16:43 12.4 Chronological listing
01:16:52 12.5 Additional statistics
01:17:01 13 See also
01:17:56 13.1 In popular culture
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- Socrates
SUMMARY
=======
The Troubles (Irish: Na Trioblóidí) was an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, and the Conflict in Ireland, it is sometimes described as a guerrilla war or a low-level war. The conflict began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles primarily took place in Northern Ireland, at times the violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.
The conflict was primarily political and nationalistic, fuelled by historical events. It also had an ethnic or sectarian dimension, although it was not a religious conflict. A key issue was the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. Unionists/loyalists, who were mostly Protestants, wanted Northern Ireland to remain within the United Kingdom. Irish nationalists/republicans, who were mostly Catholics, wanted Northern Ireland to leave the United Kingdom and join a united Ireland.
The conflict began during a campaign to end discrimination against the Catholic/nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist government and police force. The authorities attempted to suppress this protest campaign and were accused of police brutality; it was also met with violence from loyalists, who alleged it was a republican front. Increasing inter-communal violence, and conflict between nationalist youths and police, eventually led to riots in August 1969 and the deployment of British troops. Some Catholics initially welcomed the army as a more neutral force, but it soon came to be seen as hostile and biased. The emergence of armed paramilitary organisations led to the subsequent warfare over the next three decades.
The main participants in the Troubles were republican paramilitaries such as the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA); loyalist paramilitaries such as the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and Ulster Defence Association (UDA); British state security forces – the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC); and political activists and politicians. The security forces of the Republic played a smaller role. Republican paramilitaries carried out a guerrilla campaign against the British security forces, as well as a bombing campaign against infrastructure, commercial and political targets. Loyalists targeted republicans/nationalists, and attacked the wider Catholic community in what they claimed was retaliation. At times there were bouts of sectarian tit-for-tat violence. The British security forces undertook both a policing and a counter-insurgency role, primarily against republicans. There were some incidents of collusion between British security forces and loyalists. The Troubles also involved numerous ri ...