The People's Gallery in Derry, Northern Ireland

This story map was created in conjunction with the Masters Qualifying Project by Molly McIntosh titled Street Art as Historical Narratives: Cultural Memory and Colonial Trauma in the Murals of Derry, Northern Ireland. This map examines the street art murals in the People's Gallery and their historic background to explore the historical narratives depicted in street art.

The People's Gallery is located in the Free Derry Corner of the Bogside area in Derry, Northern Ireland. This historic neighborhood was the site of significant events throughout the Civil Rights Movement and the era of unrest afterwards known as the Troubles.

The murals are designed and maintained by the Bogside Artists Tom Kelly, William Kelly (passed away 2017), and Kevin Hasson.

There is something both poignant and profound about the mural in Derry, Northern Ireland of a young boy in a gas mask. Gas masks are frequently associated with warfare, while children often evoke ideas of childhood innocence. The combination of the two bring to mind a loss of innocence as a result of war. The mural is so large that it covers the entire side of a gable house, and the boy holds a larger than life petrol bomb made from a milk bottle, unlit, but clearly ready for some purpose 

The 1994 mural, Petrol Bomber, recreates the 1969 photograph by Clive Limpkin taken during the three day Battle of the Bogside riot. It is one of many works of street art located in Free Derry Corner that tell the story of communal resistance during an era of immense violence and repeated instances of collective trauma. These murals are significant because they convey a historical narrative from the perspective of those whose voices were being silenced.

The second mural was installed in 1996, and it depicts the female activist and politician Bernadette Devlin (now McAliskey) speaking through a megaphone at the Battle of the Bogside. Her left hand can be seen assertively reaching outward in a gesture of dialogue as the scene of the riot breaks out behind her.

In the video interview below, the Bogside artists discuss their mindset in the design of the mural to portray the role of women during the Troubles and their place in the frontline of negotiating peace. This work was inspired by Devlin’s speech that was captured by camera crews at the riot. At this time, she was one of the youngest members ever elected to parliament at the age of twenty-one. After giving her speech Bernadette was later arrested on charges of inciting a riot and served a prison sentence.  

A photograph of Father Daly taken by Fulvio Grimaldi, inspired the third mural of the People’s Gallery titled Bloody Sunday. The mural was completed on the 25th anniversary of the events of Bloody Sunday in 1997.

On January 30th, 1972 a public demonstration now known as Bloody Sunday or the Bogside Massacre took place. On that day ten to fifteen thousand men, women, and children assembled in Derry to participate in a march to protest the enactment of internment without trial. Multiple film crews and photographers attended the rally and were able to capture the aftermath of British troops opening fire into the gathered crowds. It has never been established with certainty why this occurred, but the result was thirteen civilians dying instantly, one dying later from injuries, and twenty-eight wounded. 

The Bloody Sunday Commemoration (Figure 29) was the fourth mural erected in the People’s Gallery in 1999 at the 27th anniversary of the massacre. In it are the faces of the fourteen people who died as a result of the shootings at the march. Using portraits to memorialize and humanize victims of sectarian violence is an example of utilizing street art in the process of communal healing and to combat the criminalization of those killed by policing forces in Derry. 

The information board in front of the mural reads:

“A circle frames the faces of the victims with the youngest in the centre. The circle is the symbol of wholeness, the goal of the healing process. Fourteen oak leaves, the symbol of the city, surround the circle.”

The Death Of Innocence mural depicts Annette McGavigan, the first child killed by sectarian violence in September 1971. Annette was hit by a stray bullet from the British Army on her way home from school and is pictured in her school uniform. McGavigan is colorfully portrayed in the center of the composition with a large blue butterfly to her left, while the black-and-white background displays the rubble and destruction in the neighborhoods of Derry. Next to the butterfly on the left side of the mural is a rifle positioned vertically.

A significant transitory element of Death of Innocence appeared after it was revised in 2006, when the Armalite rifle was repainted broken in two. This update is representative of the peace accords in Northern Ireland and the process of weapon de-commissioning by republican and loyalist paramilitaries.

-Raymond McCartney in Derry Journal online, December 22, 2020, www.derryjournal.com/news/people/i-knew-there-was-real-chance-i-could-die-i-was-prepared-die-3075946.

The Hunger Strike mural was previously included in the People’s Gallery. This composition prominently features two hunger strikers, an unidentified woman and Derry resident Raymond McCartney. There were at least three women who participated in the hunger strike, Mary Doyle, Mairead Farrell, and Mairead Nugent. Behind the woman is a brick prison wall with a barred window.

The mural utilized McCartney’s alarming photograph taken after the hunger strike ended. His gaunt face, thin frame, and unkempt hair reiterates the lengths for which protestors would go to regain political status. The mural is largely black and white except for the large red ‘H’ in the background. The eight prisoners that lost their lives in 1981 were located in the H block of Her Majesty’s Prison, and the hunger strike was subsequently called off after their deaths.

The Rioter and Operation Motorman were installed in 2001 and depict scenes of unrest during the Troubles. The nickname Saturday Matinee refers to the day of the week that became popular for young people to riot and protest British occupation in Northern Ireland. Major areas of unrest, including the Bogside neighborhood, became known as ‘no go’ zone for state entities such as the police force and British troops.

Operation Motorman was the 1972 attempt by the British establishment to retake these areas from Republican paramilitaries that resulted in the death of two young people. Daniel Hegarty, a 15-year-old boy and Seamus Bradley, a 19-year-old member of the Provisional IRA.

Civil Rights depicts a crowd of people holding protest signs between banners that say, ‘CIVIL RIGHTS’ and ‘ANTI SECTARIAN.’ The signs held by the crowd reiterate the requests made by civil rights organizations like Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association for equal employment opportunities and universal suffrage for Catholic citizens. This mural was repainted in October 2015 with the images of prominent activists including John Hume and Ivan Cooper.

During the unveiling of the updated mural one of the Bogside artists, Tom Kelly, remarked “The People's Gallery tells our history in a non-sectarian way and the story of the Civil Rights movement was a key chapter and shows the courage of people like John Hume and Ivan Cooper who stepped beyond the political quagmire that existed at the time.”

In 2006 Peace Mural was one of the final additions to the People’s Gallery, it includes the outline of a white dove and the Derry oak leaf over a multi-color checkerboard. This composition is the most colorful in the set of twelve murals and is the only one that does not include people or memories. In this way it is the most optimistic representation and likely reflects feelings of hope regarding the peace process in Northern Ireland.

The 1998 Good Friday Accords established a semblance of peace and safety that Northern Ireland hadn’t seen in a very long time, yet it is significant to note that for many citizens the decades of violence and inequity had done significant damage both physically and mentally. Many of the events depicted in the People’s Gallery such as the Bogside Massacre and assaults on civil rights demonstrators were a direct result of colonial institutions such as biased policing forces and neighborhood segregation. 

The Runner was completed in 2006 and updated in 2016, it depicts a crowd of people running from clouds of CS gas deployed by the British army in neighborhoods.

Beneath the scene are portraits of two young boys who were killed in the surrounding area as a result of the violence perpetrated throughout the Troubles. On the left is Charles Love and on the right is Manus Deery.

2008

The Tribute To John Hume honors major international figures that fought for human and civil rights including Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, and John Hume who was also featured in the Civil Rights mural. All the figures were recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Hume was an Irish nationalist politician and civil rights champion in Northern Ireland, he played a pivotal role in the creation of the 1998 Good Friday Accords. He was also awarded both Gandhi Peace Price and the Martin Luther King Award. He is the only person to receive all three major peace awards before his passing in 2001.

Hunger Strike was covered in 2016 by the final work in the People's Gallery titled Mothers and Sisters . The female protester remains, and the blanket symbolism is still utilized. In this representation of the hunger strike theme, the mother and sister of hunger striker Patsy O’Hara, seen in the lower left corner, are predominantly featured to highlight the loss experienced by the family of those who died during hunger strikes. It is also of interest to note that this is the second mural where the Bogside Artists highlight the experiences of women. 

The girl in Mothers and Sisters points at a nearby Peace Mural, a reminder of the ongoing peace process.