The People’s Gallery
The Petrol Bomber, 1994
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 gable wall of a 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.
Bernadette, 1996
This mural is an homage to the role of women during the struggle for civil rights, depicting the female activist and politician Bernadette Devlin (now Mc Aliskey) 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 scenes of unrest break out behind her. It was common for residents to bang the lids of bins to alert the community that security forces were approaching the area, so that they could prepare or seek safety in their homes.
A photograph of Father Daly taken by Fulvio Grimaldi inspired the third mural of the People’s Gallery, titled Bloody Sunday. The boy in the photo is 17-year-old Jackie Duddy, who was shot and killed that day On January 30th, 1972, 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.
Bloody Sunday Commemoration, 1997
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 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 neighbourhoods
Beneath the scene are portraits of two young boys who were killed in the area. Charles Love, on the left, was killed by fragments of an IRA bomb intended for the security forces. On the right is Manus Deery, a 15-year-old boy who was shot dead on 19 May 1972. He was hit by fragments from a ricochet bullet fired by a British Army sniper from an observation post on the city walls.
The Death Of Innocence (Annette McGavigan), 1999
The Death of Innocence mural depicts Annette Mc Gavigan, the first child killed by sectarian violence in September 1971. Annette was hit by a bullet from the British Army on her way home from school and is pictured in her school uniform. Mc Gavigan is colourfully portrayed in the centre of the composition with a large blue butterfly to her left, while the black-and-white background displays the rubble and destruction in the neighbourhoods 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.
The Rioter (Saturday Matinee), 2001 and Operation Motorman, 2001
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 against British occupation in Northern Ireland. Major areas of unrest, including the Bogside neighbourhood, became known as ‘no go’ zones for state entities such as the police force and British troops. Operation Motorman was the military operation carried out on 31 July 1972 with the intention of retaking ‘no-go’ areas. Two unarmed teenage boys were shot and killed in Derry by the British army that day. The mural depicts a British soldier during a raid.
Civil Rights, 2004 (Repainted 2015)
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.
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-colour checkerboard. This composition is the most colourful 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.
Tribute To John Hume, 2008
The Tribute to John Hume honours major international figures that fought for human and civil rights including Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, 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 the Gandhi Peace Price and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award. He is the only person to receive all three major peace awards before his passing in 2020
Mothers and Sisters, 2016
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.