ABSTRACT
In 1970, two men were sentenced to six months imprisonment for painting a tricolour and the slogan 'Ireland Unfree shall never be at Peace' in Annadale Street in Belfast. Mural paintings were one facet of a broader movement that sought to 'draw support' for republicanism and also elaborate on the cultural traditions that provide the ideological framework for resistance to British rule in Ireland. Cuchulainn spares Medb's life, and peace is made between the opposing forces. These paintings, and slogans like '25 Years, Time for Peace Time to Go', which were stencilled throughout nationalist areas, convey a sense that the IRA were laying down their arms from a position of strength. These, the murals state, are among the other essential ingredients for 'A Just and Lasting Peace'. The only paintings that make broader political demands have been two murals that have asserted a general demand for peace, linked with a desire for the need to free the loyalist prisoners.
