Here dead we lie

Here dead we lie
Because we did not choose
To live and shame the land
From which we sprung.

Life, to be sure,
Is nothing much to lose,
But young men think it is,
And we were young.

 

Alfred Edward Housman

 

 

Carnan Street, Belfast 2015



This mural is in Carnan Street, also known as C. Coy street.

It represents 5 volunteers from the Ulster Volunteer Force  (UVF) killed between 1973 and 1978, and they are depicted bare-faced and with the entire figure, which was unusual for Unionist as when represented as full figure they were masked. This style is therefore more similar to the Republican murals.

To commemorate the 5 young men, there is a poem from Housman, who was one of the greatest poet of the First World War. It is surrounded by red poppies, which are also called remembrance poppies and are used to commemorate soldiers that have lost their lives in war.

This mural is from 2014. Before this one there was the one reported here, also commemorating the five men of the 1st Battalion Ulster Volunteers (West Belfast).