Massachusetts Daily Collegian

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A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

A free and responsible press serving the UMass community since 1890

Massachusetts Daily Collegian

New Irish mural unveiled in ceremony

After eight days of painting with the help of University of Massachusetts faculty and students, Congressman Richard Neal unveiled the 18-by-20 feet mural that Irish muralists Danny Devenny and Mark Ervine finished on Saturday.

About 200 hundred people, including members of the campus community as well as local residents went to see the finished product in the Campus Center Auditorium. The event was part of the Art of Conflict Transformation Event Series. It is also a belated celebration of the 10th anniversary of a historic agreement in the Northern Ireland peace process, The Good Friday Agreement, signed in 1998.

Host John Mullen, the Dean of the University’s Graduate School, also noted that this event was a celebration of Congressman Neal. The congressman worked for a year to get a visa for Devenny, who is considered a terrorist because he was once a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Leah Wing, professor of Legal Studies at UMass and the event coordinator, also noted that Devenny wouldn’t have been able to come to UMass without Neal’s help.

The main image of the mural is a golden statue of liberty with famous historical figures painted on her crown. The statue is surrounded by other images which represent the campus community and student ideals. It touches upon issues such as Justice for Jason and is also an outcry to stop wars worldwide because in war “there are no winners, only victims,” said Ervine.

The muralists said the most important part of their project was creating a mural that
reflected the ideas of UMass students and the campus. The artists were able to gather ideas from a blog where UMass students could post their thoughts, and they also held public Skype sessions over the past year.

Devenny and Ervine were once enemies in the Irish War of Indpendence. Devenny is a republican and former prisoner from the IRA while Ervine is a loyalist whose father was a Progressive Unionist Party leader and Ulster Volunteer Force member. The artists painted murals throughout the war which depicted the conflict, conveyed urgent messages and honored those who had died.

Devenny and Ervine met about four years ago and began collaborating to paint peace murals.. They are trying to help the peace process in Ireland by painting together and showing their communities that it is possible for past rivals to come together to create a peaceful future.

Devenny said that their mural painting at UMass was very different from their experiences back home in Ireland because the muralists spent decades painting images of war and conflict. However, he said they also celebrated the good parts of their lives and their culture through painting. This was the aspect of their work they tried to incorporate into the mural by creating a celebration of UMass culture.

Devenny said that “no world is perfect,” and so they also included pictures of things that UMass students felt were campus issues or areas that needed improvement. He also laughed and said that though the abundance of campus squirrels is a trivial issue, they were still included in the mural.

“I hope we have done justice in the representation we have created,” said Ervine.

The mural is also more than what it depicts, according to Devenny, who said that the project was a “demonstration of skills” and a way to “show students how murals are conceived and produced.”

The event included live Irish music and speeches by Chancellor Holub, Mullen, Wing and Neal, as well as a few words from the artists.

Neal called the event a “powerful example of what men and women of good will can accomplish.”

“We’ve all had a chance to witness one of those ‘it-will-never-happen’ moments,” said Neal in regard to the event, as well as the artists helping transform war into peace in Ireland.

Many of the students in attendance raised their hand when Wing asked the audience who had helped the artists paint last week.

Jenna Oelschlegel, a senior at UMass, who spent last year abroad in Ireland said that she enjoyed helping paint and said that the mural is “something that is going to be a great symbol for future students to learn from.”

Another UMass senior who helped paint, Alex Bonazoli, said that the mural is a great representation of the UMass community as well as a depiction of the “muralists themselves and what they’ve been doing in the peace process and the importance of the artistic process.”

The artists had planned to finish on Friday, but almost destroyed their own piece of work, said Devenny. As the artists applied the finishing glaze, the black markers the artists had used created black streaks across the canvas.

The artists had to spend an additional day fixing the mistake but Devenny said they didn’t mind because they “enjoyed the warmth and hospitality of the students.”

The mural will be hung in the Campus Center above the ATM machines.

The artists and the mural “have left a lasting impression already,” said Wing, who also said in her speech that the unveiling of the mural marked one of the happiest days of her life.

Anna Meiler can be reached at [email protected].

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  • S

    SANDRAJul 13, 2010 at 8:12 pm

    charlie i am an Irish citizen and you should learn not to speak about something you know nothing about you will learn that one day probably the hard way

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  • C

    CharlieApr 10, 2010 at 10:31 am

    mark guilfoyle “The true terrorists are the British Government”.

    The British Government has a right to defend its citizens in Northern Ireland. You talk about discrimination. What about the discrimination in the Republic of Ireland against the Protestant minority population?

    Most reasonable Americans would not support terrorism. Shame on you for supporting terrorist murderers in the British Isles. For example this incident in London, England where an American citizen was murdered by Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA:
    http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1983/dec/19/bomb-explosion-at-harrods-1

    To Sean Lavin, yes people in Northern Ireland can apply for foreign passports. So can many people in other countries. The fact remains that Northern Ireland is part of the UK – and that has been backed by the people of both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland under the peace agreement. Northern Ireland is British – learn to live with it.

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    sean lavinApr 7, 2010 at 12:10 am

    Get over your bigotry Charlie. Under the peace agreement citizens of THE NORTH can apply for British or Irish passports you ignore the suffering and years of denigration by 40% of the north of Ireland by an apartheid police force backed by a colonial army.

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    mark guilfoyleApr 6, 2010 at 10:53 am

    Charlie: The true terrorists are the British Government. The British Army gunned down fourteen innocent Catholics On January 30 1972 (Derry — “Bloody Sunday”) None of the soldiers were disciplined — some were later promoted! The British forces also colluded with loyalist terrorists, resulting in the cold blooded murder of dozens of Catholics. Lawyer Pat Finucane was gunned down in his dining room in front of his wife and children — the work of British operatives.

    The British have a long history of brutal, repressive — terroristic — behavior when dealing with their “subjects.”

    Of course, the British partitioned the island of Ireland in 1921. This was done to create a “Protestant state for a Protestant people.” Can you imagine creating a country based on such a bare-faced sectarian basis? That act ensured the systematic oppression of the Catholic minority over the past 90 years — Catholics were denied housing and employment throughout the North. Again, British policy.

    Thus, “Northern Ireland” as you prefer to call it has been a living hell for Catholics these past many decades. Please understand that those opressed by the British prefer to call it the North of Ireland.

    Regarding Congressman Neal, he has been a consistent supporter of the peace process in the North. He has thus fought the British secureacrats who desire to maintain their repressive regime. Most right-thinking British folks realize that Britain has no vital interest in the continued occupation of the north of Ireland. Part of the peace process has been to wind down that occupation, which is good for all concerned. Thanks to Congressman Neal for facilitating that.

    In conclusion, Charlie, shame on you for supporting British terrorists!

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  • C

    CharlieApr 6, 2010 at 8:44 am

    You mention the “North Ireland peace process”. It’s called Northern Ireland, one of the home countries of the United Kingdom.

    Also, it’s no surprise that Congressman Neal helped get a visa for Devenny. Congressman Neal has a long history of supporting the Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA terrorist group. Devenny carried out criminal acts while a terrorist. Would Americans be happy if we invited one of the 9/11 attackers to the UK to paint a mural? Devenny has never apologised for his crimes.

    In order to learn about the murders and bombings carried out by Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA terrorists, see the following website:
    http://www.iraatrocities.fsnet.co.uk

    The British people (including those in Northern Ireland) suffered greatly at the hands of Sinn Fein/Provisional IRA terrorists. Bombs in shopping centres. Murdering people in front of their families. Shooting people and dumping their naked bodies at the road side. These sick terrorist criminals need to repent of their crimes.

    Shame on Americans for supporting terrorists!

    Reply