The famous murals of The Bogside Artists of Derry, Northern Ireland

"I am amazed at the outstanding quality of this artwork." Nobel Laureate and Statesman John Hume.

"The work of the Bogside Artists is remarkable ... a vibrant response to events still vivid in the psyche of the community."Brian Friel, world-renowned playwright and author.

"The marvellous work of the artists has enhanced the historic and artistic appeal of the area and contributes to the growing sense of pride which Derry people hold for the role they have played in the events that reverberated around the world three decades ago." Councillor Mary Nelis.

"I find myself responding to the overpowering message of the murals: Here is our story." Prof. Peter Sheehan, Provost of The Australian Catholic University Sydney, Australia.

The Bogside murals are the most popular murals in Northern Ireland, and the most prominent political murals in the world.www.ukattraction.com.

I keep the mural of Annette as the background on my computer, as well as a picture hung next to my bed. Though all of the murals inspire me in some way, the piercing message and story of Annette, the butterfly and the broken gun is one I think of each day, and relate deeply with my experience in Northern Ireland.Madeleine Ehrlich - student, San Francisco Ca.

"The work provides a window into the heart of the Bogside and for that we must be truly grateful to the three artists." Prof. Raymond Helmick, of Boston College, world-renowned teacher, author and peace negotiator.

"In my five years in the building I have never seen so many people so excited by an art exhibition. We actually had senators and representatives asking to have the duration of the exhibition extended." Senator Steven Tolman, host of The Bogside Artists exhibition in the BOSTON STATE HOUSE, MA, USA.

the bogside artists

Tom Kelly, his brother William, and Kevin Hasson are the three men who created and painted all of the twelve murals of ... the internationally acclaimed

THE PEOPLE'S GALLERY

Their artwork represents the Bogside, its history, its spirit and its people; and many thousands of people come to Derry each year to hear the history of the 'troubles' and to see the celebrated street of murals in the Bogside. Painted from photographic material these are the most authentic renditions possible of the events depicted and acclaimed by many critics and writers as "art of the highest order".

The murals of The People's Gallery stretch in a line the entire length of Rossville Street in the Bogside area of Derry that experienced the worst of the troubles throughout the long conflict. Their unique gallery of murals was envisioned and created by the three men universally acclaimed as The Bogside Artists. As their spokesman Tom explains; " wounds must be cleaned out and examined before they will heal. It is the unexamined wound that festers and finally poisons. Our work shows the wounds." (words from Bishop Desmond Tutu)

This determination to tell their own story is what drives "The Bogside Artists", the name registered to them and by which they are now known world wide from Boston to Shenzhen.

Their works bear living witness to a prolonged period of social conflict that will be remembered always.

The Bogside Artists will be in Austria in September 2011 to paint a mural on the theme of the struggle for peace in Europe. This visionary project is the brainchild of Irishman Desmond Doyle and you can find all about it from his; WEBSITE. You can also read the BLOG that gives an account of this vitally unique and globally important outreach for peace.

ARTISTS' STATEMENT

There used to be a petition here to light up the murals of the non-publicized People's Gallery we created. In a couple of months we collected thousands of signatures. This January we simply gave up waiting for the council to honour its seven-years old pledge to illuminate the murals. For the Bloody Sunday march 2011 we began to light them up ourselves with the help of volunteers from the community. The effect is absolutely stunning; you can find good photos on our Facebook pages.

This site is of special interest to students of fine art, public art and history; to those intending to visit Ireland, or to anyone interested in Irish affairs in general or the work of The Bogside Artists in particular. Much of the information is in PDF format and printable. More information about the celebrated tour HERE.

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NB: If you are a curator who intends to show the work of The Bogside Artists or hope to work with them at some time in the future, or indeed if you had once booked them for a show and then were talked out of it by a third party, you would be well advised to read THIS.