West Belfast Sinn Féin Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Bryson/Mulvenna commemoration to take place

Published: 1 September, 2008

On 31 August, 1973, IRA volunteers Patrick Mulvenna and Jim Bryson were on active service in Ballymurphy when the car they were travelling in was fired on by the British army.

Patrick Mulvenna was killed and Jim Bryson was seriously wounded and died of his injuries on September 22, over 3 weeks later.

At 4pm on Saturday, September 20, republicans from all over Belfast and beyond will gather at the Bryson/Mulvenna mural in Ballymurphy Road to commemorate the 35th anniversary of their deaths.

A plaque in their memory will be unveiled and Sinn Fein leader and comrade of the two volunteers, Gerry Kelly, will speak at the ceremony.

Heartbreaking testament

That evening at 7.30pm, in Whiterock Leisure Centre, a DVD specially made in memory of Jim and Patrick will be shown and this screening will be followed by entertainment.

The DVD is a raw and heartbreaking testament to the courage of two young men who refused to bend the knee to their oppressors.

It contains powerful personal accounts from family members, comrades and friends who knew the men throughout their lives and also contains accounts from those who were there on that fateful day.

It describes how they gave up the chance of a normal existence to give their lives to a cause and it details the British army's efforts to stop them because they were such a threat to the British presence in our country.

It is a story of prison escapes, gun battles, life on the run, the cruelty of the British judiciary, and most importantly, their families love for them.

It is the story of a risen people who stood together and faced a foreign enemy.

It is the story of two soldiers of the Irish Republican Army.

It is the story of volunteers Jim Bryson and Patrick Mulvenna.

Proud

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams knew both of the men well.

Of the two, he says that 'we can be very, very proud of both of them.'

Jim Bryson's sister, Jean McComb, summed him up so well when she said:

''Jim was our parent's son and our brother; he was a husband, a father and an uncle. He loved his family and we loved him.

''He loved being a member of the republican army and he gave his life for it along with Patrick.''

On Saturday, September 20, we will gather to remember and pay tribute to these two soldiers of Ireland.

You are welcome to join with us.