RESISTING GOVERNMENT OPPRESSION SINCE 1969

By DIA

While the Rookies are out celebrating St. Patrick's Day, drinking green beer in an Irish pub, and searching for leprechauns at the end of rainbows, the true Irish and their supporters can commemorate the fighting spirit of the Irish with our new St. Paddy's Day Battle of the Bogside t-shirt.

Flashback to 1969, and the people of Ireland were embroiled in a more recent iteration of their centuries-long struggle to free themselves of British occupation and rule. Irish Nationalists marching for independence were attacked by a Pro-British paramilitary, resulting in a violent riot, which eventually sparked a military occupation by British troops. This began the period in Ireland known as "the Troubles" which lasted from 196 to 1989.

Many Irish residents in the Bogside area of Derry, Ireland, participated in the defense of their sovereignty, including children who lobbed petrol bombs and rocks at pro-British supporters, police, and military. One such child was 13-year-old Paddy Coyle, who was captured in this iconic image holding a petrol bomb and wearing a WW2 era gas mask. He became a lasting symbol of the Troubles in Ireland and an example of the Irish fighting spirit. He passed away in 2020.

Happy St. Paddy's Day, Mr. Coyle! Slainte!