Republican News · Thursday 6 March 2003

Republican Christmas Card Appeal

Our movement has a istory of great graphic and pictorial ways of recording the events of the past.

The war, in its many different phases, has been portrayed in paint on the gables and walls throughout our communities, but equally, the various campaigns of the struggle have been well illustrated by the 'Christmas Card' artists' depictions of struggle. These cards, when viewed as a collection, provide a vivid record of the republicam struggle, ranging from raw and topical to serious historical to wickedly satrical.

These cards are colourful records of very important phases of our struggle, and were very effective ways of raising much needed funds, while also help raising awareness of the political climate at any given time. The prison struggle in particular was a consistent theme throughout the last 30 years.

In an attempt to save this Christmas card legacy, Brendan Curran a Sinn Féin councillor in Newry and an avid collector of cards for over 20 years, is launching a 'Republican Christmas Card Appeal'.

He is asking republicans to search out forgotten and discarded cards from attics, old shoeboxes, and cupboards, these very colourful and sometimes humorous records of the past, which are in danger of being lost forever.

Brendan has nearly 50 of the cards collected and mounted in four large frames, which he uses for republican exhibitions and displays. Some of the cards are very rare and an invaluable resource saved for the future.

Appealing for people to donate the cards to the collection, Brendan explained that the cards on their own, lying in attics and cupboards, etc, will only get forgotten, thrown out, destroyed, defaced and lost for ever. His hope is that he can addd to the collection he has already accruedso that these invaluable pictorial records of struggle will survive and be available for all to see.

Brendan hopes to set up a Christmas card and Republican calendar website so they can be on public view for all to see and enjoy.

The illustrations on this page are from Brendan's collection.

Cards can be sent to:

Brendan Curran,
58 Abbey Heights,
Windmill Rd,
Newry.
Brendan.curran@sinn-fein.ie