For the day that's in it

[winghalfun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X5j2GL8h4c
and the story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/northern_ireland/

[Nally Stand]

The famous photo of Joe under the Starry Plough


Lifted from Wiki...
"His most famous act came on 9 August 1971 when his unit took over the Inglis bakery in the Markets area and fortified it after the introduction of internment without trial by the Northern Ireland authorities. They defended it throughout the night from an incursion by 600 British soldiers, looking to arrest paramilitary suspects. The action allowed other IRA members to slip out of the area and avoid arrest. He was photographed during the incident, holding an M1 carbine, against the background of a burning building and the Starry Plough flag; one of the most striking early images of The Troubles...."

...In another incident McCann led a unit which captured 3 UVF members in Sandy Row. The UVF had raided an OIRA arms dump earlier that day and the OIRA announced they would execute the three prisoners if the weapons were not returned. McCann eventually released the three UVF members because they were "working class men like yourself"...

...One of the more surprising tributes to McCann came from Gusty Spence, leader of the Ulster Volunteer Force loyalist group. Spence wrote a letter of sympathy to McCann's widow, expressing his, "deepest and profoundest sympathy" on the death of her husband. "He was a soldier of the Republic and I a Volunteer of Ulster and we made no apology for being what we were or are...Joe once did me a good turn indirectly and I never forgot him for his humanity". This is thought to refer to an incident in which three UVF men wandered into the Lower Falls, were captured by OIRA men, but were released unharmed on McCann's orders."

[theticklemister]

There is another version of Joe McCann other than the one Christy records; should also be on youtube somewhere, another great song recorded by Cormac Moore.

From the backstreets of the Markets, out of the darkness there came a man;
Dressed in a dark green battle jacket, with a carbine in his hand;
He came to organise the people, told them do not be afraid;
If working people stick together, we will win thats what he said.

[theticklemister]

Forgot to add the song 'Big Joe McCann'  by Magaret. Power which goes to the tune of the 'smashi g of the van'