“The Death of Innocence” was made in memory of Annette McGavigan, who was killed on September 6th 1971 at the age of 14. She was Kevin Hasson’s cousin as well as the one hundredth victim of The Troubles. Annette was shot in the back of her head while running away during a minor riot. No one was ever charged with her murder. The mural, first painted in 1999, was intended to be supportive of the peace process.
The girl, deliberately standing in what the artists considered an innocent pose, is a representation of all the children who have been killed during the Troubles, both Protestant and Catholic. Her shirt is the lightest color in the mural and her arms are angled in, both serving to draw the viewer’s eye to her first. She stands out in front of the debris, separated from her turbulent environment. As with “The Petrol Bomber,” the image of the child is used to illicit sympathy. A child is an appropriate representation of all the innocent people killed during the conflict as children are really separated from the violence. Unlike in “The Petrol Bomber,” the child in this image is simply standing peaceably and not participating in any violent actions.
The Bogside Artists wished to convey the message of condemnation of all guns. The gun in the mural, which takes up the entire length, was painted broken, and is an important symbol of the renouncement of violence. The gun is also boxed off from the girl, separated from the rest of the mural. The mural also includes a crucifix in the right corner and a butterfly in the left. Both are symbols of resurrection. The butterfly was originally left unfinished to signify how far the peace process still had to come. Thomas Kelly claims, “At the time we painted the mural peace was not assured do we left the butterfly at top left unfinished for that reason. A new beginning or resurrection for the community had yet to be achieved. When it finally was, we completed the butterfly” (Aesthetica). In addition to the crucifix in the upper right hand corner, there are a number of undeliberate crosses visible in the debris, perhaps suggesting that life and peace can rise from the destruction.
“Guns exist as a testament to humanity’s abject failure to live a peace with itself.”
-The People’s Gallery