Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
7th December
Tuesday 7 December 1971
An off duty member of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) was shot dead by members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in County Tyrone.
Friday 7 December 1979
Charles Haughey replaced Jack Lynch as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). The Fiannia Fáil parliamentary party voted by 44 votes to 38 in favour of Haughey.
Tuesday 7 December 1982
The Irish Supreme Court made a ruling which opened up the possibility of extradition between the Republic and the United Kingdom (UK). The court rejected the claim that paramilitary offences were politically motivated.
Wednesday 7 December 1983
Edgar Graham, then a Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) Assembly member, was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) at the Queen’s University of Belfast. Graham was also a lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the university
Saturday 7 December 1985
Two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were shot dead during an attack by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on the RUC base at Ballygawley, County Tyrone.
Wednesday 7 December 1994
The European Commission agreed the funding of a £230 million aid programme for Northern Ireland and also border counties in the Republic of Ireland. The funding was to be spread over the following three years.
Thursday 7 December 1995
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) issued a statement which said that the British government
“has sought only to frustrate movement into inclusive negotiations … there is no question of the IRA meeting the ludicrous demand for a surrender of IRA weapons”.
Sunday 7 December 1997
At Dunloy, County Antrim, a ‘suspect device’ was found near the Orange Order Hall on the outskirts of the village. The device was made safe. Members of the Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABD) held a religious service at the Orange Hall but did not attempt to march through the village. Mary McAleese, then President of the Republic of Ireland, broke new ecumenical ground when she took communion at a Church of Ireland service in Christ Church, Dublin.
[The decision caused a debate in the Catholic church with a number of senior figures criticising the President over the coming days and weeks.]
Monday 7 December 1998
There were reports that members of the “real” Irish Republican Army (rIRA), which was on ceasefire, were offering assistance to the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA) the only Republican paramilitary group not on ceasefire.
Tuesday 7 December 1999
There was a series of walk-outs by pupils at state (Protestant) schools in protest at the appointment of Martin McGuinness as Minister of Education. Protests were held in Carrickergus, Cookstown, Glengormley, Newtownabbey, and the Shankill Road in Belfast.
McGuinness claimed that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was orchestrating the protests. The DUP denied the claim. Gary McMichael, then leader of the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP), denied that there was a split within the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) over whether or not appoint an interlocutor to the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).
Thursday 7 December 2000
There were two pipe-bomb attacks on the homes of Catholic families in Coleraine, County Derry. As a result of these attacks, and earlier ones, the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) requested the deployment of British Army (BA) patrols in the town. A 30 year old man was alone in the kitchen of his home on Lilic Avenue when a pipe-bomb exploded in the back garden after bouncing off the kitchen window. The attacks were carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries.
Friday 7 December 2001
John Hume, former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), was awarded the Mahatma Ghandi Peace Prize by the India government.
—————————————-
———————————————————————————
Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
9 People lost their lives on the 7th December between 1971 – 1993
————————————————————
07 December 1971 Denis Wilson, (31)
Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Off duty. Shot at his home, Curlagh, near Caledon, County Tyrone.
————————————————————
07 December 1972
Ernest Elliott, (28)
Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Association (UDA), Killed by: Ulster Defence Association (UDA) Found shot in back of abandoned car, off Donegall Avenue, Village, Belfast. Internal Ulster Defence Association dispute.
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Abducted from her home, St. Judes Walk, Divis, Belfast. Her remains eventually recovered, on general instructions from the IRA, buried at Shelling Hill beach, near Carlingford, Co. Louth, on 27 August 2003.
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Died five days after being injured in premature bomb explosion in house, Crawford Square, Derry.
————————————————————
07 December 1974
John McDaid, (16)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Died in premature bomb explosion in derelict house, Bridge Street, Derry.
————————————————————
07 December 1983
Edgar Graham, (29)
Protestant Status: Civilian Political Activist (CivPA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Ulster Unionist Party Assembly member. Shot outside his workplace, Queen’s University, University Square, Belfast
————————————————————
07 December 1985
William Clements, (52)
Protestant Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Shot during gun attack on Ballygawley Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Tyrone
————————————————————
07 December 1985
George Gilliland, (34)
Protestant Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Shot during gun attack on Ballygawley Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base, County Tyrone.
————————————————————
07 December 1993 Robert McClay, (38)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) Shot at his home, Hillview Avenue, Ballyhackamore, Belfast.
This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdrop of events that might best be described as ‘explosive’, captivating & shocking the world for thirty long years.
In the past twenty four hours there have been numerous terrorist attacks and dozens of civilians have been killed and injured. The worst attack was in Chad where three female suicide bombers blew themselves up and took 27 innocent bystanders with them.
Here in the UK we had a lone wolf attack in Leytonstone station and thankfully no one lost their lives , but three were injured.
Below are details on the three most high profile attacks
——————————————-
Lake Chad: Africa
Triple suicide blasts kill 27 and injures 90.
Where:
island of Koulfoua on the Chadian side of Lake Chad
A man with a knife stabbed three people at the Leytonstone tube station in east London, reportedly screaming ‘this is for Syria’, before police used a stun gun on the attacker and detained him.
————————————
Blood pool on the floor at Leytonstone tube station
————————————
Where:
Leytonstone Tube Station
Who :
Lone Wolf : The knifeman reportedly shouted “this is for Syria
Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
6th December
Monday 6 December 1971
A woman died trying to salvage property from the Salvation Army Citadel in Belfast when a wall fell on her. Earlier there had been a bomb which started a large fire in an ajoining building.
Brian Faulkner, then Northern Ireland Prime Minister, met with Reginald Maudling, then British Home Secretary, in London.
Thursday 6 December 1973
William Craig, then leader of Vanguard, Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and Harry West, then leader of the grouping called the Ulster Unionist Assembly Party, held a joint rally in the Ulster Hall and formed the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC) to try to oppose power-sharing and to bring down the power-sharing Executive.
The rally was attended by approximately 600 delegates from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) constituency associations.
Thursday 6 – Sunday 9 December 1973
Sunningdale Agreement The Civil Service Staff College at Sunningdale in England played host to a conference to try to resolve the remaining difficulties surrounding the setting up of the power-sharing Executive for Northern Ireland.
Sunningdale was the first occasion since 1925 that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister), and the Northern Ireland government – in the form of the Northern Ireland Executive (designate) – had attended the same talks on the future of Northern Ireland.
Edward Heath, then British Prime Minister, and Liam Cosgrave, then Taoiseach, and senior ministers attended in addition to representatives of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI). The participants discussed a number of matters but the main item of concern centred on the unresolved issue of the ‘Irish Dimension’ of any future government of Northern Ireland. Proposals surrounding this ‘Irish Dimension’ were finally to be agreed in the form of a proposed Council of Ireland. The elements of the proposed Council were that it would consist of a Council of Ministers and a Consultative Assembly.
The Council of Ministers was to be comprised of seven members from the Northern Ireland Executive and seven members of the Irish government. This Council would have executive and harmonising functions and a consultative role. The Consultative Assembly was to be made up of 30 members from the Northern Ireland Assembly and the same number from the Dáil. This Assembly was to have advisory and review functions.
Balcombe Street Siege British police chased a group of four Irish Republican Army (IRA) men through the West End of London. There was a car chase and an exchange of gunfire before the IRA members took over a council flat in Balcombe Street and held the married couple living in the flat hostage.
[This marked the beginning of a six-day siege during which time the IRA members demanded a plane to take them to the Republic of Ireland. The siege ended when the hostages were released unharmed and the IRA members surrendered to police.]
Two members of the IRA were killed when the land mine they were preparing exploded prematurely near Killeen, County Armagh.
Monday 6 December 1982
Droppin Well bombing
‘Droppin Well’ Bomb The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) exploded a bomb at the Droppin’ Well Bar and Disco in Ballykelly, County Derry, and killed 17 people (one of whom died ten days after the incident).
The dead included 11 British soldiers and 6 civilians. Approximately 30 people were also injured in the blast some of them seriously. The soldiers, mainly members of the Cheshire Regiment, regularly socialised in the pub which was close to the British Army base in Ballykelly.
[Tomás Ó Fiaich, then Catholic Primate of Ireland, called the killings “gruesome slaughter”.
Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, said:
“This is one of the most horrifying crimes in Ulster’s tragic history. The slaughter of innocent people is the product of evil and depraved minds, and the act of callous and brutal men.”
Although the bomb was small, believed to be 5lbs or 10lbs of commercial (Frangex) explosives, it had been placed next to a support pillar in the bar and when it exploded the blast brought down the roof. Many of those killed and injured were crushed by fallen masonry. In June 1986 four people recieved life sentences for the attack and a fifth person received a ten year sentence.]
Two members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) were shot dead by undercover British soldiers in the grounds of Gransha Hospital, Derry.
Friday 6 December 1985
The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI) took the decision to withdraw from the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Friday 6 December 1996
Another Catholic family was forced to leave the mainly Protestant Ballykeel Estate in Ballymena. This followed earlier expulsions on 4 December 1996. Two Catholic schools were also damaged in sectarian attacks in north Antrim.
Ken Maginness, Security Spokesman of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), claimed that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) was responsible for the sectarian tensions in the Ballymena area. Martin Smyth announced that he was retiring as Grand Master of the Orange Order.
Saturday 6 December 1997
The United Kingdom Unionist Party (UKUP) held its first annual conference in Bangor, County Down. The Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) held its annual conference in Dublin. The party rejected by 109 votes to 11 a motion from the Ard Chomhairle (executive) which called on the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) to engage in a ceasefire until the end of the multi-party talks at Stormont.
Monday 6 December 1999
In one of its first decisions the Northern Ireland Assembly voted to increase the salaries of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) by £9,000 to £38,036.
Wednesday 6 December 2000
Gary Moore (30), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead while renovating houses in Devenish Drive, Monkstown, Newtownabbey, County Antrim.
[Loyalist paramilitaries were responsible for the killing but it is not known which group carried out the shooting.]
Several families were evacuated from their homes in the Ballymoney area when a pipe-bomb was discovered on the windowsill of a house. The occupant of the house was not at home at the time of the incident.
Thursday 6 December 2001
A draft report by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland (PONI) into the handling of prior warnings about the Omagh Bombing was leaked to the BBC in Northern Ireland.
[The final report was published on Wednesday 12 December 2001. The contents of the leaked report caused serious friction between Ronnie Flanagan, then Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and Nuala O’Loan, then PONI. John Reid, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, criticised the leaking of the report and said media speculation was damaging. Ken Maginnis, formerly Ulster Unionist Party spokesman on security, said the Ombudsman had walked through “police interests and community interests like a suicide bomber”. Later Jimmy Spratt, then Chairman of the Police Federation, criticised Nuala O’Loan and called on her to resign. However, David Cook, formerly Chairman of the Northern Ireland Police Authority, said Mr Spratt should be the one to go.]
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), held a media briefing in Belfast at which he called on the British government to establish an International Public Judicial Inquiry into the killing of Pat Finucane, a Belfast solicitor killed on 12 February 1989.
The call followed the collapse of the case against William Stobie on 26 November 2001 and also the continuing alleged links between the British security forces and Loyalist paramilitaries. Colin Powell, then Secretary of State in the USA, designated as ‘terrorist’ three groups based in Northern Ireland by listing them in the Terrorist Exclusion List.
The groups were: the Continuity Irish Republican Army (CIRA), the Orange Volunteers (OV), and the Red Hand Defenders (RHD). This designation has the effect of excluding members or supporters from the USA and will also prevent them from collecting funds in the country.
[However, in the middle of 2001 there was speculation that the RHD (and the OV) was being used as a covername (a pseudonym, or ‘flag of convenience’) by members of the LVF and the UDA / UFF under which these organisations could carry out attacks without taking the blame. If this is true then the RHD (and OV) is a non-existent organisation.]
————————–
———————————————————————————
Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
25 People lost their lives on the 6th December between 1971 – 2000
————————————————————
06 December 1971 Mary Thompson, (61)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Killed by wall collapsing onto her, shortly after bomb attack on building next door, Salvation Army Citadel, Dublin Road, Belfast.
————————————————————
06 December 1972 Samuel White, (32)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP) Found shot, Lisbon Street, Short Strand, Belfast.
————————————————————
06 December 1974 James Davidson, (64)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) Died two days after being shot during robbery at his shop, Upper Glenfarne Street, Shankill, Belfast.
————————————————————
06 December 1975
James Lochrie, (19)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Killed when land mine exploded prematurely, Kelly’s Road, Killeen, County Armagh
————————————————————
06 December 1975
Sean Campbell, (20)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA), K
illed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Killed when land mine exploded prematurely, Kelly’s Road, Killeen, County Armagh.
—————————————–
06 December 1982
Stephen Smith, (24)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1984
William Fleming, (19)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: British Army (BA) Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members while travelling on motorcycle in the grounds of Gransha Hospital, off Clooney Road, Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1984
Daniel Doherty, (23)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: British Army (BA) Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, while travelling on motorcycle in the grounds of Gransha Hospital, off Clooney Road, Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 2000
Gary Moore, (30)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Loyalist group (LOY) Shot while renovating houses, Devenish Drive, Monkstown, Newtownabbey, County Antrim.
Evening all , Im heading home to Belfast tomorrow for the Easter period and hopefully a trip down south to visit my bro and his family in County Meath , depending on a few factors which are out of my control 😜 Belfast will always be my home and although I look forward to visiting … Continue reading Belfast & Meath trip starts tomorrow→
Hi folks, Just a shortish blog post to wish you all a wonderful evening and a fantastic Xmas day. Some of you guys have followed me and my story for years now and during recent tragic soul destroying lows to a few joy filled epic highs you have been there to support , comfort and … Continue reading Merry Christmas to all my friends out there X→
Last chance to order before Xmas delivery cut-off period nxt Wednesday . A personally signed copy of my No.1 Best Selling book : A Belfast Child , which may be worth a few quid if my story is made into a movie – watch this space ! UK Orders Free postage for UK orders only … Continue reading A singed copy of my book for Xmas ?→
And Im happy to bribe you with a free giveaway 🎁 Read on for more detail… Ive doing a soft launch of my online shop : https://deadongifts.co.uk/ which I set up with my sister Mags and I need to drive some traffic to the store and start creating an online presence. The shop will be … Continue reading I need some help folks 😜→
This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdrop of events that might best be described as ‘explosive’, captivating & shocking the world for thirty long years.
The Balcombe Street siege was an incident involving members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Metropolitan Police Service of London lasting from 6 to 12 December 1975. The siege ended with the surrender of the four IRA paramilitaries and the release of their two hostages. The events were televised and watched by millions.
Background
Scott’s restaurant in 2005, the attack on which preceded the siege
In 1974 and 1975 London was subjected to a 14-month campaign of gun and bomb attacks by the Provisional IRA. Some 40 bombs exploded in London, killing 35 people and injuring many more. In one incident the Guinness Book of Records co-founder and conservative political activist Ross McWhirter was assassinated; he had offered a £50,000 reward to anyone willing to inform the security forces of IRA activity.
———————————
Balcombe Street Siege 1975
Thames News
———————————
The four members of what became known as the “Balcombe Street gang” – Martin O’Connell, Edward Butler, Harry Duggan and Hugh Doherty – were part of a six-man IRA Active Service Unit (ASU) that also included Brendan Dowd and Liam Quinn. Quinn had recently shot dead police constableStephen Tibble in London after fleeing from police officers. The flat he was seen fleeing from was discovered to be a bomb factory used by the unit.
The Balcombe Street siege started after a chase through London, as the Metropolitan Police pursued Doherty, O’Connell, Butler and Duggan through the streets after they had fired gunshots through the window of Scott’s restaurant in Mount Street, Mayfair. They had thrown a bomb through the restaurant window a few weeks before on 12 November 1975, killing one person and injuring 15 others.
The Metropolitan Police Bomb Squad had detected a pattern of behaviour in the ASU, determining that they had a habit of attacking again some of the sites they had previously attacked. In a scheme devised by a young detective sergeant, the Met flooded the streets of London with unarmed plain-clothes officers on the lookout for the ASU. The four IRA men were spotted as they slowed to a halt outside Scotts and fired from their stolen car.
Inspector John Purnell and Sergeant Phil McVeigh, on duty as part of the dragnet operation, picked up the radio call from the team in Mount Street as the stolen Cortina approached their position. With no means of transport readily available, the two unarmed officers flagged down a taxi cab and tailed the men for several miles through London, until the IRA men abandoned their vehicle. Purnell and McVeigh, unarmed, continued the pursuit on foot despite handgun fire from the gang. Other officers joined the chase, with the four IRA men running into a block of council flats in Balcombe Street, adjacent to Marylebone station, triggering the six-day stand-off.
Purnell was subsequently awarded the George Medal for his bravery.[5] Several other police officers were also decorated.
The siege
The four men ended up in a flat at 22b Balcombe Street in Marylebone, taking its two residents, John and Sheila Matthews, hostage. The men declared that they were members of the IRA and demanded a plane to fly both them and their hostages to the Republic of Ireland. Scotland Yard refused, creating a six-day standoff between the men and the police. Peter Imbert, later Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, was the chief police negotiator.
The men surrendered after several days of intense negotiations between Metropolitan Police Bomb squad officers Detective Superintendent Peter Imbert and Detective Chief Superintendent Jim Nevill, and the unit’s leader Joe O’Connell, who went by the name of “Tom”.
The other members of the gang were named “Mick” and “Paddy”, thereby avoiding revealing to the negotiators precisely how many of them were in the living room of the flat. The resolution of the siege was a result of the combined psychological pressure exerted on the gang by Imbert and the deprivation tactics used on the four men. The officers also used carefully crafted misinformation, through the BBC radio news—the police knew the gang had a radio—to further destabilise the gang into surrender.
———————————
Balcombe Street Gang appear at Sinn Fein Special Conference, May 1998
———————————
Trial
The four were found guilty at their Old Bailey trial in 1977 of seven murders, conspiring to cause explosions, and falsely imprisoning John and Sheila Matthews during the siege. O’Connell, Butler and Duggan each received twelve life sentences, and Doherty eleven. Each of the men was later given a whole life tariff, the only IRA prisoners to receive this tariff.
During their trial they instructed their lawyers to “draw attention to the fact that four totally innocent people were serving massive sentences” for three bombings in Woolwich and Guildford. Despite claiming to the police that they were responsible, they were never charged with these offences and the Guildford Four and Maguire Seven remained in prison for fifteen more years, until it was ruled that their convictions were unsafe.
Who wants… A signed copy of my No.1 best selling book ? Makes a great Xmas gift for book lovers & those interested in the Troubles & the crazy, mad days my generation lived through.
The Droppin Well bombing or Ballykelly bombing occurred on 6 December 1982, when the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) exploded a time bomb at a disco in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland. The disco, known as the Droppin Well, was targeted because it was frequented by British Army soldiers from nearby Shackleton Barracks. The bomb killed eleven soldiers and six civilians; 30 people were injured.
Attack
The bomb was made by INLA members in nearby Derry. One of those involved later revealed that the INLA unit had carried out reconnaissance missions to the Droppin Well to see if there were enough soldiers to justify the possibility of civilian casualties.
On the evening of Monday 6 December 1982, an INLA operative left a bomb inside the pub. There were about 150 people inside. The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) believed that the bomb, estimated to be 5 to 10 pounds (2.3 to 4.5 kg) of commercial (Frangex) explosives, was small enough to fit into a handbag. It had, however, been left beside a support pillar and, when it exploded at about 23:15, the blast brought down the roof. Many of those killed and injured were crushed by fallen masonry.
———————————-
Dropping well Bomb INLA.
———————————-
Following the blast, it took many hours to pull survivors from the rubble. The last survivor was freed at 04:00, but it was not until 10:30 that the last of the bodies was recovered.
Ultimately, 17 people died (11 soldiers, six civilians) and about 30 were injured, some seriously. Five of the civilians were young women and three (Alan Callaghan, Valerie McIntyre and Angela Maria Hoole) were teenagers. Of the eleven soldiers who died, eight were from the 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment, two from the Army Catering Corps and one from the Light Infantry. One of those on the scene was Bob Stewart, then a company commander in the Cheshire Regiment. He lost six soldiers from his company and was deeply affected as he tended to the dead and injured.
The Victims
—————————————–
06 December 1982
Stephen Smith, (24)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Philip McDonough, (26)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Steven Bagshaw, (21)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry
—————————————–
06 December 1982
Clinton Collins, (20)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 David Murray, (18)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 David Stitt, (27)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Shaw Williamson, (20)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Terence Adams, (20)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Neil Williams, (18)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Paul Delaney, (18)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982
David Salthouse, (23)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Off duty. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982
Ruth Dixon, (17)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982
Carol Watts, (25)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Angela Hoole, (19)
nfNI Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) English visitor. Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Patricia Cooke, (21)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Injured by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry. She died 16 December 1982.
—————————————–
06 December 1982 Valerie McIntyre, (21)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
06 December 1982
Alan Callaghan, (17)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Killed by time bomb left in disco at Droppin Well Bar, Ballykelly, County Derry.
—————————————–
Aftermath
Suspicion immediately fell upon the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who denied involvement. By 8 December, the British Army was blaming the INLA on grounds that the IRA, in a mixed village, would have made greater efforts not to risk killing civilians.
Shortly afterwards, the INLA issued a statement of responsibility:
We believe that it is only attacks of such a nature that bring it home to people in Britain and the British establishment. The shooting of an individual soldier, for the people of Britain, has very little effect in terms of the media or in terms of the British administration.
The INLA also described the civilian women killed as “consorts“. The attack was criticised by many on both sides of the conflict in Northern Ireland due to the high loss of civilian lives. Soon after the INLA had issued its statement, the government of the Republic of Ireland banned the INLA, making membership punishable by seven years imprisonment.
In an interview after the bombing, INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey said that the Droppin Well’s owner had been warned six times to stop offering “entertainment” to British soldiers. McGlinchey added that the owner, and those who socialised with the soldiers,
“knew full well that the warnings had been given and that the place was going to be bombed at some stage”.
It later emerged that the INLA may also have targeted Ballykelly because it believed that the military base was part of NATO‘s radar and communications network.
Six days after the bombing, RUC officers shot dead INLA members Seamus Grew and Roddie Carroll near a vehicle checkpoint in Armagh. The officers said they believed that the two men were ferrying McGlinchey into Northern Ireland. Neither was armed, nor was McGlinchey in their car.
Convictions
Bomber Anna Moore & Daughter
In June 1986, four INLA members (Anna Moore, Eamon Moore, Helena Semple and Patrick Shotter) received life sentences for the attack. Anna Moore would later marry loyalist Bobby Corry, whilst both were in prison. Another woman was given ten years for manslaughter as the court believed she had been coerced into involvement. All of those convicted were from Derry.
———————————-
Old News
Village marks INLA atrocity
A remembrance service has been held on Sunday to honour 17 people killed in an INLA bomb.This weekend marks the 20th anniversary of the Droppin’ Well bomb in Ballykelly, County Londonderry.
It was one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles.
John Cooke: “We loved spoiling her and she loved us”
Eleven soldiers from a nearby Army base and six civilians died in the explosion, which was claimed by the Irish National Liberation Army.
Sunday’s remembrance service was held at Shackleton barracks in Ballykelly.
On 6 December 1982, the bomb ripped through the Droppin’ Well pub where 150 people were enjoying a night out.
‘Errand’
Most of the victims were crushed under the heavy masonry of the pubs concrete ceiling.
Patricia Cooke, 21, suffered terrible injuries and died in hospital 10 days later.
Her brother – who still owns the pub – left to go on an errand just three minutes before the blast.
She was 25 when she was killed, she was killed instantly
Sharon McClarey Victim’s sister
“She was the baby in the family,” said John Cooke.
“She was spoilt. We loved spoiling her and she loved us.
“One of the comments at the post mortem, the doctor who did it didn’t understand how she lived so long because of the injuries.
“I’m sure part of that was the way she loved us and we loved her. She was trying to hold in there and we wanted her to hold in. It was a sad loss.”
‘Two graves’
Sharon McClarey said every anniversary is very emotional. She lost her sister Carol in the bomb.
Sharon believes the attack eventually cost another sister – Nicola – her life too.
“Carol was married with two children aged six and two,” she said.
“She was 25 when she was killed, she was killed instantly. My other sister Nicola was 19 at the time.
Sharon McClarey: “Every anniversary is very emotional”
“She was very badly injured. The hospital staff told us to get two graves dug because we had lost both of them.
“But she fought. She never enjoyed good health, she suffered badly and was mentally tortured.
“We will never know what Nicola went through or what she experienced. You could nearly say the bomb ended her life.”
Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
5th December
—————————————
Wednesday 5 December 1973
During a meeting of the Assembly pro-Executive Unionist members were physically attacked by Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Vanguard members. Police were called to the Assembly.
End of Internment The last 46 people who had been interned without trial were released. The end of Internment was announced by Merlyn Rees, then Secretary of Sate for Northern Ireland, who said that those found guilty of crimes would be brought before the courts.
[During the period of Internment, 9 August 1971 to 5 December 1975, 1,981 people were detained; 1,874 were Catholic / Republican, while 107 were Protestant / Loyalist.]
Sunday 5 December 1976
The Peace People organisation held a rally in Drogheda, County Louth, Republic of Ireland.
Wednesday 5 December 1979
Jack Lynch resigned as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). [He was replaced by Charles Haughey on 7 December 1979.]
Thursday 5 December 1985
Unionist members in the Northern Ireland Assembly established a Grand Committee of the Assembly to examine the impact of the Anglo-Irish Agreement (AIA) on government departments.
Sunday 5 December 1993
Two Catholic civilians were shot dead by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name (pseudonym) used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), in Ligoniel, Belfast.
Monday 5 December 1994
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), held a meeting in Washington with Jean Kennedy, then United States Ambassador to Ireland. The meeting was also attended by State Department officials. Adams asked for equal treatment for all parties at the Belfast investment conference on 13 December 1994.
Tuesday 5 December 1995
David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), turned down an invitation to talks from the Irish government. Trimble wrote: “We are not prepared to negotiate the internal affairs of Northern Ireland with a foreign government”. Trimble refused to endorse the ‘twin-track’ approach but told John Major, then British Prime Minister, that he would keep lines of communication open.
Statistics revealed that in the 14 months following the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ceasefire there had been 223 paramilitary ‘punishment’ beatings – 148 by Republicans and 75 by Loyalists. These figures compared with 45 incidents in the 14 months prior to the ceasefire – 8 by Republicans and 37 by Loyalists.
Thursday 5 December 1996
A Police Authority of Northern Ireland (PANI) report indicated that 80 per cent of Catholics, and 30 per cent of Protestants, want the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) to be reformed or replaced.
Friday 5 December 1997
Gerry Devlin (36), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by Loyalist paramilitaries as he entered the car park of St Enda’s Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Glengormley, County Antrim. Devlin was a GAA official and he was on his way to pick up his brother at the time of his killing.
[The Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) was blamed by many commentators for the killing but a number of others believed that the LVF was aided by other Loyalist paramilitary groups.]
Mary McAleese, then President of the Republic of Ireland, paid her first official visit to Northern Ireland. During a visit to her former school on the Falls Road she met and shook hands with Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF). She also visited Newry and the Ardoyne area of Belfast. The Forum for Peace and Reconciliation held a meeting in Dublin.
[This was the first meeting of the Forum since the Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb at Canary Wharf on 9 February 1996.]
Saturday 5 December 1998
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), travelled to Dublin for a meeting with Bertie Ahern, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister).
Tuesday 5 December 2000
Trevor Kell (35), a Protestant civilian who worked as a taxi driver, was shot dead shortly after being lured by bogus call to a house in Hesketh Road, off Crumlin Road, north Belfast.
[It is not known which paramilitary organisation was responsible for his killing.]
Wednesday 5 December 2001
There was a hoax bomb alert at Belfast International Airport, County Antrim, which caused major disruption to the travel plans of hundreds of people arriving at, or departing from, the airport. Two warnings were received at approximately 5.00pm (1700GMT) which stated that several bombs had been left in the car park by the terminal building. No bombs were found but the alert lasted for three hours.
Brian Currin, then a South African lawyer, announced that he was resigning as chief mediator on the Orange Order’s Drumcree parade. Curriin said he could not continue because the Orange Order had withdrawn from the talks. Some politicians called on the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to become directly involved in finding a solution.
——————————
———————————————————————————
Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
8 People lost their lives on the 5th December between 1972 – 2000
————————————————————
05 December 1972
William Bell, (30)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: British Army (BA)
Shot while repairing roof of house, corner of Berwick Road and Glenbryn Park, Ardoyne, Belfast.
————————————————————
05 December 1972 Roy Hills, (28)
nfNI Status: British Army (BA),
Killed by: Official Irish Republican Army (OIRA)
Killed by booby trap bomb attached to rocket launcher, abandoned near Kitchen Hill British Army (BA) base, Lurgan, County Armagh.
————————————————————
05 December 1972 William Bogle, (27)
Protestant Status: Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Off duty. Shot outside post office, Main Street, Killeter, near Castlederg, County Tyrone.
————————————————————
05 December 1983
Joseph Craven, (26)
Catholic Status: Irish National Liberation Army (INLA),
Killed by: Protestant Action Force (PAF)
Shot from passing motorcycle shortly after leaving Department of Health and Social Services office, Church Road, Newtownabbey, County Antrim.
————————————————————
05 December 1993
John Todd, (31)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot while sitting in stationary car outside taxi depot, Ligoniel Road, Ligoniel, Belfast
————————————————————
05 December 1993
Brian Duffy, (15)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF)
Shot while sitting in stationary car outside taxi depot, Ligoniel Road, Ligoniel, Belfast
————————————————————
05 December 1997
Gerry Devlin, (36)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF)
Shot, outside St. Enda’s Gaelic Athletic Association Club, Hightown Road, Glengormley, near Belfast, County Antrim.
————————————————————
05 December 2000
Trevor Kell, (35)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP)
Taxi driver. Shot shortly after being lured by bogus call to a house, Hesketh Road, off Crumlin Road, Belfast.
————————————————————
This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdrop of events that might best be described as ‘explosive’, captivating & shocking the world for thirty long years.
Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
4th December
Wednesday 4 December 1968
Following a civil rights march in Dungannon there was a violent clash between Loyalists and those who were taking part in the march.
Saturday 4 December 1971McGurk’s Pub Bombing
Fifteen Catholic civilians were killed when Loyalist paramilitaries exploded a bomb at The Tramore Bar, better known as McGurk’s bar, in North Queen Street, north Belfast. The bomb had been planted by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Four of those killed were women (including the owner’s wife and 14 year old daughter). [This attack was one of the worst single incidents during the Northern Ireland conflict. Only one of the bombers, the driver of the getaway car, was ever convicted. Immediately after the bombing, and for some time later, the security forces and various official sources maintained that the bomb had gone off inside the bar, implying that it was being prepared by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and thus represented an ‘own goal’.]
Francis Pym, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, held a meeting with Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Paisley stormed out of the meeting having been told that Loyalists would not be invited to participate in the Sunningdale conference but could come to put their point of view. [ Sunningdale. ]
Saturday 4 December 1976
The annual conference of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) debated a motion calling on Britain to declare its intention of withdrawing from Northern Ireland. The motion was defeated by 158 votes to 111.
Sunday 4 December 1983
Undercover soldiers of the Special Air Service (SAS) shot dead two members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) near Coalisland, County Tyrone.
Tuesday 4 December 1984
Douglas Hurd, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, told the Northern Ireland Assembly that Unionists would have move their political position in order to find an accommodation with Nationalists.
Wednesday 4 December 1991
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded a bomb, estimated at 1,200 pounds, in Glengall Street in Belfast. The bomb caused extensive damage to the Grand Opera House which is close to the headquarters of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP). Peter Brooke, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, again met the leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland to try to begin all-party talks. John Major, then British Prime Minister, travelled to Dublin, Republic of Ireland, to meet with Charles Haughey, then Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). This was the first visit by a British Prime Minister since 1980. The two leaders agreed to hold biannual meetings.
Friday 4 December 1992
John May (Sir), previously a Court of Appeal judge, published a report into the wrongful convictions of the Maguire family (‘Maguire seven’). The May Report called for the establishment of a review tribunal to look into cases of alleged miscarriages of justice.
Monday 4 December 1995
The home of a Catholic family in west Belfast, which faced a Protest housing estate, was attacked by Loyalists for the 56th time in nine years. John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), and David Trimble, then leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), led their respective parties in political talks in Belfast.
Wednesday 4 December 1996
Two Catholic families were forced to leave their homes in the mainly Protestant Ballykeel Estate, Ballymena, after petrol bomb attacks on their houses. David Ervine, then leader of the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), said that he would support Catholics trying to get to mass at Harryville, Ballymena. [Ervine did not appear at Harryville but suggested that there should be dialogue instead of confrontation.]
Thursday 4 December 1997
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), and Martin McGuinness, then Vice-President of Sinn Féin (SF), held a meeting with the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speaker refused their request for office facilities because they had not taken their seats as this would have involved taking the Oath of allegiance to the Queen. Pearse McCauley (32) was charged in a court in Dublin with the capital murder of Gerry McCabe, then a Detective in the Garda Síochána (the Irish police), in Adare on 7 June 1996.
Saturday 4 December 1999
The interlocutor appointed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) held a meeting with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) at an undisclosed location. Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), welcomed the meeting and called for reductions in the number of British troops in Northern Ireland. A man from Lurgan, County Armagh, was charged with the murder of Elizabeth O’Neill in Portadown on 5 June 1999. The annual Lundy’s Day parade held by the Apprentice Boys of Derry (ABD) passed off without serious trouble.
Monday 4 December 2000
John Hume, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), stepped down as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) at Stormont. Hume was then a Member of Parliament (MP) and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and said that he needed to reduce his workload.
Tuesday 4 December 2001
The British Army defused a bomb (estimated at 35 kilograms of home-made explosives) which was found under a railway line at Killeen Bridge near Newry, County Down, close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The operation brought a six-day security alert in the area to an end. The track between Newry and Dundalk, County Louth, Republic of Ireland, had been closed since Thursday 29 November 2001 after police had received a number of telephoned bomb warnings
. A man was beaten in a paramilitary ‘punishment’ attack close to the Conlig reservoir near Bangor, Conuty Down, at approximately 9.30pm (2130GMT). The man had been abducted earlier in Bangor and driven to the reservoir where he was beaten with baseball bats and sticks. He was later taken to hospital with a broken ankle, broken finger, and other injuries to his body and arms.
A memorial was unveiled in north Belfast to mark the 30th anniversary of a Loyalist paramilitary bombing in which 15 men, women, and children, died. The bomb had been planted by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) at The Tramore Bar (McGurk’s bar) in North Queen Street on Saturday 4 December 1971.
[Only one of the bombers, the driver of the getaway car, was ever convicted. Immediately after the bombing, and for some time later, the security forces and various official sources maintained that the bomb had gone off inside the bar indicating that it was being prepared by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) and thus represented an ‘own goal’.]
Bairbre de Brún (SF), then Minister of Health, announced additional funding of £250,000 to try to reduce teenage pregnancies in Northern Ireland. The region has one of the highest rates in Europe. In 1995, there were 1,434 pregnancies to teenagers in the province, but this figure rose to 1,795 in 1999. The money was to be spent on projects that support action on teenage pregnancy.
Tom Constantine, then Oversight Commissioner for Policing Reform, said that there had been an excellent start to the reforms of the police service but that he had concerns about a lack of progress in some areas. Constantine was appointed to oversee the implementation of the changes which are required to transform the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) into the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Jane Morrice (NIWC), then deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, introduced a motion calling for the Euro to be given dual currency status in Northern Ireland because of its land border with the Republic of Ireland. The Euro is due to be introduced into the Republic on 1 January 2002. The Assembly did not support the motion.
It was disclosed that Peter Mandelson, the former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, had written an article for the January 2001 issue of ‘GQ’ magazine in which he stated that the British government had “no stomach” to fight the Irish Republican Army (IRA). He also said that Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), could see a United Ireland in his lifetime.
[Later John Reid, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, dismissed the views and said that there was nothing inevitable about a change in the constitutional status of Northern Ireland.]
——————————-
———————————————————————————
Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
18 People lost their lives on the 4th December between 1971 – 1983
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Maria McGurk, (14)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
James Cromie, (13)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971 John Colton, (49)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Thomas McLaughlin, (55)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971 David Milligan, (53)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
James Smyth, (58)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Francis Bradley, (62)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Thomas Kane, (48)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Kathleen Irvine, (53)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Philip Garry, (73)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Edward Kane, (29)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Edward Keenan, (69)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Sarah Keenan, (58)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1971
Robert Spotswood, (38)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) Killed in bomb attack on McGurk’s bar, junction of Gt. George’s Street and North Queen Street, New Lodge, Belfast.
——————————————–
04 December 1972
Bernard Fox, (16)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army Youth Section (IRAF),
Killed by: British Army (BA) Shot while standing at the junction of Brompton Park and Crumlin Road, Ardoyne, Belfast
——————————————–
04 December 1983 Colm McGirr, (23)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: British Army (BA) Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, while walking across field towards arms cache, off Cloghog Road, near Coalisland, County Tyrone.
——————————————–
04 December 1983
Brian Campbell, (19)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: British Army (BA) Shot by undercover British Army (BA) members, while walking across field towards arms cache, off Cloghog Road, near Coalisland, County Tyrone.
Key Events & Deaths on this day in Northern Ireland Troubles
3rd December
—————————————-
Monday 3 December 1973
Francis Pym succeeded William Whitelaw as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
[Many people were critical of this particular change given that the talks on the crucial issue of the Council of Ireland were scheduled to begin on 6 December 1973. Pym it was believed had comparatively little knowledge of Northern Ireland.]
Harry West and other ‘unpledged’ Unionists announced the setting up of a new group called the Ulster Unionist Assembly Party (UUAP). The UUAP later held a joint meeting with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Vanguard in the Ulster Hall, Belfast.
Tuesday 3 December 1974
Members of the Maguire family, who later became known as the ‘Maguire Seven’, were arrested at their home in London. They were held on suspicion of making the bombs used in the explosions in Guildford on 5 October 1974. [The ‘Maguire Seven’ were convicted on 3 March 1976 of possession of explosives (although none were found) and some served 10 years in prison before the convictions were overturned.]
Friday 3 December 1976
Patrick Hillery became the President of the Republic of Ireland.
Saturday 3 December 1977
Seamus Twomey, formerly Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), was arrested in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.
Thursday 3 December 1981
Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), claimed that the ‘Third Force’ had between 15,000 and 20,000 members. James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, said in response that private armies would not be tolerated. [ Political Developments. ]
Tuesday 3 December 1985
Tom King, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, expressed his regret for a speech he made in Brussels in which he had said he thought the Irish government accepted that there would never be a united Ireland.
Wednesday 3 December 1986
Two Republicans, Brendan McFarlane and Gerard Kelly, who had escaped from the Maze prison on 25 September 1983 were extradited from Holland to Northern Ireland and appeared in a Lisburn court on charges related to the escape.
Thursday 3 December 1987
George Seawright died from wounds having been shot by the Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO) on 19 November 1987.
The Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded two bombs in Manchester, England, injuring over 60 people.
Friday 3 December 1993
The Irish Times (a Republic of Ireland newspaper) reported the results of a poll on the options for a political settlement in Northern Ireland. Among Catholic respondents 33 per cent favoured the option of joint authority while 32 per cent wanted to see a United Ireland. Of those Protestants asked 35 per cent favoured closer integration with the United Kingdom (UK).
Saturday 3 December 1994
Ian Paisley, then leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said that his party would try to wreck any new Assembly.
Tuesday 3 December 1996
An Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) delegation met Al Gore, Vice-President of the United States of America (USA), and a number of members of Congress, in Washington.
Wednesday 3 December 1997
Sinn Féin (SF) produced a dossier outlining their case that the party was being discriminated against in the allocation of committee chairs at Belfast City Council.
[SF was the joint largest party in the council along with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) both of whom had 13 councillors. However, whereas Unionists parties including the Alliance Party had 93 per cent of the committee chairs and 87 per cent of vice-chairs, SF had no positions.]
Thursday 3 December 1998
There was further violence at Drumcree, County Armagh, where the Orange Order was continuing its protest at not being allowed to walk down the mainly Catholic Garvaghy Road. Up to 1,000 Loyalists clashed with police at Drumcree. John Taylor, then deputy leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), told journalists reporting the discussions on the setting up of departments and the North-South Ministerial Council to take a week off “because nothing will be happening”.
[The Unionists were blamed for the breakdown of an agreement on the issue.]
David Trimble, then leader of the UUP, travelled to Washington, United States of America (USA).
Sunday 3 December 2000
A Catholic couple and their 12 year old daughter escaped injury after a pipe-bomb was thrown at their home in Harper’s Hill, Coleraine, County Antrim. A Catholic man and his two sons escaped injury after a pipe-bomb was thrown at their house on the Old Glenarm Road in Larne, County Antrim. Both attacks were carried out by Loyalist paramilitaries.
Monday 3 December 2001
Frankie Mulholland (43), a Catholic civilian, was shot dead by Loyalist paramilitaries shot as he sat in a car on the Upper Crumlin Road, close to Horseshoe Bend, north Belfast, at approximately 8.00pm (2000GMT).
A second man in the car was taken to hospital suffering from shock. The Red Hand Defenders (RHD), a cover name previously used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), claimed responsibility for the attack.
[At the time police said they were investigating a motive for the killing but thought it might be drugs related.]
Two Catholic teenagers escaped injury when a pipe-bomb was thrown at them close to the Hillman Street and Duncairn Gardens interface in north Belfast. Three men had thrown the device over the peaceline. Residents claimed that the attack was sectarian. Component parts of a pipe-bomb were found in the front garden of a house in Whitewell Road, north Belfast. British Army technical officers were called to deal with the device.
A number of armed and masked men hijacked a van and left it on the Derry to Strabane Road. The road was closed as a result and a number of families evacuated from their homes. John Reid, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, addressed a meeting of the British-Irish Interparliamentary Body (BIIB) in Bournemouth, England. Reid said that the Good Friday Agreement was the “golden thread” on which political progress in Northern Ireland must be based and if the Agreement was implemented in full it would mean the same rights and respect for everyone.
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), called on Tony Blair, then British Prime Minister, to investigate accusations of collusion between the British security forces and Loyalist paramilitaries in the killing of Nationalists in Northern Ireland. Mark Durkan (SDLP), then Minister of Finance and Personnel, presented his budget to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Assembly debated the budget on Tuesday 11 December 2001. Durkan announced an additional €39m funding for public services from the cross-departmental Executive Programme Funds. Among the 30 spending proposals was a special fund to help victims of violence. Other sectors to benefit from the extra funding were health, community regeneration, education, equality promotion, and sport.
Sylvia Hermon (Lady), then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP, became the first member of the UUP to address a meeting of Fianna Fáil (FF). Hermon had been invited to give a speech to the Dublin South association of FF.
[Hermon had previously invited Mark Durkan, then leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), to address a meeting North Down Association of the UUP on 19 November 2001.]
John de Chastelain (Gen.), then head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), travelled to Dublin to present a progress report on contacts with Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries. The General Consumer Council issued a report entitled ‘The Price of Being Poor’ which claimed that 2,000 people in Northern Ireland die prematurely because of poverty. It was estimated that 25 per cent of all households in the region have income below the poverty line.
—————————————-
———————————————————————————
Remembering all innocent victims of the Troubles
Today is the anniversary of the death of the following people killed as a results of the conflict in Northern Ireland
“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
To the innocent on the list – Your memory will live forever
– To the Paramilitaries –
There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, but nothing worth killing for.
8 People lost their lives on the 3rd December between 1972 – 2000
————————————————————
03 December 1972
Samuel Hamilton, (50)
Protestant Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: non-specific Republican group (REP) Found shot Comber Street, Short Strand, Belfast.
————————————————————
03 December 1973
Joseph Walker, (18)
Catholic Status: Irish Republican Army (IRA),
Killed by: British Army (BA) Shot during attempted ambush of British Army (BA) mobile patrol, The Rath, Central Drive, Creggan, Derry.
————————————————————
03 December 1976
Joseph Scott, (49)
Protestant Status: Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Off duty reservist. Shot while working as traffic warden, Circular Road, Dungannon, County Tyrone
————————————————————
03 December 1979
William Wright, (58)
Protestant Status: Prison Officer (PO),
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Off duty. Shot at his home, Lyndhurst Drive, off Ballygomartin Road, Belfast.
————————————————————
03 December 1979
David White, (35)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ),
Killed by: Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) Shot at his home, Brooke Crescent, off Black’s Road, Belfast.
————————————————————
03 December 1987
George Seawright , (36)
Protestant Status: Civilian Political Activist (CivPA),
Killed by: Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO) Loyalist activist. Died two weeks after being shot while sitting in stationary car, Dundee Street, Shankill, Belfast.
Killed by: Irish Republican Army (IRA) Shot at his mobile home, Crew Road, Maghera, County Derry.
————————————————————
03 December 2001 Francis Mulholland, (34)
Catholic Status: Civilian (Civ)
Killed by: Red Hand Defenders (RHD) Shot while sitting in his stationary car, opposite petrol filling station, Upper Crumlin Road, Belfast.
————————————————————
This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdrop of events that might best be described as ‘explosive’, captivating & shocking the world for thirty long years.
The views and opinions expressed in these pages/documentaries are soley intended to educate and provide background information to those interested in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. They in no way reflect my own opinions and I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies or factual errors.
Politics and controversy
Seawright was noted for his fiery rhetoric. He was elected to Belfast City Councilin 1981 and soon developed a following amongst unionists. The following year he was elected as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) candidate to the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly. Seawright, who had initially campaigned for John McQuade before securing his own candidacy, had problems with the party leadership from early on as, he claimed, he was viewed as lacking respectability due to his rough personality, his residence in social housing and the fact that he was in arrears to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
Seawright courted controversy throughout his fairly brief career and was criticised for an interview he gave to Nationalism Today, a journal produced in support of the Political Soldier wing of the British National Front (NF). In it, Seawright praised the NF, not only for their support for Ulster loyalism but also for their stance on race and immigration. His younger brother David Seawright was an active member of the NF.
Whiterock leisure centre, the scene of Seawright’s flag raid
In 1984, following the erection of an Irish tricolour on Whiterock leisure centre, Seawright led a group of loyalists wielding legally-held handguns to physically remove it. Despite their efforts two flags were put up to replace it soon afterwards. Following a heated exchange in which People’s Democracy councillor John McAnulty described the British Union Flag as “a butcher’s apron” McAnulty alleged that Seawright delivered a veiled death threat, saying: “I have a soft spot for you Mr McAnulty, it’s in Milltown Cemetery.”
He continued to court controversy when he told a meeting of the Belfast Education and Library Board in 1984 that Irish Catholics who objected to the singing of the British national anthem “are just fenian scum who have been indoctrinated by the Catholic Church. Taxpayers’ money would be better spent on an incinerator and burning the lot of them.
Their priests should be thrown in and burnt as well.” Seawright denied making these comments, although they were widely reported by the press at the time. The comments had been sparked by a debate before the board about building a new incinerator at a Catholic primary school.
He was prosecuted and received a six-month suspended sentence as a result.
DUP withdraw support
Church of God, Conway Street, Shankill Road, where Seawright worshipped after splitting from the Free Presbyterian Church
Following these high-profile political mistakes, the DUP withdrew the party whip from Seawright, although he managed to hold his support base and was returned to the Council in 1985 as an independent under the label ‘Protestant Unionist’. He was shunned by the DUP and UUP city councillors; indeed the only people who would talk to him were Sinn Féin city councillors.
Nonetheless he did not sever his ties with all DUP members and in summer 1985 joined Ivan Foster, Jim Wells and George Graham in a failed attempt to force a banned loyalist march through the mainly nationalist town of Castlewellan. Seawright did however split from the Free Presbyterian Church and instead worshipped at the Shankill Road‘s Church of God.
As a candidate for the Westminster elections, Seawright twice contested the North Belfast constituency. In 1983, as a DUP candidate, Seawright finished second with 8,260 votes behind Cecil Walker of the Ulster Unionists, whilst in 1987 he finished third behind Walker and Alban Maginness (Social Democratic and Labour Party) with 5,671 votes as a Protestant Unionist candidate (although the DUP did not contest the seat due to an electoral pact among Unionist candidates at the time). Seawright took the name Ulster Protestant League, which had been used by an earlier loyalist group, for his largely working-class Evangelical group of supporters even though the name was not used for electoral purposes.
Move to loyalism
In the aftermath of the Anglo-Irish Agreement and his removal from the DUP Seawright moved publicly closer to loyalism. He stated that he felt it would be impossible to resist the Agreement solely through non-violence and further argued that it would be inevitable for loyalists to break from Ian Paisley and Jim Molyneaux as the two leaders of unionism would never publicly endorse a violent response. For Seawright conflict was inevitable, especially with the growing electoral success of Sinn Féin which he argued would harden both communities and bring about civil war.
Seawright further enhanced his notoriety when, on 20 November 1985, he took a leading role in the protests against the visit of the then Secretary of State for Northern IrelandTom King to Belfast City Hall, where King was denounced for his part in the Anglo-Irish Agreement and attacked physically by Seawright and other protestors. For his part in the incident Seawright was sentenced to nine months imprisonment in Magilligan prison in October 1986.
As a result of this jailing, Seawright was forced to vacate his seat on Belfast City Council. The Workers’ Party blocked the co-option of his wife Liz, who nevertheless beat the Workers’ Party by 93% to 7% in the subsequent by-election (in which she also stood under the label of Protestant Unionist). She held the seat in 1989, but lost it in the 1993 local government election.
He courted further controversy in September 1986 when he publicly called for revenge after the killing of John Bingham, a leading UVF member and friend of Seawright, by the IRA. Raymond Mooney, a Catholic civilian, was killed soon after Seawright made the statement.
He made similar remarks the following year when William “Frenchie” Marchant was killed by republicans, stating that he had “no hesitation in calling for revenge and retribution”. Seawright’s North Belfast campaign in 1987 also played up his loyalist image with Seawright dubbing himself “the man who will not be silenced”. He further promised to follow an abstentionist policy if he were elected in protest at the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
Death
Following his release, Seawright made plans to regain his seat, although ultimately he was to be assassinated before the opportunity arrived. Martin Dillon alleged in his book The Dirty War that Seawright met with representatives of the Irish People’s Liberation Organisation (IPLO) in the Europa Hotel, after being informed by the RUC that he was on an IPLO hit list. It was alleged that during the meeting, Seawright agreed to provide low level information to the IPLO in exchange for his safety. Nonetheless, on 19 November 1987 Seawright was shot whilst he waited in a car near a taxi firm on the Shankill Road (for whom he was due to begin working) by the IPLO, dying of the wounds he suffered on 3 December that same year.
According to an internal UDA document investigating claims of collusion with republicans Craig had brought two other members to the car park of the Shankill Road leisure centre on the day Seawright was killed, a location only fifty yards away from the murder scene.[32] The UVF blamed the killing on Martin “Rook” O’Prey, a leading IPLO hitman who was killed by the UVF at his home in 1991.
They questioned Craig about his alleged involvement but decided that he had not played any role in the killing.
This is simply the story of a boy trying to grow up, survive, thrive, have fun & discover himself against a backdro… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…— Belfast Child (@bfchild66) July 23, 2020
I believe in calling a spade a spade and therefore as ISIS or Daesh are murdering scum why not address them as such.
The Arabic for Murdering B******s is قتل أوغاد , which loosely translates to ” Killing villains ”
—————————————–
What’s in a name? When it comes to how to refer to the extremist group that has terrorized Syria and northern Iraq and violently imposed a caliphate, a lot
You may have noticed over recent days and weeks more and more commentators and politicians are referring to ISIS as Daesh and there is increasing pressure to stop calling ISIS by their preferred name “Islamic State , on the grounds that it grants them an element of legitimacy.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a bit of a misnomer, as it lends the imprimatur of Islam to a group that the vast majority of Muslims finds despicable.
“This is a terrorist group and not a state. I do not recommend using the term Islamic State because it blurs the lines between Islam, Muslims, and Islamists,”
France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said in a statement. “The Arabs call it ‘Daesh’ and I will be calling them the ‘Daesh cutthroats.'”
The name Daesh, according to France24, is a “loose acronym” for “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (al-Dawla al-Islamiya al-Iraq al-Sham). The name is commonly used by enemies of ISIS, and it also has many negative undertones, as Daesh sounds similar to the Arabic words Daes (“one who crushes something underfoot”) and Dahes (“one who sows discord”). Samantha Rollins
——————-
Downing Street announced on Wednesday that David Cameron and other Government ministers would start referring to the militant group known as “Isis” as “Daesh”.
In June David Cameron asked the BBC to stop using the term “Islamic State” and started using “Isil”.
Now it’s all change again. Here’s all you need to know about the term.
What does ‘Daesh’ mean?
“Daesh” is another name for the militant group which calls itself “Islamic State” which is often referred to in the media by its historic names Isis or Isil.
Where does the term ‘Daesh’ come from?
Read more
What does Daesh mean and is it significant the PM used the term?
“Daesh”, sometimes spelled Daiish or Da’esh, it an acronym for “Dawlat al-Islamiyah f’al-Iraq wa al-Sham” – or in its Arabaic script form, الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام.
That phrase is the Arabic for “Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”. “al-Sham” refers to Greater Syria, an area referred to in English as “the Levant”.
Who uses the term ‘Daesh’?
The French government has been referring to Isis as “Daesh” for some time. Since September 2014 it has been official French policy to use “Daesh” to refer to the group. The country’s foreign minister Laurent Fabius also asked journalists to use the phrase.
The term is the most widely used in Arab countries to refer to the group. In a speech at the weekend US secretary of state John Kerry used the term, possibly signalling a change in US policy.
What is the politics like around the different names?
Daesh, when spoken, sounds similar to the Arabic words for “the sowers of dischord” (Dahes) or “one who crushes underfoot” (Daes). It thus has negative connotations.
Islamic State, which the group changed its name to most recently, is an attempt by Isis to identify itself with the wider religion of Islam.
It is also supposed to make it sound more international than Isis or Isil, which refer to specific geographic areas.
.JPG)
belfastchildis.com 