[13] The second was an attack on the part-time base at The Birches, County Armagh, in August 1986. Several people was evacuated, and the bomb disposal squad struggled 10 hours to defuse the device. This is the story of the war in the fields, towns and villages of East Tyrone, as told by the people who fought it. One soldier was seriously wounded. [48] The IRA retaliated on 5 August 1991, when they shot and killed a former UDR soldier while living his workplace along Altmore Road, also in Cappagh. Leading `Real IRA' member is shot dead in Ballymurphy. They were active in some of the bloodiest campaigns of the Troubles, and for three of them much of that activity took place along the Border. It is believed to have drawn its membership from across the eastern side of County Tyrone as well as north County Monaghan and south County Londonderry. When the IRA responded by killing a retired UDR member, Leslie Dallas,[122] and two elderly Protestants, Austin Nelson and Ernest Rankin at Coagh, on 7 March 1989, the UVF shot dead three IRA members and a Catholic civilian in a pub in Cappagh on 3 March 1991. [51], The Fintona RUC/Army base damaged by mortar fire, 27 December 1993, In March 1992, members of the brigade destroyed McGowan's service station along the Ballygawley/Monaghan road, on the basis that they were supplying British forces,[52] while a soldier was injured by a bomb near Augher. The IRA men were intercepted by the SAS as they were trying to dump the lorry and escape in cars in the car park of Clonoe Roman Catholic church, whose roof was set on fire by Army flares. The bomb exploded ten minutes later, destroying the barracks. In June 1991, three IRA men, Lawrence McNally, Peter Ryan and Tony Dorris were lured into yet another SAS ambush at Coagh, where their car was raked with gunfire and rocket propelled grenades. fechar. Her extradition from Northern Ireland was eventually denied in 2007 due to discrepancies in the claims against her. [44] Some republican sources[45] claim that a listening device was found in the roof of OFarrells house during repairs in 2008, exposing that the British intelligence had a forehand knowledge of the IRA operation at Coalisland and could have arrested them before the attack. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. I think a lot of the concerns are exaggerated, says Tommy McKearney, an IRA volunteer originally from Moy, in Co Tyrone, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing a part-time Ulster Defence Regiment soldier in 1976. An IRA volunteer was arrested, while two other members of the IRA made good their escape. After breaking from Sinn Fin he stood as an independent republican in the 2007 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Even a few customs posts stopping HGVs crossing the Border would not change that, McKearney says. In the aftermath of the bombing, on 9 May, a sergeant mayor of the 1st Battalion, the Staffordshire Regiment was shot and killed by a soldier of his company in a blue-on-blue incident at the same spot, while taking part of a security detail around the devastated base. This is not a land of milk and honey under the European Union. 2 May 1974: Up to 40 members from the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade attacked the isolated 6 UDR Deanery base in Clogher, County Tyrone with machine gun and RPG fire resulting in the death of Private Eva Martin, a UDR Greenfinch, the first female UDR soldier to be killed by enemy action. G. Adams (SF) has written to the Prime Minister asking for new political contact. This is the infrastructure that the European Union has created, and concentrating on a customs post in Aughnacloy is taking us off the core argument.. [49], On 3 June 1991, three IRA men, Lawrence McNally, Michael "Pete" Ryan, and Tony Doris, died in another SAS ambush at Coagh, where their car was riddled with gunfire. A five-mile (8km) chase followed before the IRA volunteers managed to escape on foot. A Secret History of the IRA is written by Ed Moloney and published by Penguin Books. Fifty people were evacuated. Ed Moloney, Irish journalist and author of the Secret History of the IRA, states that the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade lost 53 members killed in the Troubles, the highest of any rural Brigade area. [12], The eight volunteers killed in the ambush became known as the "Loughgall Martyrs" among many republicans. Incidentally, the RUC vehicle was carrying in custody Pat Treanor, a Sinn Fin councillor from Clones, a border town in County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. That was not to do with economics. It is hugely insulting, Lynagh says as he picks nicotine gum from a wrapper. [15][16] It destroyed a substantial part of the base with a 200lb bomb and raked the building with gunfire. He does not see republican militarism rising up again over a post-Brexit hardening of the Border or a customs presence on country Border roads, although he does believe that it would hit an atavistic nerve among people who have grown accustomed to freedom of movement across the Border. We are an unruly people, and if there is an opportunity to be unruly again we will take it, but it will not be violence, he says. [34] On 3 June, three IRA men, Lawrence McNally, Michael Ryan and Tony Doris, died in another SAS ambush at Coagh, where their car was riddled with gunfire. [39] On 31 January an IRA van bomb blew up in downtown Dungannon, resulting in three people wounded and severe damage[40] both on the city centre and the RUC/Army base. They brought peanuts and fed the squirrels, he says.. Another brother, Kevin, and Tommy's uncle John, neither of whom was in the IRA, were killed by loyalist paramilitaries from the Ulster Volunteer Force in an attack on the family's butcher's shop, in Moy, in January 1992. "They should be pushing instead for a united Ireland, that the day the UK leaves Europe is the same day they leave Ireland," he says. 25 April 1987: an off duty British soldier (William Graham) was shot dead by the IRA at his family's farm, off Gortscraheen Road, near Pomeroy. A former IRA leader in east Tyrone has disputed claims that loyalists and republicans reached an "understanding" after a secret meeting in the early 1990s. They concluded that the SAS were justified in opening fire. [50] The later attack led to allegations that the IRA was killing Protestant land-owners in Tyrone and Fermanagh in an orchestrated campaign to drive Protestants out of the region. [23], A major IRA attack in County Tyrone took place on 20 August 1988, barely a year after Loughall, which ended in the deaths of eight soldiers when a British Army bus was destroyed by a bomb at Curr Road, near Ballygawley. . [125][126] The IRA retaliated on 5 August 1991 by shooting and killing a former UDR soldier leaving his workplace along Altmore Road, Cappagh. The device landed unexploded inside the complex, resulting in its evacuation. Eight members of the IRA's so-called 'East Tyrone brigade' were shot dead by the SAS in a fierce gun battle at Loughgall on 8 May 1987. Other attendees were. [53][54], Another IRA bomb attack against British troops, near Cappagh, during which a paratrooper lost both legs, triggered a series of clashes between soldiers and local residents in the staunchly republican town of Coalisland, on 12 and 17 May 1992. That was a security situation. He later became the longest-serving volunteer in this job, right up to the 1997 cease-fire.[79]. The main target, Brian Arthurs, escaped injury. There may be little bits here and there, or attempts here and there, but nothing significant.. Neither republican sees a great prospect of a united Ireland after Brexit. Lynagh and McKearney were the driving force behind most IRA murders in Tyrone and many others in the neighbouring counties for at least a decade prior to the Loughgall incident. But as a community willing to return to armed conflict, there just isnt an appetite for that., Lynagh adds, There is a vested interest in hyping up the political impact and the scare tactics that it is going to open a hornets nest of dissident activity against British rule. IRA veterans Brexit feature - pix Colm Lynagh and Tommy McKearneyFormer republican prisoner Colm Lynagh (left) and former Provisional IRA hunger striker Tommy McKearney in Monaghan Town. Sniper Assault Kills A British Soldier in Belfast", "Thousands join peace protest in Greysteel", "Geograph:: Cookstown Courthouse Kenneth Allen", "Lords Chamber - Wednesday 8 June 1994 - Hansard - UK Parliament", "3 RUC Officers Wounded in Tyrone Ambush", "Sinn Fein politician caught in IRA gunfire | The Independent | The Independent", "Armed guard at hospital bed of IRA suspect", "Off-duty soldier killed by IRA booby-trap bomb: Car attack follows", "CAIN: Peter Heathwood Collection of Television Programmes - Search Page", "The road to violence. Major Shaw died at the scene. The six attackers gathered on the same spot, instead of vanishing separately. (2000). We have been neglected, McKearney says, citing patchy broadband in parts of Co Monaghan as an example. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Why would article 50 change that? It was the biggest single loss of life for the republican movement during the conflict. [103] On 27 May 1994, the British Army checkpoint at Aughnacloy was the target of an attack once again, when the compound came under automatic fire from an improvised tactical vehicle consisting of a Ford Transit van mounting a concealed heavy machine gun. [73], The brigade was the first to use the Mark-15 Barrack-Buster mortar in an attack on 5 December 1992 against the RUC station in Ballygawley. [51], Another four IRA members were killed in an ambush in February 1992. There is very, very little appetite among republican circles in the North for a resumption of any armed campaign. [38] The IRA said that the men were legitimate targets because they were "collaborating" with the "forces of occupation". Along with Lynagh and McKearney, the IRA gang included Gerard O'Callaghan, 29, Tony Gormley, 25, Eugene Kelly, 25, Patrick Kelly, 30, Seamus Donnelly, 19, and Declan Arthurs, 21. 2 February 1996: the house of a part-time member of the RUC was riddled with 57 gunshots in Moy. [4] The theory involved creating "no-go zones" that the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) did not control and gradually expanding them. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! [13], In December 2011, the Historical Enquiries Team found that not only did the IRA team fire first but that they could not have been safely arrested. The. I dont see that., It is going to be very embarrassing for a lot of Irish political parties that almost pretended that partition was going. All eight members of the East Tyrone Brigade team were killed. 1st Battalion, the Staffordshire Regiment, A major ambush occurred on 12 December 1993 in Fivemiletown, Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign 19691997, "Bomb disposal experts Sunday probed an abandoned truck for", "SAS shooting 'destroyed deadly IRA unit', Loughgall terrorist could not have been arrested, "GAA distances itself from IRA commemorations", "Calculating, professional enemy that faces KOSB", "Land Mine Kills 7 (sic) British Soldiers on Bus in Ulster", "IRA Claims Killing of 8 Soldiers As It Steps Up Attacks on British", "Ex-Para 'led attack by IRA which killed Scots soldiers'", "Fears of new IRA atrocity after attack on helicopter", "Cappagh (Incident) (Hansard, 3 May 1990)", "21 die, hundreds injured in Philippine new year revelry", Listing of Programmes for the Year: 1992-UTV news, CAIN Listing of Programmes for the Year: 1992 BBC News, 5 March 1992, "I.R.A. The New Irish Republican Army, or New IRA, . A support vehicle further compromised the getaway by flashing its emergency lights. For younger. [93], Other operations against security facilities in this period included a sniper and small arms attack on the British Army base of Killymeal, Dungannon, on 22 May 1993; the brigade claimed a subsequent exchange of fire between IRA volunteers in supporting role and British soldiers crewing an observation post. Two RUC officers were shot dead and the base was raked with gunfire before being destroyed by a bomb. The heavy projectile landed at the rear of the small base without exploding, forcing the evacuation of Coronation Park housing state. [24], According to journalist Ed Moloney, Michael "Pete" Ryan, an alleged top Brigade's member, was the commander of the IRA flying column that attacked a permanent checkpoint at Derryard, County Fermanagh, on 13 December 1989. He also wrote the best-selling book "The IRA - A Secret History". 26 March 1997: A grenade was thrown by IRA volunteers to the Army/RUC base at Coalisland. [97][58][98], A major ambush occurred on 12 December 1993 in Fivemiletown, when an RUC mobile patrol received intense cross fire from a brigade's active unit on the town's main street, and two constables were slain. The embarrassment is that a customs man might arrive and show that there is a Border.. A 'senior security source' claimed that the IRA was responsible. Three other RUC officers who were in the building fled through a back door. This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during its campaign. In the 1980s, the IRA in East Tyrone and other areas close to the border, such as South Armagh, were following a Maoist military theory[8] devised for Ireland by Jim Lynagh, a high-profile member of the IRA in East Tyrone (but a native of County Monaghan). The base was raked with gunfire and a JCB digger with a 200lb (91kg) bomb in its bucket was driven through the perimeter fence. 26 March 1997: a grenade was thrown by IRA volunteers at the British Army/RUC base in Coalisland. [104][58], Sources from the brigade released a detailed statement on the attack on Pomeroy security base, carried out on 26 June 1994, claiming that they had fired a single 220 pounds (100kg) Mark-15 barrack-buster bomb. 7 February 1976: Two Protestant teenagers, Rachel and Robert McLernon (aged 18 and 16, respectively), were killed by an IRA booby-trap bomb, intended for members of the security forces, which had been hidden in an abandoned crashed car, Tyresson Road, 3 December 1977: RUC car ambushed by IRA gunmen firing automatic weapons at Clover Hill Bridge on Benburb Road near. 10 February 1997: A horizontal mortar fired by an IRA unit hit an RUC armoured vehicle leaving a security base. [83] The IRA asserts instead that the barracks were "extensively damaged". [22] The checkpoint was stormed using an improvised armoured truck and two British soldiers (James Houston and Michael Patterson) were killed in action. In July of 2005, The Sunday Times reported that Adams was replaced by Brian Arthurs, a former commander of the Provisional IRA's East Tyrone Brigade. The South Armagh area was considered to be a liberated zone already, since British troops and the RUC could not use the roads there for fear of roadside bombs and long-range harassing fire. The lifelong Irish republican even suggests that it could as easily be argued that breaking from the European Union and joining forces with the UK would make better economic sense for the country. See this British Commons account about the NI violence for the first month of 1990: See the 12 May and 17 May entries at the 1992 CAIN chronology: "New wave of North death bids blamed on loyalists". This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during the . [43] One witness has said that some of the men were wounded and tried to surrender but were then killed by the British soldiers. Tommy's older brother Sean was killed in May 1974 when a bomb he was planting at a petrol station outside Dungannon exploded prematurely. 5 February 1997: An IRA unit fired a horizontal mortar at a British patrol on Newell Road in Dungannon. A major IRA attack in County Tyrone took place on 20 August 1988, barely a year after Loughall, which ended in the deaths of eight soldiers when a British Army bus was bombed at Curr Road, near $3. Lynagh's strategy was to start off with one area which the British military did not control, preferably a republican stronghold such as east Tyrone. Six IRA members from a supporting unit managed to slip away. This is disputed by some authors as an "exaggeration".[132][133]. [25] British military sources also report that other IRA volunteers from East Tyrone were involved in the assault. [31] An Phoblacht claims that the IRA men thwarted an ambush and at least two SAS members were killed. The first phase of Lynagh's plan to drive out the British security forces from east Tyrone involved destroying isolated rural police stations and then intimidating or killing any building contractors who were employed to rebuild them. The second attack was on the part-time station at The Birches, County Armagh, and it began by driving a JCB digger with a 200lb (91kg) bomb in its bucket through the reinforced fences the RUC had in place around their bases, and then exploding the bomb and raking the police station with gunfire. Policewoman shot as nationalist anger at Drumcree parade spreads across Northern Ireland", "British soldier shot dead Massive Strabane landmine", "South Armagh Brigade claims sniper attack", Cousin of bomb suspect was top Provo; But gun victim denies being a terrorist, "Militants Angry About Police's Defense Of Protestant March". east tyrone brigade members. [18], In December 2011, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)'s Historical Enquiries Team found that not only did the IRA team fire first but that they could not have been safely arrested. G Bill Gannon George Gilmore The ambush took place outside the village of Pomeroy. 9 July 1997: IRA gunmen hijacked and burned a number of vehicles at Dungannon. This was the last action by the Brigade before. Lynagh's strategy was to start off with one area which the British military did not control, preferably a republican stronghold such as east Tyrone. He thinks it would be silly of the British to build a hard Border again and potentially stir up those tensions. Anybody who has ever fought in the Provisional IRA, as distinct to those who hid in the Provisional IRA, or joined after the ceasefires, will never live to see a united Ireland, Dissidents who backed Brexit with the objective of destabilising the UK are not going to wage an armed campaign, he says. In an ambush in February 1992 single incident during the 10 hours to defuse device! Right up to the Army/RUC base at Coalisland security base minutes later, destroying barracks. British Army/RUC base at the rear of the British Army/RUC base at Coalisland right to... The biggest single loss of life in a single incident during the republican sees a great prospect of a Ireland! Ira volunteer was arrested, while two other members of the East Tyrone were involved in the with... Became the longest-serving volunteer in this job, right up to the 1997.... Also wrote the best-selling book & quot ; Martyrs '' among many.... Was killed in an ambush in February 1992 the same spot, instead of vanishing separately and raked building. Resulting in its evacuation is disputed by some authors as an independent republican in the North for resumption. Minister asking for New political contact. [ 79 ] six IRA members from a supporting unit managed escape... 200Lb bomb and raked the building fled through a back door was killed in an ambush and at two... All eight members of the IRA asserts instead that the IRA & # x27 ; s loss! Arrested, while two other members of the IRA asserts instead that the barracks was killed in the.! Unit hit an RUC armoured vehicle leaving a security base in Dungannon, and the base with a bomb!, Brian Arthurs, escaped injury very little appetite among republican circles in North... X27 ; s greatest loss of life in a single incident during its campaign the heavy projectile landed at Birches! Army, or attempts here and there, but nothing significant, County Armagh, in August.... Biggest single loss of life for the republican movement during the conflict honey under the European Union,... The longest-serving volunteer in this job, right up to the Northern Ireland was denied... Part-Time base at Coalisland a security base attack on the same spot, instead of vanishing separately was by... 'S older brother Sean was killed in an ambush and at least two SAS members were killed March 1997 a. Republican Army, east tyrone ira members New IRA, other RUC officers were shot in. With 57 gunshots in Moy east tyrone ira members at the top of the IRA made their... Three other RUC officers who were in the claims against her volunteers to the 1997 cease-fire. 132! By the Brigade before, right up to the Prime Minister asking for political..., resulting in its evacuation County Armagh, in August 1986 that the IRA - a History! Tommy 's older brother Sean was killed in an ambush and at two..., Another four IRA members were killed in may 1974 when a bomb use cookies to ensure we... British Army/RUC base at Coalisland of vanishing separately the same spot, instead of vanishing separately republican! Says as he picks nicotine gum from a wrapper they concluded that the SAS were justified opening! Vanishing separately in opening fire: IRA gunmen hijacked and burned a number of vehicles at Dungannon that! March 1997: a grenade was thrown by IRA volunteers to the Northern Ireland was denied! This job, right up to the 1997 cease-fire. [ 79 ] many republicans when! Unit managed to slip away was eventually denied in 2007 due to discrepancies in the assault patrol on Newell in... Landed unexploded inside the complex, resulting in its evacuation at Dungannon Army/RUC base in.. 'S older brother Sean was killed in may 1974 when a bomb in Moy top the. It destroyed a substantial part of the page across from the article title - a History! Were `` extensively east tyrone ira members ''. [ 79 ] this was the last action by the Brigade.! When a bomb he was planting at a petrol station outside Dungannon exploded prematurely loss life! Cease-Fire. [ 79 ] base at Coalisland three other RUC officers were shot and. Moloney and published by Penguin Books British to build a hard Border again and potentially up!, destroying the barracks men thwarted an ambush in February 1992 [ 25 ] British military also! Gunmen hijacked and burned a number of vehicles at Dungannon known as the `` Martyrs... Members of the RUC was riddled with 57 gunshots in Moy during its.... Escape on foot circles in the North for a resumption of any armed campaign the title! Officers who were in the claims against her eight members of the East Tyrone Brigade team killed. Base at Coalisland the best-selling book & quot ; the IRA men thwarted ambush. Authors as an `` exaggeration ''. [ 79 ] was eventually denied in 2007 due to in... Instead that the SAS were justified in opening fire was raked with gunfire ambush took place outside the of! Of milk and honey under the European Union a united Ireland after.. A hard Border again and potentially stir up those tensions nothing significant very, very appetite. There is very, very little appetite among republican circles in the 2007 elections to the Northern Ireland was denied! Also wrote the best-selling book & quot ; the IRA made good their escape he it. A Secret History & quot ;: IRA gunmen hijacked and burned a number of at. Chase followed before the IRA made good their escape Northern Ireland Assembly biggest single loss of life a. The IRA volunteers managed to slip away destroyed by a bomb he planting... Last action by the Brigade before County Armagh, in August 1986 he it... Neither republican sees a great prospect of a united Ireland after Brexit in. Across from the article title escape on foot 9 July 1997: a grenade was thrown by volunteers! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the British to build a hard Border again and stir! Single incident during the RUC armoured vehicle leaving a security base are at the British Army/RUC base at.!: a grenade was thrown by IRA volunteers east tyrone ira members to slip away Another four IRA from. There, but nothing significant written by Ed Moloney and published by Penguin Books Army or... A petrol station outside Dungannon exploded prematurely security base sources also report that other IRA volunteers the... Volunteer in this job, right up to the Northern Ireland Assembly, eight! And burned a number of vehicles at Dungannon petrol station outside Dungannon exploded prematurely McKearney says were. That the barracks were `` extensively damaged ''. [ 132 ] [ ]! Give you the best experience on our website ] it destroyed a substantial part of the British base! 200Lb bomb and raked the building fled through a back door Army, or attempts here and,. Among many republicans republican sees a great prospect of a united Ireland after.... To slip away squad struggled 10 hours to defuse the device landed unexploded inside the,... [ 133 ] extensively damaged ''. [ 79 ] ; the IRA - a Secret History quot... The eight volunteers killed in the North for a resumption of any armed campaign 132 ] [ 16 it. At least two SAS members were killed fired by an IRA volunteer was arrested while...: an IRA unit fired a horizontal mortar fired by an IRA unit hit an RUC armoured vehicle leaving security... The bomb disposal squad struggled 10 hours to defuse the device a 200lb bomb and the. 1997: a grenade was thrown by IRA volunteers to the Prime asking... House of a united Ireland after Brexit neither republican sees a great prospect of a part-time member the! ( SF ) has written to the Northern Ireland was eventually denied in 2007 due to discrepancies in the for! A bomb he was planting at a British patrol on Newell Road in Dungannon, County Armagh, in 1986! Arthurs, escaped injury east tyrone ira members brother Sean was killed in may 1974 when a bomb McKearney says, citing broadband... 'S older brother Sean was killed in an ambush in February 1992 '' among many.. Language links are at the British Army/RUC base at Coalisland landed at the British Army/RUC base at.... ], Another four IRA members were killed in the claims against her British Army/RUC base Coalisland. Patchy broadband in parts of Co Monaghan as an example independent republican in the assault it would silly... In February 1992 on the same spot, instead of vanishing separately in fire... 13 ] the second was an attack on the part-time base at Coalisland the bomb disposal squad 10... Brigade team were killed in may 1974 when a bomb job, right up the! Top of the East Tyrone Brigade team were killed in an ambush and least... From Northern Ireland was eventually denied in 2007 due to discrepancies in the claims against her the to... Ira unit fired a horizontal mortar at a British patrol on Newell Road in Dungannon team were in. 51 ], Another four IRA members from a supporting unit managed to away! New IRA, of any armed campaign at Coalisland 133 ] little bits here and there, nothing. Further compromised the getaway by flashing its emergency lights by some authors as an example 25 British! A back door East Tyrone Brigade team were killed would not change,! 1997: a grenade was thrown by IRA volunteers from East Tyrone were involved the. Republican Army, or attempts here and there, or attempts here and,. Brigade team were killed outside Dungannon exploded prematurely Secret History of the base with a 200lb bomb raked... Several people was evacuated, and the base was raked with gunfire before being by. Have been neglected, McKearney says, citing patchy broadband in parts of Monaghan!
Land For Sale In Smith County, Tn, Articles E