Mountainview Tavern bombing 1975

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Mountainview Tavern bombing 1975
Part of The Troubles
LocationMountainview Tavern
Shankill Road,
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°36′14″N5°56′53″W / 54.604008°N 5.948119°W / 54.604008; -5.948119 Coordinates: 54°36′14″N5°56′53″W / 54.604008°N 5.948119°W / 54.604008; -5.948119
Date5 April 1975
18:00 GMT
Attack type
shooting, bombing
Weapons Hand guns
Time bomb
Deaths5 (4 Protestant civilians, 1 UDA member)
Non-fatal injuries
60
Perpetratorclaimed by Republican Action Force
Suspected perpetrator
Police believe Provisional IRA actually responsible

On 5 April 1975 Irish Republican paramilitary members killed a UDA volunteer and four Protestant civilians in a gun and bomb attack at the Mountainview Tavern on the Shankill Road - the heart of Loyalist Belfast. The attack was claimed by the Republican Action Force believed to be a covername used by Provisional IRA (IRA) volunteers. Earlier in the day, two Catholic civilians were killed in a bomb attack in a Belfast pub carried out by the Protestant Action Force a name used by the Ulster Volunteer Force to claim some attacks. An elderly Catholic man was shot later the same night by Loyalists bringing the death toll to eight for the day. [1]

Paramilitary Militarised force or other organization

A paramilitary is a semi-militarized force whose organizational structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but which is formally not part of a country's armed forces.

Ulster Defence Association Paramilitary and terrorist group

The Ulster Defence Association is the largest Ulster loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook an armed campaign of almost twenty four years as one of the participants of the Troubles. Its declared goal was to defend Ulster Protestant loyalist areas and to combat Irish republicanism, particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). In the 1970s, uniformed UDA members openly patrolled these areas armed with batons and held large marches and rallies. Within the UDA was a group tasked with launching paramilitary attacks; it used the cover name Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) so that the UDA would not be outlawed. The British government outlawed the "UFF" in November 1973, but the UDA itself was not proscribed as a terrorist group until August 1992.

Gun weapon designed to discharge projectiles or other material

A gun is a ranged weapon typically designed to pneumatically discharge projectiles that are solid but can also be liquid or even charged particles and may be free-flying or tethered.

Contents

Background & events leading up to the attack

By 1975, the religious-political conflict in Northern Ireland known as "the Troubles"— was more than six years old. On 10 February 1975, the Provisional IRA and British government entered into a truce and restarted negotiations. The IRA agreed to halt attacks on the British security forces, and the security forces mostly ended its raids and searches. [2] However, there were dissenters on both sides. Some Provisionals wanted no part of the truce, while British commanders resented being told to stop their operations against the IRA just when—they claimed—they had the Provisionals on the run. [2] The security forces boosted their intelligence offensive during the truce and thoroughly infiltrated the IRA. [2]

The Troubles Ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland

The Troubles was an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland during the late 20th century. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "irregular war" or "low-level war". The conflict began in the late 1960s and is usually deemed to have ended with the Good Friday Agreement of 1998. Although the Troubles primarily took place in Northern Ireland, at times the violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.

There was a rise in sectarian killings during the truce, which 'officially' lasted until early 1976. Ulster loyalists, fearing they were about to be forsaken by the British government and forced into a united Ireland, [3] increased their attacks on the Irish Catholic and nationalist community. They hoped to force the IRA to retaliate and thus hasten an end to the truce. [4] Under orders not to engage the security forces, some IRA units concentrated on tackling the loyalists. The fall-off of regular operations had caused serious problems of internal discipline and some IRA members, with or without permission from higher up the command chain, engaged in tit-for-tat killings. [2]

United Ireland Idea that the whole island of Ireland should be a single state

United Ireland is the proposition that all of Ireland should be a single sovereign state. At present, the island is divided politically; the sovereign Republic of Ireland has jurisdiction over the majority of Ireland, while Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. Achieving a united Ireland is a central tenet of Irish nationalism, particularly of both mainstream and dissident Irish republican political and paramilitary organisations. Unionists support Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom, and therefore oppose Irish unification. The exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union has increased the likelihood of a united Ireland, in order to avoid the requirement for a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Early in 1975 around the time of the IRA ceasefire starting, the Loyalist paramilitaries, specifically the UVF and the UFF of the UDA began stepping up their campaign of sectarian killings. [5] On 9 February 1975 two Catholic civilian teenagers were killed by Loyalists as they left St. Brigids Roman Catholic Church in Belfast. [6] On 10 February Loyalists shot dead three more Catholic civilians, two in a pub were killed by the UVF and one who was doing his job as a road sweeper was shot by an unnamed loyalist group. [7] On 13 March the UVF carried out a gun and bomb attack on Conway's Bar, Greencastle, Belfast, in which two more people died. One of those killed was a Catholic civilian, and the other was a member of the UVF who died when the bomb he was planting in the pub exploded prematurely. That same day the UDA also shot dead a Catholic civilian. [8]

Ulster Volunteer Force Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland

The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. It emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British soldier. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during The Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence and criminal activities. The group is classified as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and United States.

Belfast City in the United Kingdom, capital of Northern Ireland

Belfast is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast of Ireland. It is the second-largest city on the island of Ireland, after Dublin. It had a population of 333,871 as of 2015.

The attack

The attack was carried out by a three-man Active Service Unit. At around 6.00pm two members of the unit opened fire in the bar with handguns before the third member of the unit ran in with the bomb, placed it where it would do most damage near the doorway, lit the fuse and then the unit ran out of the pub and drove away. [9] The force of the explosion was massive and brought the roof crashing in on the customers. The bar was packed with people waiting to watch the Grand National horse race when the attack happened. The bar was known to be popular with Volunteers of the UVF. The getaway car used in the attack was found abandoned in the Springfield area: a stronghold for the IRA. The five dead people were almost killed instantly and some of those injured had lost limbs. It took rescue services hours to free people from the rubble.[ citation needed ]

The Mountainview Tavern attack was similar to the Bayardo Bar attack carried out by the IRA's Belfast Brigade, in that attack 5 people were also killed including one Loyalist paramilitary from the UVF and 4 Protestant civilians and close to 60 injured as well. Because both attacks were so similar most people believe the IRA was responsible for the Mountainview attack [10] But, unlike the Mountainview attack, the IRA was caught at the Bayardo attack and Brendan "Bik" McFarlane was sentenced to life imprisonment for leading the attack.

Bayardo Bar attack

The Bayardo Bar attack took place on 13 August 1975 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A unit of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), led by Brendan McFarlane, launched a bombing and shooting attack on a pub on Aberdeen Street, in the loyalist Shankill area. IRA members claimed the pub was targeted because it was frequented by members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). Four Protestant civilians and one UVF member were killed, while more than fifty were injured.

"Belfast Brigade" is an Irish folk song, to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic".

Brendan McFarlane IRA member

Brendan "Bik" McFarlane is an Irish republican activist. Born into a Roman Catholic family, he was brought up in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, Northern Ireland. At 16, he left Belfast to train as a priest in a north Wales seminary. He joined the Provisional IRA in 1969.

Aftermath

Throughout 1975 sectarian attacks grew worse. With the IRA in talks with the British government they stopped attacks on the British Army and RUC whereas the UVF and UDA stepped up their killings of the Nationalist community. So the IRA concentrated on tackling the Loyalist paramilitaries and Loyalist politicians, a feud between the Provisional IRA and Official IRA started the same year causing several deaths throughout Ireland.

On 12 April the UVF killed 6 Catholic civilians in a gun and bomb attack at a bar in Anderson Street, Belfast, it was similar to the attack carried out at Mountainview Tavern. Two of those killed in the Anderson town attack were two women in their mid 60's and another woman in her late 50's. [11]

Nine days later on 21 April the PAF claimed responsibility for killing 3 Catholic civilians when they bobby-trapped a car owned by one. [12]

Less than one week later on 27 April the PAF shot dead 3 more Catholic civilians in a social club. [13]

On 23 May the PAF claimed responsibility for shooting dead two brothers after they were lured to a house in Mount Vernon, Belfast. [14]

On 3 June two Protestant civilians and a UDR soldier were shot dead by the IRA in Killen, Armagh. [15] One week later the IRA shot dead a UVF member at his greengrocer's shop, Crumlin Road, near Ligoniel Road, Belfast. [16]

On 22 June two Protestant civilians were shot dead by the IRA in an attack at Westland Road, Belfast. Later on the same night the UVF stabbed a 48-year-old Catholic man to death. [17]

On 31 July the Ulster Volunteer Force carried out a gun and bomb attack on the members of the Miami Showband. Three members of the band were killed and one seriously injured during the attack. This attack shocked and outraged most people in Ireland [18] [19]

Two weeks after the Miami Showband attack on 13 August the IRA killed 5 people and injured 50+ in a gun and bomb attack on a Belfast bar. [20] see also - Bayardo Bar attack

The sectarian tit-for-tat killings culminated at the start of 1976 with two brutal sets of killings. On 4 January 1976 six Catholic civilians from two different families died as a result of two separate gun attacks by the UVF, 3 members of the O'Reavey family killed were all brothers and from the O'Dowd family of the three, two brothers and their father were killed. [21] [22] see also - Reavey-O'Dowd killings

The next day on 5 January, in the Kingsmill massacre about 20 members from the Provisional IRA (and possibly the INLA using the cover-name South Armagh Republican Action Force shot 11 Protestant civilians returning home from their work, they were lined up against the van they were travelling in and then machine gunned to death, out of the 11 shot, one person managed to survive despite being shot over a dozen times. [23] [22]

In 1973, 119 civilians were killed, in 1974, 192 were killed, 1975 had a small decrease as 174 civilians died that year but it jumped to 207 in 1976, making it the second worst year of the conflict behind 1972 for civilian deaths. [24] [16] [25] [26] [27]

See also

Sources

Related Research Articles

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Crumlin Road Prison bombing

On the 24 November 1991 the Provisional IRA (IRA) exploded a home made bomb along the Crumlin Road inside of the Crumlin Road Prison in the Ulster Loyalist wing of the prison killing two Loyalist prisoners, one from the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) and one from the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). This came at the height of a debate on the issues of desegregation between Loyalist and Irish Republican prisoners.

References

  1. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 5 April 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Extracts from The Longest War: Northern Ireland and the IRA by Kevin J. Kelley. Zed Books Ltd, 1988. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
  3. ↑ Taylor, Peter (1999). Loyalists. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p.142
  4. ↑ Taylor, Peter. Brits: The War Against the IRA. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001. p.182
  5. ↑ "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1975". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 9 February 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  7. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 10 February 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  8. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  9. ↑ "Man arrested over 1975 Shankill bar bombing - BBC News". Bbc.com. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  10. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  11. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  12. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 21 April 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 27 April 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  14. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 23 May 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  15. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 3 June 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  16. 1 2 "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  17. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 22 June 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  18. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 31 July 1975. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  19. ↑ "Miami Showband massacre: HET raises collusion concerns - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  20. ↑ "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1975". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  21. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  22. 1 2 "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1976". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  23. ↑ "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". Cain.ulst.ac.uk. 5 January 1976. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  24. ↑ Deaths in each year of the Troubles, Northern Ireland, 1969-1998
  25. ↑ CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths
  26. ↑ CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths
  27. ↑ CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths
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