South Derry Independent Republican Unit

South Derry Independent Republican Unit
	Participant in the Troubles
Active	1973–1976
Ideology	Irish Republicanism, Revolutionary socialism
Leaders	Francis Hughes
Headquarters	Bellaghy
Area of operations	mainly south County Londonderry, also north County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Size	1 active service unit
Opponent(s)	British Army, Royal Ulster Constabulary, Economic targets.;

Last updated May 25, 2019

The South Derry Independent Republican Unit (SDIRU) was an independent Irish Republican Active Service Unit in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, that operated & carried out attacks around southern County Londonderry and sometimes they would patrol & operated around north west County Tyrone but not as much as in the South Londonderry area.

An Active Service Unit (ASU) was a Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) cell of five to eight members, tasked with carrying out armed attacks. In 2002 the IRA had about 1,000 active members of which about 300 were in active service units.

Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the UK's population. Established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Assembly holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government. Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas, and the Agreement granted the Republic the ability to "put forward views and proposals" with "determined efforts to resolve disagreements between the two governments".

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.

Overview

The SDIRU was formed by Irish Republicans and socialists from the south County Londonderry village of Bellaghy. During the time the unit was active it was not a part any larger Republican paramilitary like the Official IRA, Provisional IRA, or the INLA known as the People's Liberation Army (PLA) from 1974 - 1976. The SDIRU was active from 1973 up until 1976 when the unit merged with the Provisional IRA's South Derry brigade. While the SDIRU was active it carried out ambushes & sniper attacks on British Army patrols as well carrying out bomb attacks in neighbouring towns such as Magherafelt, Castledawson, and Maghera. ^[1] Although the unit was in no way part of another paramilitary ot would borrow weapons from time to time from both the Official & Provo IRA, and if an operation was successful the SDIRU would claim the attack on behalf of which ever organizations weapons they used.^[2]

Bellaghy is a village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies north west of Lough Neagh and about 5 miles north east of Magherafelt. In the centre of the village three main roads lead to Magherafelt, Portglenone and Toome. It had a population of 1,063 people in the 2001 Census and is situated within Mid-Ulster District.

Irish National Liberation Army Irish republican socialist paramilitary group

The Irish National Liberation Army is an Irish republican socialist paramilitary group formed on 10 December 1974, during "the Troubles". It seeks to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and create a socialist republic encompassing all of Ireland. It is the paramilitary wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP).

The Derry Brigade also known as the South Derry Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) operated in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. The Derry Brigade along with the Belfast Brigade, East Tyrone Brigade and the South Armagh Brigade were the four most active IRA Brigade areas during the conflict between 1969 and 1998.

Members

Some members of the SDIRU went on to play a very big role in the The Troubles.

For example, Francis Hughes, who first joined the Official IRA left over that groups May 1972 ceasefire,then went on to became a legendary figure in the Provisional IRA for his exploits & shoot-outs with the British Army & RUC and was the second hunger striker to die after Bobby Sands during the 1981 Hunger Strike, Hughes began his hunger strike on the 15 March & died 59 days later on the 12 May 1981.^[3]
Hughes formed the unit along with cousin Thomas McElwee who only would have been about 16 at the time. McElwee also took part in the 1981 Hunger Strike. He was the ninth hunger striker to die, after 62 days on hunger strike he died on the 8 August 1981, aged just 23 he was the youngest hunger striker to day out of the ten who evntually did die.^[4]
Dominic McGlinchy was another member of the unit who would go on to make his own mark on the conflict, first a Volunteer in the Provisional IRA and then as leader of the Chief of Staff of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) in the early 1980s. Under McGlinchy's leadership the INLA enjoyed it's most successful military period. The INLA was at its most active under McGlinchy & two of the INLA's most famous attacks happened under his leadership, first the Droppin Well bombing in December 1982 in which 17 people were killed (11 British soldiers & 6 civilians) and in November 1983 the Darkley killings in which three armed INLA members using the cover name Catholic Reaction Force shot dead three worshippers inside a Pentecostal Church. McGlinchy admitted to being in some part responsible for these attacks.^[5] McGlinchy was himself shot dead in County Louth in February 1994 by unknown killers.^[6]
Also part of the unit was Ian Milne. Milne along with Hughes & McGlinchy became the North's three most wanted men, and the RUC issued wanted posters for them. When the unit merged with PIRA South Derry Brigade the brigades activity dramatically increased, making it one of the most active brigades of the mid - late 1970s.^[7]

Francis Hughes was a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) from Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Hughes was the most wanted man in Northern Ireland until his arrest following a shoot-out with the Special Air Service (SAS) in which an SAS soldier was killed. At his trial, he was sentenced to a total of 83 years' imprisonment; he died during the 1981 Irish hunger strike in HM Prison Maze.

Bobby Sands Irish volunteer of the Provisional Irish Republican Army

Robert Gerard Sands was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze after being sentenced for firearms possession.

Thomas McElwee was an Irish republican who participated in the 1981 hunger strike and a volunteer in the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). From Bellaghy, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, he died at the age of 23 after 62 days on hunger strike.

Actions

1973

4 January - A UDR soldier was shot dead outside his home in Feeny, County Londonderry.

Feeny is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is between Dungiven and Claudy. In the 2011 Census it had a population of 690. Feeny lies just inside the boundary of the Sperrins Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is situated within Causeway Coast and Glens district.

^[8]

1974

25 January - A UDR soldier was killed in a land mine attack while searching a field near Ballyronan, County Londonderry.
15 March a Protestant civilian was killed in a lorry bomb blat at Magherafelt, County Londonderry.
18 April - A Catholic civilian was killed by a booby-trap bomb in farm near Moneymore, County Londonderry.
23 July - A corporal in the UDR, John Conley (43), was killed by a car bomb in Garvagh, County Londonderry.

Ballyronan is a village and townland in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on the north western shore of Lough Neagh. The village is 5 miles (8 km) from Magherafelt and 12 miles (19 km) from Cookstown. It is situated within Mid-Ulster District.

A car bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device placed inside a car or other vehicle and detonated.

Magherafelt is a small town and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 8,372 at the 2001 Census. It is the biggest town in the south of the county and is the social, economic and political hub of the area. It is part of Mid-Ulster District.

^[9]

1975

6 October - A RUC officer was killed in a bomb attack near Limavady, County Londonderry.

^[10]

1976

5 January - A RUC officer was shot dead while on mobile patrol in Castledawson.
22 January - A off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead while driving his firms minibus near Claudy.
12 February - A RUC officer was shot dead while on foot patrol in Claudy.
1 April - A off-duty UDR soldier was shot dead in his work place in Castledawson.
2 April - A off-duty UDR soldier was shot while on his postal round and shortly after near Maghera, County Londonderry.
30 July - A off-duty UDR soldier was killed by a booby-trap bomb attached to his fathers gate in Moneymore.

^[11]

Related Research Articles

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References

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[1] Victims.org.uk - Face of Evil

[2] ttp://irishistory.blogspot.com/2013/09/irish-republican-paramilitary-groups.html

[3] ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/12/newsid_2550000/2550725.stm

[4] Tirghra I nDil Chuimhne: Ireland's Patriot Dead pp.243

[5] ttps://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-dominic-mcglinchey-1393697.html

[6] Dominic McGlinchey assassination, cain.ulst.ac.uk; accessed 17 May 2019.

[7] ttp://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/15659

[8] ttps://cain.ulster.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1973.html

[9] ttps://cain.ulster.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1974.html

[10] ttps://cain.ulster.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1975.html

[11] ttps://cain.ulster.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1976.html

v t e INLA and the IRSP
General	The Troubles Official Sinn Féin Official IRA Irish Republican Socialist Movement The Starry Plough Marxist-Leninism Blanket protest Dirty protest HM Prison Maze Anti H-Block 1981 Irish hunger strike July 1997 riots Northern Ireland peace process Good Friday Agreement Organized crime INLA Belfast Brigade
Attacks	Central Bar bombing 1975 Assassination of Airey Neave Divis Flats bombing 1982 Droppin Well bombing Darkley massacre (denied) 1992 Leeds Bombing 1994 Shankill Road killings Newtownhamilton bombing
Personalities	Seamus Costello Ronnie Bunting Bernadette Devlin Tony Gregory Miriam Daly Johnnie White Stephen King Michael Plunkett Mary Reid Raymond Gilmour Gerard Steenson Sammy Ward Patsy O'Hara Kevin Lynch Mickey Devine Thomas 'Ta' Power Gino Gallagher Dominic McGlinchey Harry Kirkpatrick Seamus Grew Dessie Grew Jimmy Brown Hugh Torney Dessie O'Hare Colm Murphy Christopher "Crip" McWilliams Patrick Campbell
Associates	Republican Socialist Youth Movement Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
Derivatives	Independent Socialist Party Irish People's Liberation Organisation Republican Socialist Collective
Prominent killings	Billy McMillen Henry Byrne John Morley William McCullough John McKeague Patrick Joseph Morrissey Trevor King Billy Wright