Teebane bombing

Last updated

Teebane bombing
Part of The Troubles
Teebane West - geograph.org.uk - 216269.jpg
Relief Map of Northern Ireland.png
Red pog.svg
LocationTeebane Crossroads,
County Tyrone,
Northern Ireland
Coordinates 54°39′43.2″N6°57′28.8″W / 54.662000°N 6.958000°W / 54.662000; -6.958000
Date17 January 1992
17:00 (UTC)
Attack type
 Roadside bomb
Deaths7 civilians
1 Royal Irish Rangers soldier
Injured4 civilians
2 UDR soldiers
Perpetrator Provisional IRA

The Teebane bombing (or Teebane massacre) [1] [2] took place on 17 January 1992 at a rural crossroads between Omagh and Cookstown in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. A roadside bomb destroyed a van carrying 14 construction workers who had been repairing a British Army base in Omagh. Eight of the men were killed and the rest were wounded. Most were civilians, while one of those killed and two of the wounded were off-duty British soldiers. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) claimed responsibility, saying the workers were targeted because they were collaborating with the "forces of occupation".

Contents

As all of those killed were Protestants, some saw the bombing as a sectarian attack against their community. On 5 February, the loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) retaliated by shooting dead five Catholics at a betting shop in Belfast.

Background

Since the beginning of its campaign in 1970, the Provisional IRA had launched frequent attacks on British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) bases in Northern Ireland. In August 1985 it began targeting civilians who offered services to the security forces, particularly those employed by the security forces to maintain and repair its bases. The first to be killed was Seamus McAvoy (46), a Catholic who was shot dead at his home in Dublin for selling portable buildings to the RUC. [3] In October 1990, the IRA launched three "proxy bomb" attacks. Three men, who worked for the security forces, were tied into cars loaded with explosives and ordered to drive to British Army checkpoints while their families were held at gunpoint. The bombs were then remotely detonated. Six soldiers and one of the drivers were killed in the first two attacks. [4] A third proxy bomb was driven to Lisanelly British Army base in Omagh, but the main bomb failed to explode. [5] An earlier attack had taken place on this barracks in January when an IRA bomb damaged the perimeter fence. [6] Between August 1985 and January 1992, the IRA killed 23 people who had been working for (or offering services to) the security forces. [7] The IRA also alleged that some of those targeted had links with Ulster loyalist paramilitaries. [7]

Bombing

On the evening of 17 January 1992, the 14 construction workers left work at Lisanelly British Army base in Omagh. They were employees of Karl Construction, based in Antrim. [7] They travelled eastward in a Ford Transit van towards Cookstown. [7] When the van reached the rural Teebane Crossroads, just after 5PM, IRA volunteers detonated a roadside bomb containing an estimated 600 pounds (270 kg) of home-made explosives in two plastic barrels. [8] Later estimates report a 1,500 pounds (680 kg) device. [9] The blast was heard from at least ten miles away. It ripped through one side of the van, instantly killing the row of passengers seated there. The vehicle's upper part was torn asunder, and its momentum kept it tumbling along the road for 30 yards. [10] Some of the bodies of the dead and injured were blown into the adjacent field and ditch. IRA volunteers had detonated the bomb from about 100 yards away using a command wire. [11] A car travelling behind the van was damaged in the explosion but the driver wasn't seriously injured. Witnesses reported hearing automatic gunfire immediately before the explosion. [12]

Seven of the men were killed outright. They were William Gary Bleeks (25), Cecil James Caldwell (37), Robert Dunseath (25), David Harkness (23), John Richard McConnell (38), Nigel McKee (22) and Robert Irons (61). The van's driver, Oswald Gilchrist (44), died of his wounds in hospital four days later. [13] Robert Dunseath was a British soldier serving with the Royal Irish Rangers. [14] The other six workers were badly injured; [15] two of them members of the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR). [16] It was the deadliest conflict-related incident in Northern Ireland since 1988. [11]

The IRA's East Tyrone Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack shortly after. [7] It argued that the men were legitimate targets because they were "collaborators engaged in rebuilding Lisanelly barracks" and vowed that attacks on "collaborators" would continue. [7] The IRA's statement said:

The IRA reiterates its long-standing call to those who continue to provide services or materials to the forces of occupation to desist immediately. Since 1985 the IRA has adopted a policy of taking military action aimed at ending Britain's cynical use of non-military personnel for the servicing and maintenance of British Crown Forces' bases and installations … for our part, we in the IRA will not tolerate a situation where military personnel are freed from essential services and maintenance tasks and then deployed where they can carry out wholesale repression within our community. [17]

Aftermath

Both unionist and Irish nationalist politicians condemned the attack. [7] Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, however, described the bombing as "a horrific reminder of the failure of British policy in Ireland". He added that it highlighted "the urgent need for an inclusive dialogue which can create a genuine peace process". [7] British Prime Minister John Major visited Northern Ireland within days and promised more troops, pledging that the IRA would not change government policy. [7]

In his book The Long War, Brendan O'Brien wrote:

In terms of IRA military strategy, the Teebane bomb was a 'success'. It struck with deadly ferocity and effect and would have been extremely intimidating to others contemplating taking jobs on bombed-out RUC and British Army buildings […] this bomb also served as a warning to loyalist paramilitaries who had carried out a succession of killings in Tyrone. [7]

The Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a loyalist paramilitary group, retaliated for the bombing less than three weeks later. On 5 February, two masked men armed with an automatic rifle and revolver entered Sean Graham's betting shop on Ormeau Road, Belfast. [18] The shop was in an Irish nationalist/republican area and was packed with customers at the time. [18] The men fired indiscriminately at the customers, killing five Catholic civilians, before fleeing to a getaway car. [18] The UDA claimed responsibility using the cover name "Ulster Freedom Fighters", ending its statement with "Remember Teebane". [19] After the shootings, a cousin of one of those killed at Teebane visited the betting shop. He said: "I just don't know what to say but I know one thing – this is the best thing that's happened for the Provos [Provisional IRA] in this area in years. This is the best recruitment campaign they could wish for". [17]

The Historical Enquiries Team investigated the bombing and released its report to the families of the victims. It found that the IRA unit had initially planned to carry out the attack on the morning of 17 January as the workers made their way to work but, due to fog, it was put off until the evening. Although suspects were arrested in the wake of the attack, nobody has been charged or convicted of the bombing. Survivor Bobby O'Neill, who received serious injuries in the blast, told the RUC that as he lay injured on the ground, he had seen a "bearded man" appear at the scene of the bombing. The man dispassionately walked through the van's wreckage, showing no compassion or emotion as he gazed upon each of the bodies of the dead and injured and made no attempt to help the wounded. O'Neill believed this man was one of the bombers and the following month, helped the RUC to compile a photo-fit image of him which was then circulated to all RUC divisions, but never released to the public. [20]

Karl Construction erected a granite memorial at the site of the attack [21] and a memorial service is held there each year. In January 2012, on the 20th anniversary of the attack, Democratic Unionist Party MLA, Trevor Clarke, whose brother-in-law Nigel McKee at age 22 was the youngest person killed in the bombing, demanded that republicans provide the names of the IRA bombers. [22] On the 30th anniversary, the victims' relatives again appealed for information to find those responsible. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Troubles</span> 1960s–1990s conflict in Northern Ireland

The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. 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 mostly took place in Northern Ireland, at times violence spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England, and mainland Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade</span> Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army

The East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), also known as the Tyrone/Monaghan Brigade was one of the most active republican paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles". 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish People's Liberation Organisation</span> Former Irish Republican paramilitary group

The Irish People's Liberation Organisation was a small Irish socialist republican paramilitary organisation formed in 1986 by disaffected and expelled members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), whose factions coalesced in the aftermath of the supergrass trials. It developed a reputation for intra-republican and sectarian violence as well as criminality, before being forcibly disbanded by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milltown Cemetery attack</span> Terrorist murders incident in Northern Ireland (1988)

The Milltown Cemetery attack took place on 16 March 1988 at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast, Northern Ireland. During the large funeral of three Provisional IRA members killed in Gibraltar, an Ulster Defence Association (UDA) member, Michael Stone, attacked the mourners with hand grenades and pistols. He had learned there would be no police or armed IRA members at the cemetery. As Stone then ran towards the nearby motorway, a large crowd chased him and he continued shooting and throwing grenades. Some of the crowd caught Stone and beat him, but he was rescued by the police and arrested. Three people were killed and more than 60 wounded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Provisional Irish Republican Army campaign</span> PIRA paramilitary campaign aimed at ending UK control of Northern Ireland (1969–97)

From 1969 until 1997, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) conducted an armed paramilitary campaign primarily in Northern Ireland and England, aimed at ending British rule in Northern Ireland in order to create a united Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Banner</span> 1969–2007 British military operation in Northern Ireland during the Troubles

Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 2007, as part of the Troubles. It was the longest continuous deployment in British military history. The British Army was initially deployed, at the request of the unionist government of Northern Ireland, in response to the August 1969 riots. Its role was to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and to assert the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland. This involved counter-insurgency and supporting the police in carrying out internal security duties such as guarding key points, mounting checkpoints and patrols, carrying out raids and searches, riot control and bomb disposal. More than 300,000 soldiers served in Operation Banner. At the peak of the operation in the 1970s, about 21,000 British troops were deployed, most of them from Great Britain. As part of the operation, a new locally-recruited regiment was also formed: the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR).

The Ballygawley bus bombing was a roadside bomb attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) on a bus carrying British soldiers in Northern Ireland. It occurred in the early hours of 20 August 1988 in the townland of Curr near Ballygawley, County Tyrone. The attack killed eight soldiers and wounded another 28. In the wake of the bombing, the British Army began ferrying its troops in and out of County Tyrone by helicopter.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) from 1980 to 1989. For actions before and after this period see Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), from 1992 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Northern Ireland riots</span> Mass protests during the Troubles

From 6 to 11 July 1997 there were mass protests, fierce riots and gun battles in Irish nationalist districts of Northern Ireland. Irish nationalists/republicans, in some cases supported by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), attacked the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and British Army. The protests and violence were sparked by the decision to allow the Orange Order to march through a Catholic/nationalist neighbourhood of Portadown. Irish nationalists were outraged by the decision and by the RUC's aggressive treatment of those protesting against the march. There had been a bitter dispute over the march for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Graham bookmakers' shooting</span> Mass shooting in Belfast, Northern Ireland

On 5 February 1992, there was a mass shooting at the Sean Graham bookmaker's shop on the Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Members of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), a loyalist paramilitary group, opened fire on the customers with an assault rifle and handgun, killing five civilians and wounding nine. The shop was in a Catholic and Irish nationalist area and all of the victims were local Catholics. The UDA claimed responsibility using the cover name "Ulster Freedom Fighters", saying the shooting was retaliation for the Teebane bombing, which had been carried out by the Provisional IRA less than three weeks before. A later investigation by the Police Ombudsman found that the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) had engaged in "collusive behaviour" with UDA informers involved in the attack.

The Troubles in Ardoyne lists incidents during the Troubles in the Ardoyne district of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillcrest Bar bombing</span> Bomb attack by the UVF in 1976

The Hillcrest Bar bombing, also known as the "Saint Patrick's Day bombing", took place on 17 March 1976 in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, detonated a car bomb outside a pub crowded with people celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. Four Catholic civilians were killed by the blast—including two 13-year-old boys standing outside—and almost 50 people were injured, some severely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Lodge Six shooting</span> 1973 mass shooting in Belfast

In the late hours of 3 February and the early hours of 4 February 1973, six men, all of whom were Catholics, were shot and killed in the New Lodge area of north Belfast:

The following is a timeline of actions during The Troubles which took place in the Republic of Ireland between 1969 and 1998. It includes Ulster Volunteer Force bombings such as the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in May 1974, and other loyalist bombings carried out in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, the last of which was in 1997. These attacks killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more. Also actions carried out by Irish republicans including bombings, prison escapes, kidnappings, and gun battles between the Gardaí (police) and the Irish Defence Forces against Republican gunmen from the Irish National Liberation Army, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and a socialist-revolutionary group, Saor Éire. These attacks killed a number of civilians, police, soldiers, and republican paramilitaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish National Liberation Army Belfast Brigade</span> Irish republican and socialist paramilitary in Belfast 1974-1998

The Irish National Liberation Army Belfast Brigade was the main brigade area of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA). The other Brigade areas were in Derry which was split between two battalions, the first in Derry City, and the second battalion in south County Londonderry and County Armagh which was also split into two battalions, a south Armagh and a north Armagh battalion, with smaller units in Newry, east and west County Tyrone and south County Fermanagh.

This is a timeline of actions by the Official Irish Republican Army, an Irish republican & Marxist-Leninist paramilitary group. Most of these actions took place as part of a Guerrilla campaign against the British Army & Royal Ulster Constabulary and internal Irish Republican feuds with the Provisional IRA & Irish National Liberation Army from the early 1970s - to the mid-1970s during the most violent phase of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland.

The following is a Timeline of British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) undercover operations during Operation Banner during the 1969 – 1998 Northern Irish conflict in Northern Ireland that resulted in death or injury. Including operations by the SAS, 14 Intelligence Company, the Military Reaction Force (MRF), RUC Special Patrol Group and Special Branch.

This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), in 1990 and 1991.

References

  1. ↑ "Bid to honour civilian workers killed in Troubles". The News Letter . 2 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "The money doesn't matter". Mid Ulster Mail . 9 September 2009.
  3. ↑ Chronology of the Conflict: August 1985, Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
  4. ↑ Chronology of the Conflict: October 1990, Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
  5. ↑ English, Richard (2005). Armed struggle: the history of the IRA. Oxford University Press, p. 126. ISBN   0195177533
  6. ↑ O'Brien, p. 201
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 O'Brien, Brendan. The Long War: The IRA and Sinn Féin (second edition). Syracuse University Press, 1999. pp.219–221
  8. ↑ Peter Brooke statement in the House of Commons Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine 20 January 1992
  9. ↑ Elliot, Sydney and Flackes, Williams (1999). Northern Ireland: a political directory, 1968–1999. Blackstaff Press, p.465. ISBN   0-85640-628-7
  10. ↑ David McKittrick, David McVea. Making Sense of The Troubles. Penguin UK, 2001. p.262
  11. 1 2 "7 workers killed by bomb in Ulster". The New York Times . 18 January 1992.
  12. ↑ Sunday Tribune, 19 January 1992
  13. ↑ Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland, Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
  14. ↑ "Roll of Honour of the Royal Irish Rangers" Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine , The Royal Irish Rangers 27th (Inniskilling) 83rd & 87th Homepage. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  15. ↑ Bell, J Bowyer. The Secret Army: The IRA (third edition). Transaction Publishers, 1997. p.629
  16. ↑ Potter, John (15 July 2008). Testimony to Courage: The History of the Ulster Defence Regiment 1969-1992. Pen and Sword. p. 357. ISBN   978-0-85052-819-0.
  17. 1 2 English, Richard. Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA. Pan Macmillan, 2008. pp. 276–277
  18. 1 2 3 Wood, Ian S. Crimes of Loyalty: A history of the UDA. Edinburgh University Press, 2006. p.159
  19. ↑ "4 Catholics are killed by gunmen in Belfast". The New York Times. 6 February 1992.
  20. ↑ "Mystery of 'The Bearded Man'". Mid-Ulster Mail. 20 January 2012 Retrieved 14 February 2012
  21. ↑ Teebane Memorial, County Tyrone. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN).
  22. ↑ "Twenty years on, Teebane families voice frustration". The News Letter. 16 January 2012 Archived 23 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 February 2012
  23. ↑ McGrath, Dominic (17 January 2022). "Relatives mark 30 years since Teebane bombing". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.