The Troubles 38
description
Transcript of The Troubles 38
A Chronology of the Northern Ireland Conflict
ISSUE 38
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It can often be a contentious issue of debate of when and how Northern Ireland’s‘Troubles’ began, who and what is to blame, and even which event in case led us to
where we are now. You can go back 30 years, or even 300 years and beyond for inreality Ireland has been engaged in conflict with England for centuries.
Therefore, in order to compile a chronological record of the modern Troubles - theterm usually given to the most recent conflict, we must mark a defining point of start,which we have taken as partition itself and from which we began in. In turn again,we feel it is equally important to give you the reader some understanding why eventsspiralled as they did into a bloody civil war.This is not another view of the Troubles, this has been done and redone. This is thehistorical recording of events compiled by people from different parts of Belfast wholived through them. Our objective as local historians is to compile what we hopewill be as near as possible a definitive reference to events as they unfolded throughthe last three decades.
In terms of research we have used as much material as possible and from diverseperspectives. We are confident that we have covered events as they werereported at the time. If however you feel that we have either left something out orindeed got something wrong we are more than happy to hear from you. As mentionedabove this series of publications is the historical recording of the Troubles and allcorrections are more than welcome.
GLENRAVEL LOCAL HISTORY PROJECTAshton Centre
Churchill StreetBelfast BT15 2BP
Tel: (028) 9020 2100 • Fax: (028) 9020 2227E-Mail: [email protected]
This is designed to create a better historical understanding of what has becomeknown as ‘The Troubles.’ Therefore for educational purposes you are more thanwelcome to use any material from them. All that we ask is that the source isacknowledged and a copy of the material sent to us after publication. We use materialthat has been placed in the public domain. We try to acknowledge all the copyrightholders but sometimes this is not possible. If you claim credit for something thathas appeared in this publication then we will be happy to know about it so that wecan make the appropriate acknowledgements.
SOURCE MATERIAL USED FOR THIS PUBLICATION
IRISH NEWS
Numerous issues for
period covered
NEWS LETTER
Numerous issues for
period covered
BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Numerous issues for
period covered
LOST LIVES
A record of all those killed
during The Troubles
www.wikipedia.orgWe use this site to cover
major events during the
Northern Ireland conflict.
We recommend its use not
only for local material but
also for any general
educational or research
subject.
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Wednesday 1st September 1976Three men and two
women from the
Portadown area who
had been held at
Monaghan police
station under the
Offences Against the
State Act were
released without
charge. They were
arrested after the car
in which they were
travelling crashed on
the Clones to
Monaghan road and
they were
interviewed by
Special Branch
officers who were
investigating the fire
bomb attack on
cinemas and pubs in
Dublin.
Five marines were
injured in an IRA
mortar bomb attack
on Crossmaglen RUC
station. The Royal
Marines who were
hurt were hit by
flying glass and
shrapnel when three
of five mortar bombs
aimed at the station
exploded. Two of the
shells went off as they
crashed through the
roof and a large
section was blown
off. The firing point
was near Rathview
Park, about 100 yards
from the base.
During the attack
several shots were
also heard. The IRA
c l a i m e d
responsibility for the
attack, claiming that
it had taken
precautions to avoid
civilian casualties.
Shortly before the
attack armed and
masked men had
stopped traffic
entering the village
on four roads. The
IRA also evacuated
residents near to the
station before the
attack.
In Lurgan a Chinese
restaurant in Malcolm
Road, Mountainview,
was wrecked by a 3lb
bomb which was
planted by two
women. The women,
one armed with a sub
machine gun and the
other with a handgun,
placed a plastic bag
c o n t a i n i n g
c o m m e r c i a l
explosives on the
counter. Staff and
customers got out
before the explosion.
A 20lb bomb with a
petrol can attached
was carried out of the
premises of GS
Wholesale at Little
York Street in Belfast.
Two gunmen had
planted the bomb and
made off in a car. The
army defused the
device.
Armstrong’s tiling
warehouse at
Boucher Road
Industrial Estate was
destroyed by a bomb
explosion. A six man
gang in a red van had
planted the devices.
In Newtownhamilton
an incendiary bomb
in the post office was
neutralised by the
army.
More than 50 people
were evacuated from
their homes in
Cookstown while the
army dealt with
mortar bombs found
hidden in a hedge.
Soldiers found four
mortar tubes, three
loaded with shells, in
the hedge at
Molesworth Road,
300 yards from the
town’s police station.
IRA firebomb attack on Armstrong’s Tile Warehouse
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Thursday 2nd September 1976An army foot patrol
came under fire in
south Armagh but no
one was injured. Two
high velocity shots
were fired at the
patrol at Silverbridge,
about 3 miles form
Crossmaglen but no
hits were claimed but
fire was returned.
A bomb exploded in
Lurgan after a man
planted a device with
a can of fuel attached
to it. The bomber
gave staff in
Stevenson’s electrical
shop in William
Street a 20 minute
warning as he left the
package. The blast
which came 19
minutes later, caused
only superficial
damage to the shop
and there were no
casualties. The bomb
contained 3lb of
explosives.
Friday 3rd September 1976Five men were
arrested in Dublin in
connection with fire
bomb attacks in the
city. A large party of
armed Special
Branch detectives
swooped on the
b o m b e r s
headquarters in a
house at Lakelands,
Terenure. A stockpile
of firebombs and
materials for making
incendiary devices
were found in the
house.
The RUC uncovered
a large arms cache in
a house at Rathcoole
near Belfast. 14 guns
and over 2000
assorted bullets and
other equipment were
found in the raid. The
haul included seven
pistols, four
revolvers, a rifle, a
double barrelled sawn
off shotgun, a
h o m e m a d e
submachine gun,
bullets, magazines, a
starting pistol, 2 two
way radios, a
bayonet, a telescopic
sight, a silencer,
holsters, an
ammunition pouch
and weapon cleaning
equipment.
A 32 year old man
was shot in the foot in
Ballymena after he
was confronted by
two armed and
masked men in King
Street and taken to an
entry where he was
shot.
Two high velocity
shots were fired at a
Commando mobile
patrol in Newry but
both shots missed.
Shots were fired at a
routine UDR patrol
three miles from
Keady. Fire was
returned and no one
was hit in the
exchange.
Saturday 4th September 1976An incendiary device
was found in the
Trampas boutique in
Great Victoria Street,
Belfast. The device
was taken outside and
defused by the army.
Two similar
incendiaries also
found in the shop
overnight were also
successfully defused.
A 33 year old man
from Riverdale Park
South, Belfast was
charged with having
ammunition at his
home. He was
accused of having
four rounds of 303
ammunition at his
home.
A 22 year old man
was shot in the
stomach as he and
another man walked
along University
Road in Belfast. One
shot rang out as the
two men approached
an entry near a
garage. The injured
man was taken to
hospital. A 17 year
old youth was also
admitted to hospital
with gunshot wounds
to his right leg.
A petrol bomb was
thrown through a
window into the
living room of a
house at Workman
Avenue. The room
was slightly damaged
but the family inside
the house were not
injured.
A blast bomb was
thrown at the Holy
Cross school in
Ardoyne. An army
search of the area
uncovered a second
device which was
defused in a
controlled explosion.
Windows in the
school and in nearby
houses were broken,
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but there were no
injuries.
The army came under
fire at the Springfield
Road roundabout.
Fire was returned but
the army claimed no
hits. There were no
injuries.
In Strabane the army
post came under fire
from automatic fire
which came from the
direction of the
Strabane Bridge. Fire
was not returned and
there were no
injuries.
Monday 6th September 1976A 69 year old widow
collapsed and died
after being evacuated
from her home during
a bomb alert in
Newtownstewart.
She was Mrs Sarah
McGarvey from Mill
Street, where a 10lb
parcel bomb had been
planted outside the
Central Motor Works
garage. The bomb
went off 30 minutes
after the warning, and
caused severe
damage to the garage
and broke windows in
nearby houses. Some
cars in the showroom
were also damaged.
22 year old Mr
Samuel Hunt from
Lissan Close in the
Cregagh area was
shot in the stomach as
he walked along
University Road. He
was hit when a shot
rang out as Mr Hunt
and another man
walked past an entry.
Two men were
slightly injured in a
shooting in the
Twinbrook area of
Belfast. The two
men, both 21, were
driving through the
estate when they were
stopped by a crowd.
The men ran off but a
gunman fired shots at
them and both men
were hit. One
received a leg injury
and the other a hand
injury.
A single shot was
fired at a police land
rover at Cliftonville
Road. No one was
injured.
A mystery explosion
demolished a house at
Melbourne Street in
the Shankill area.
The RUC searching
the garden of a house
at Stanhope Drive in
the Unity flats area,
found an armalite
rifle, a pistol and a
quantity of
ammunition.
Two youths hijacked
buses in the
Shantallow area of
Derry. They forced
the driver to take
them to the junction
of the Racecourse
Road where they
were met by a further
three youths who
loaded three duffle
bags and two petrol
cans on to the bus and
then forced the driver
to go to the
Pennyburn industrial
estate. The youths
ran off and the bombs
exploded 15 minutes
after the army
arrived.
In Sion Mills a garage
and car showroom
were damaged by a
5lb bomb. The
explosion was at
Sayers garage in the
village, but a warning
was given and there
were no injuries.
12 shots were fired at
Magherafelt RUC
station and soldiers
on duty fired back but
no one claimed hits.
At Aughrim a number
of shots were fired at
a house but no one
was injured.
A single shot was
fired at soldiers on
patrol at Sugar Island,
Newry. They
returned fire but
claimed no hits.
Tuesday 7th September 1976Bombs packed into
two chairs were left at
an upholstery factory
in Ballysillan
industrial estate on
the Ligoniel Road.
Workers moving one
of the chairs noticed
a strong smell of
petrol and became
suspicious. They left
the chair sealed in a
lift and were on their
way back to the
loading bay when a
device in the other
chair exploded. The
bomb blast started a
blaze and no one was
injured.
A 26 year old girl
saved her family after
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a petrol bomb was
lobbed through the
bedroom window of
the house at
Glenwood Park in
Dunmurry. The girl
was wakened by the
sound of breaking
glass and roused her
sleeping parents and
teenage sister. They
found the petrol
bomb had turned her
bedroom into a
blazing death trap.
A 19 year old
Strabane youth was
charged with being a
member of the IRA in
1974, possessing a
rifle and hijacking a
car in Strabane.
A soldier was injured
in an ambush a mile
from Keady village.
20 shots were fired at
the mobile patrol but
the soldier was not
seriously injured.
In Portadown four
high velocity shots
were fired at a routine
UDR mobile patrol
on the outskirts of the
town. The patrol
returned fire but don’t
think they hit the
gunman.
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Wednesday 8th September 1976In Belfast the RUC
found 48 rounds of
ammunition hidden in
the rear garden of a
house at Andersonstown
Road.
Thursday 9th September 1976A Co Armagh woman
got a surprise when
she opened a tin of
paint and found a
small bomb. The
woman bought the
paint in Lisburn and
brought it back to her
Waringstown house.
It was defused by the
army.
A 21 year old man
and a 16 year old
youth were charged
with petrol bombing a
house at Glenwood
Park in Dunmurry
and with being in
possession of a .22
revolver.
Friday 10th September 1976A 29 year old
postman was shot on
his way to work in
Lisburn. The man
was hit by a number
of shotgun pellets and
he was seriously
injured.
Fire swept through a
car accessory depot in
Belfast after two
bombs rocked the
building at
Glenmachan Street in
Belfast. The bombs
were planted by two
armed youths and the
devices exploded 20
minutes after the
building and
surrounding area was
evacuated.
Saturday 11th September 1976A blaze broke out
after a bomb blasted
a hardware shop at
the Donegall Road in
Belfast. An armed
gang planted the
bomb at James
Wilson’s store and the
bomb exploded a
short time later. No
one was injured.
The army fired on a
man seen carrying a
rifle in the car park of
the Castle ballroom in
Dungiven. The foot
patrol noticed the
man in the car park
and on being
challenged by the
soldiers he ran off and
the troops opened fire
but no hits were
claimed. A dance was
in progress in the
ballroom at the time
but there were no
other persons in the
car park.
A bomb wrecked a
confectioners shop in
Portadown after a
small bomb was
attached to a petrol
can and left it in the
shop. The area was
cleared and the bomb
exploded as the army
prepared to deal with
it.
Two explosions
caused damage to the
premises of
McCauselands car
hire on the Grosvenor
Road in Belfast.
A 46 year old RUC
reservist was shot
through the wrist
while on duty at
Queen Street, Lurgan.
The gunman and his
driver were waiting
for the officer at a
nearby car park and
drove out of the park
and fired a shot from
close range.
Arms ammunition
and explosives were
found by the gardai in
a raid on a house near
Portlaoise. Three
men were arrested at
the scene, one of
which had recently
escaped from the
prison. A 7lb bomb
attached to a trip wire
was included in the
find. The bomb had
a painted inscription
which read:
"Torturers beware
Informers next". The
bomb was dismantled
by the army. Also
discovered were five
home made hand
grenades, two
armalite rifles and
magnum pistol. The
raid was carried out
on a farmhouse at the
Heath four miles
from the town and the
jail.
Back issues are onlyavailable as PDFsSee back cover for
details
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Monday 13th September 1976A 21 year old man
from Lenadoon was
jailed for five years
for possessing timing
devices for bombs at
his home in Carrigart
Avenue.
18 year old Victor
Moody of Mayo
Street in Belfast was
found dying in an
entry near Disraeli
Street. He had been
shot in the head and
died shortly after
being admitted to the
Mater Hospital.
Two shots were fired
at a taxi driver and his
passenger near the
Ravenhill Road.
Both shots missed but
a bottle thrown at the
taxi hit the driver,
cutting his head.
In Dungannon the
army stated that
children playing on
the local golf course
found a live hand
grenade in a bunker.
They reported the
matter to the RUC
and the army
neutralised the
device.
Tuesday 14th September 1976Two prison offices
were taken from their
homes at gunpoint
and threatened not to
report for work at the
Maze. Shots were
fired into another
officer’s home and
hoax bombs were left
outside houses
belonging to a further
six warders.
Disruption and
destruction started by
the UDA spread
across Belfast. The
spate of fires and
bomb hoaxes in
loyalist areas led to
tension with the RUC
and fire brigade.
Targets ranged from
business premises to
G o v e r n m e n t
buildings, such as
libraries and Housing
Executive offices.
Youths burst into
Robinsons lard and
dripping factory in
the Shankill Road and
ordered out the
workforce of 30 and
set fire to the
building. Youths
threw petrol bombs
and hoax car bombs
were left throughout
East Belfast. An RUC
patrol was attacked
by youths throwing
stones and bottles as
it passed the Village
end of Broadway. In
Sandy Row C & B
Fashions was
damaged by smoke
after a petrol bomb
was thrown into the
shop.
In Derriaghy the
Travellers Rest bar
was cleared after a
bomb scare, but the
suspect device was
harmless.
In Carrickfergus a
suspect device was
found at the Central
Bar but it did not
contain explosives.
IRA firebomb attacks in Belfast city centre
Wednesday 15th September 1976An army patrol found
a rifle, a quantity of
ammunition and
bomb making
equipment near a
house in the Creggan
area of Derry.
Two citybus buses
were set alight on the
Highfield Estate in
Belfast as the UDA
inspired violence
continued throughout
loyalist areas of
99999
The Forensics Laboratory in Belfast is destroyed in an IRA bomb attack
Bomb attack on Simpson & Mitchell’s merchants in Smithfield Square
Belfast. The UDA
were protesting
against the ill
treatment of their
prisoners at the Maze.
Four more bomb
hoaxes stretched the
RUC and army and
Protestant peace
women who were
pelted with eggs and
potatoes by UDA
supporters continued
to protest on the
streets against the
violence and
intimidation. Citybus
services to
S p r i n g m a r t i n ,
Glencairn, Ardoyne
and Turf Lodge were
suspended.
An 11 year old girl
was shot in the head
in Groomsport Street
in Belfast. A shotgun
was discharged and
two youths were seen
running away and the
girl was hit above the
right eye and received
a minor injury. Two
young boys who were
with her were struck
on the thigh and hip
but were not seriously
hurt.
A car was hijacked at
Thorn Street,
Donegall Road and
was loaded with a
device and the driver
was ordered to take it
to Shaftesbury Square
but it turned out to be
a hoax.
The custom post at
C l o n t i v e r n ,
Newtownbutler was
destroyed by a 5lb
bomb. No one was
hurt.
In Larne two petrol
bombs were thrown
at parked cars in the
Antiville area. The
first was at Doric
Drive and did not
explode but the
second at Bardic
Drive went off inside
the vehicle. No one
was injured. There
were bomb hoaxes at
M a g h e r a m o u r n e
Railway Station and
Glynn Railway
Station.
1010101010
A suspect device was
discovered outside
the gasworks at Larne
Road in Ballymena.
A controlled
explosion was carried
out but the device was
a hoax.
There were bomb
scares at Turkingtons
Garage, Baird’s
factory and at a
derelict building at
Malcolm Road in
Lurgan. Controlled
explosions were
carried out but all
three devices were
hoaxes.
A submachine gun
and a pistol were
recovered by the
army in Newry. The
soldiers spotted three
men acting
suspiciously in the
O’Neil Avenue area
and a number of shots
were fired and two
men were detained
and later handed to
the RUC. The
weapons were found
in a follow up
operation.
A small quantity of
explosives and a
shotgun were found
by the army in a
search of a derelict
house in Manor
Street, Belfast.
A former UDR man
who stole 100 rounds
of ammunition from
the Ministry of
Defence and then
sold it to a neighbour
for £2 was jailed for
two year at the
Belfast City
Commission.
Thursday 16th September 1976The headquarters of
the Belfast Telegraph
were extensively
damaged after a huge
bomb exploded
outside the Royal
Avenue premises.
Emergency copies of
the paper were
quickly put together
and the limited
edition copies were
sold on the streets for
1p. The no warning
bomb caused serious
damage to the offices
and one member of
staff had a leg severed
in the blast and 13
other people were
injured. The building
was being evacuated
after a spray of bullets
hit the rear of the
building which was
followed by an
explosion.
Smith’s record shop
at the corner of
Queens Arcade in
Belfast was
extensively damaged
An office girl is carried away (left) after a bomb attack on the offices of the
Belfast Telegraph (right)
when a bomb in a
shopping bag
exploded.
1111111111
Friday 17th September 1976
Office girls make their way through the rubble after a bomb explosion in Murray Street
The house of a
Protestant woman
peace support was
daubed with black
paint. The woman
heard the sound of
footsteps running away
but did not realise her
blue front door and
front room window
had been covered with
paint until a passing
police patrol knocked
on the door of her
home at Sherbrook
Close off the Shankill
Road.
The army who chased
the bombers who
attacked the Belfast
Telegraph offices later
found a bloodjacket
and two revolvers. The
army chased the
youths into a derelict
house in Stephen Street
near the Telegraph
building in Royal
Avenue but they
escaped through the
rear of the house, and
ditched their guns and
the jacket. The
soldiers found
bloodstains inside the
house and at the back
and recovered the
items.
Saturday 18th September 1976A middle aged
woman was at the
centre of a bomb
drama in the centre of
Belfast. She shouted
a warning to staff of
n e w s p a p e r
wholesaler’s offices
after seeing a girl and
a boy planting a bomb
outside the building.
The woman was
outside the Menzies
premises in Academy
Street when she saw
the couple walking
along with a carrier
bag and overheard the
couple discussing
planting the bomb.
The bomb exploded
less than 10 minutes
later, but the woman
had managed to warn
the 60 staff working
inside the building to
get out. The blast
damage was
contained mainly to
the steel shutters at
the front of the
building and
windows on upper
floors were also
smashed.
A car bomb caused
extensive damage to
the Modern Tool
Supply Company in
Lisburn but the area
was cleared before
the blast.
A post office sorting
office was slightly
damaged in a fire
started by six petrol
bombs.
A 26 year old man
from Cooldarragh
Park in the Cavehill
area was shot dead at
1212121212
his home. The man
was shot in the head
and his body was
discovered when his
girlfriend returned
home.
The Belfast to Bangor
train was hijacked by
two men at
Sydenham. There
were no passengers
on the train at the time
and the hijackers
hurled three petrol
bombs into one of the
carriages, starting a
fire which caused
only slight damage.
Traffic on the line
was held up until the
damaged train could
be moved.
A number of petrol
bombs were thrown
at Cochrane’s mineral
water store at
Ravenhill Avenue
causing slight
damage.
There was a shooting
TOP - Hijacked buses on the Shankill
Road. ABOVE - The remains of a
burned out bus at the corner of Dover
Street and Shankill Road
incident at Kerrera
Street, Crumlin Road,
Belfast. A 28 year old
man was injured in
the leg and was not
seriously injured.
A Citybus bus was
hijacked by three men
and set on fire at the
junction of
Woodstock Road and
Woodstock Place.
The bus had been
driven across the
roadway and was
badly damaged.
Gribben furniture
store in north Belfast
was destroyed in a
fierce fire following a
petrol bomb attack.
A 24 year old man
was shot in the right
ear at the Green Briar
Inn in
Andersonstown. He
was drinking in the
bar when he was
approached by two
men, one of whom
opened fire.
Sergeant Albert
Craig, aged 32,
married with a two
year old son, of
K i l l y b i l l y ,
Enniskillen was shot
dead in Portadown.
The IRA claimed
responsibility for his
shooting and warned
of further attacks.
They also stated that
no warning bomb
attacks would be
carried out in places
being used by the
army for intelligence
or propaganda
purposes.
1313131313
Monday 20th September 1976Mr Joseph Paton aged
64, of Drumalig Road
in Lisburn died as a
result of injuries
sustained in the bomb
attack on the Belfast
Telegraph. Mr Paton
was employed as a
full time stereotyper
and had been
standing in a locker
room above the
loading by where the
van bomb was left.
He was taken to
hospital after losing a
foot.
A 16 year old
schoolboy was
charged with
possession with intent
of two pistols and a
number of bullets at
Clonduff Estate in the
Cregagh area.
An 18 month old
baby was injured
when the car in which
it was travelling
passed a parked car at
the Broadway
entrance to the Royal
Victoria Hospital and
the bomb in the car
exploded. Ten others
were injured. An
anonymous caller to
the post office warned
of the bomb a few
The archway at the Broadway entrance of the Royal Victoria
Hospital following a bomb blast
minutes before it
exploded. The car
used had been
hijacked earlier in the
Springfield Road.
A 17 year old youth
was injured when he
closed a gate at the
front of his home at
Minnaduff, Gortin,
when a booby-trap
device exploded. The
device contained 5lb
of explosives but the
house was slightly
damaged.
A prison officers
home at Hillhall
Estate in Lisburn was
petrol bombed and
slight damage was
caused but the officer
escaped injury. A
house at Beechmount
Drive in Lisburn was
also petrol bombed.
A man, his wife and
two children were
asleep in the bed
when the bombers
struck. No one was
injured but a fire
badly damaged the
living room and
hallway. Another
prison officer’s home
was attacked by
petrol bombers at
Hillhall Gardens.
The 35 year old
officer was sitting in
his living room when
the petrol bomb was
thrown through a
front window. Some
furniture and a carpet
were damaged.
A petrol bomb
exploded outside the
Glenshek Bar in
Ballycastle. Slight
damage was caused
to the door.
A 50lb bomb was
discovered beside a
road at Aughnagarr in
Dungannon. It was
defused by the army.
The army carried out
a controlled
explosion on a 50lb
bomb outside the
Copper Grill in
Newry. The vehicle
used had been
hijacked in Co Louth
by four armed men.
1414141414
Bomb attack on Coulter’s on the Antrim Road
Smyth’s record shop in Queen’s Arcade following a bomb blast
Tuesday 21st September 1976The army defused a
500lb bomb in a
hijacked customs
caravan near
Newtownbutler. The
explosives were
packed in five milk
churns.
A mortar bomb attack
on an army base in
Derry was foiled
when the devices
were spotted before
they could be
detonated. The army
revealed that if the
bombs had been fired
they would have
caused complete
destruction of the
base in the Creggan
Estate.
Thursday 23rd September 1976Two men from
Donegal were
charged with
possession of 188lb
of explosives a few
yards form the border.
A homemade gun, a
magazine and
quantity of
ammunition were
found during a police
search of the
Liverpool Supporters
Club in Disraeli
Street off the Crumlin
Road.
Cross border train
services were
disrupted by a bomb
hoax. The main
Belfast to Dublin line
was closed for a time
after the Samaritans
received an
a n o n y m o u s
telephone call
warning that two
devices had been
planted near the
border.
The main Newry to
Forkhill road was
blocked by a hijacked
bus parked near
Meigh.
A man was
hospitalised after
being shot by the
army in the Turf
Lodge Estate. The
army stated that the
car in which he was
travelling failed to
stop when challenged
by a patrol. The
patrol then fired a
number of shots at the
car which drove on.
1515151515
The clothing firm, D
J Doherty’s was
severely damaged by
a fire bomb left by a
youth in a third floor
stitching room.
Prison wardens
uncovered a cache of
homemade weapons
during a search of two
loyalist compounds at
the Maze prison. The
weapons included
nail studded clubs, 30
cudgels made from
table and chair legs, a
chain flail and a
serrated sword made
from a food container.
21 masks made from
bedding and clothing
were also discovered.
Most were found in a
hole underneath a
dining hut in one of
the compounds. They
house 140 members
of the UDA.
Friday 24th September 1976A bomb at an
upholstery factory on
an industrial estate at
Whitehouse on the
outskirts of Belfast
was defused by the
army and a short time
later they also
defused a bomb at
Donegall Avenue.
Soldiers came under
fire from gunmen in
Belfast in two
shooting incidents.
Two youths fired one
low velocity shot at
an army checkpoint at
the Grosvenor Road-
Sorella Street
junction. Fire was not
returned. An army
foot patrol came
under fire at the
junction of Hatfield
Street and the
Ormeau Road. The
gunmen fired two
shots and again fire
was not returned.
In Portadown one low
velocity shot was
fired near the local
railway station
A bombing attempt at
the Eglantine Inn,
Malone Road, Belfast
was foiled. Three
men planted two
bombs in the building
but they were carried
out into the roadway
and later defused.
The Cavehill Inn after Fred McLaughlin and George Rankin
were shot dead
Saturday 25th September 1976Fred McLaughlin
aged 27, a shipyard
worker and George
Rankin aged 50 of
Old Westland Road
died while having a
drink in the Cavehill
Inn on the Cavehill
Road. Both men
were shot as they sat
at the bar. A 47 year
old woman was hit in
the arm and a man
shot in the mouth and
ear when two
gunmen, one carrying
an armalite rifle,
opened fire. Two
other women in the
bar were treated for
shock.
Gunmen burst into a
drapery store on
Manor Street and shot
at women who were
in the shop. One
woman took the full
force of a shotgun
blast in the face and a
15 year old girl with
her was also injured.
Pauline Doherty aged
17 was shot dead as
she babysat a one
year old neighbour’s
baby along with her
13 year old sister and
11 year old brother.
1616161616
Two youths walked
into the house in
Manor Street and the
girl was hit in the
chest and neck. She
died later in the Mater
hospital.
A bomb was planted
at the Ardoyne
Crumlin Star social
club. It was carried
outside where it
exploded on waste
ground.
Soldiers fired three
rubber bullets at a
crowd after a bus was
hijacked and burned
on the Springfield
Road.
A 5lb bomb left at a
library at Railway
Street was defused.
The fish and chip
shop on main Street,
Millisle was seriously
damaged after being
petrol bombed.
Nobody was injured.
A 10lb bomb in a
dustbin was defused
by the army. It was
found at the junction
of Westland Street
and Lonemoor Road.
The army also dealt
with 3lb of explosives
found in a black
plastic bag at
Lonemoor Road.
Monday 27th September 1976
A warehouse in Sandy Row following an IRA bomb attack
FACING PAGE - Firebomb attacks on shops in Great Victoria Street
A girl of 19 was shot
dead and her father
seriously injured
when they were shot
in the hallway of their
Finaghy home. Four
gunmen arrived at the
Kyle home and
Rosaleen Kyle died
of her injures. Her
father a 61 year old
bank official was
seriously injured.
Gunmen pulled up at
the junction of Shore
Road and Catherine’s
Row in Belfast and
fired nine shots at the
Wolfe Tone
Republican Club
hitting Mr Michael
Boothman, a 32 year
old unemployed man
form Dandy Street in
Greencastle. Hit by
two bullets he died on
his way to hospital.
The gunmen then
drove along the Shore
Road and fired 6
shots at the Boundary
Bar near Greencastle
but nobody was hurt.
Nine people were
treated for shock
when a bomb
exploded on the
Donegall Road in
Belfast.
Nine shots were fired
at a police car in
Edward Street,
Lurgan. Fire was not
returned and no was
injured.
A small bomb left at
an unmanned army
post in Derry
shattered windows in
nearby buildings but
nobody was hurt. It
was left at Customs
House Street on the
quay and caused
slight damage to the
office of the Port and
H a r b o u r
Commissioners.
Back issues are onlyavailable as PDFsSee back cover for
details
1717171717
1818181818
Tuesday 28th September 1976
The remains of the grandstand at
Ballymena United Football Club
Ballymena United Chairman David
McKeown at the remains of the burned out
team bus
The army admitted
that one of its patrols
wounded a man in
south Armagh in
error. The army
statement said
investigation into the
incident, which
happened in the
Silverbridge area,
resulted from a failure
of internal
communica t ions .
The army also said
the investigation into
another shooting at
Aughnacloy in which
a lorry driver was
injured revealed that
the shots were
accidentally fired by
an army sentry. The
Silverbridge incident
occurred when the
man was game
shooting with his
friend when he was
shot by an army
patrol, both men were
carrying shotguns.
Two masked gunmen
entered the Brown
Trout Inn at
Aghadowey and left a
suitcase in the kitchen
while the other
sprinkled petrol
around the building
and then set fire to it.
A 10 minute warning
was given. The fire
caught hold and a
woman in a
wheelchair had to be
carried from the
building and an 82
year old customer
was burned in both
legs. One hour later
the bomb exploded
and the building was
c o m p l e t e l y
destroyed.
A woman was taken
to hospital suffering
from shock after a
bomb attack on a car
showroom in Newry.
The bomb was placed
in the back of a car
and petrol sprinkled
over the vehicle. The
2lb bomb exploded
20 minutes later
which damaged the
building but the petrol
did not ignite.
A Lurgan petrol
station was damaged
when a 5lb bomb
exploded.
15 shots were fired at
a house at
Tullywhisker near
Sion Mills. No one
was injured.
Wednesday 29th September 1976The Dungannon to
Ballygawley road
was closed for 8
hours while the army
worked to defuse a
435lb bomb hidden in
a culvert.
Four bombs were
defused in Belfast
city. One was a 15lb
device with two
gallons of petrol
attached which had
been planted by two
men in premises in
Gamble Street off
Corporation Street.
The area was cleared
after the bombers left.
A 5lb booby trap
bomb in a spare
1919191919
wheel left outside a
garage on
Andersonstown Road
was also defused. A
bomb at the Busy Bee
supermarket in west
Belfast was also
neutralised. Workers
at a linen factory in
Hardcastle Street in
the Ormeau area had
to leave their
premises after a bomb
was spotted, it was
defused.
A hoax bomb left
outside the Europa
Hotel in Great
Victoria Street
Belfast caused traffic
chaos and rail traffic
was also disrupted by
three bomb hoaxes on
the Belfast to Dublin
line.
Thursday 30th September 1976
Friday 1st October 1976
Soldiers on a road
check in the Oldpark
area came under
attack by gunmen but
nobody was hurt and
fire was returned.
An army patrol was
fired on at Slemish
Way in
Andersonstown but
nobody was injured.
A fierce gun battle
took place between
south Armagh troops
and gunmen.
Nobody was reported
as hit.
A small bomb was
thrown at the bus
depot in Ardoyne,
Belfast but it caused
no damage.
A bomb hoax near the
railway line at
Dunmurry delayed
trains into Belfast.
The line was closed
for 45 minutes while
the area around an
overhead road bridge
was checked.
An off duty UDR
man was shot and
seriously injured
shortly after starting
work on a building
site in the Shantallow
area of Derry. The 45
year old corporal was
hit in the neck and
chest when one
gunman took part in
the shooting. The
married soldier who
was married and lived
in the Waterside area
of the city was
walking along
Shantallow Avenue
when he was fired on.
A senior fire officer
tackled a car bomb
fire single handed in
Belfast, when men
from three other city
stations refused to
answer the call as part
of industrial action
boycotting fires
started by bombs.
The fire officer used
two hand
extinguishers to put
out the blaze in a grey
Ford van after it had
been blown up by an
army bomb team in
Dock Street Belfast.
At Exchange Street in
Belfast policemen
tackled a small fire
after an explosion.
One bus was totally
destroyed and eight
others were damaged
after a proxy bomb
blasted the Citybus
depot on the Falls
Road. 12 youths
hijacked the bus on its
final run of the night
and ordered the driver
to take a bomb to the
depot opposite
Milltown cemetery.
The bomb exploded
outside the depot
minutes before
midnight but the area
had been cleared and
no one was injured.
The explosion caused
some damage to the
2020202020
building and
s u r r o u n d i n g
premises, including
private homes and a
pub.
Four shots were fired
through the window
of a house at Ardmore
Park in Finaghy. No
one was hit.
A 20lb bomb planted
by three men, one of
them armed, was
defused at A S Bairds
services and spares
depot at Annadale
Embankment.
Two incendiary
devices exploded in
the Frontier Cinema
in John Mitchel
Place, Newry. One
seat was damaged
and no one was
injured.
A 34 year old man
from the Duncairn
Gardens area of
Belfast who kept two
magazines, one of
them containing a
bullet, in his home,
was given a six month
sentence.
Saturday 2nd October 1976Mr Victor Dormer, a
25 year old
unemployed lorry
driver and a former
soldier, died in
hospital after he was
shot and wounded in
a house in north
Belfast. Mr Dormer
of Copperfield Street
was visiting his
mother in laws house
when a gun man burst
in and shot him.
Bomb attack on a supermarket in the Donegall Road
Three fire bombs,
complete with
explosives but not set
to go off, were found
in the Royal Victoria
Hospital. Two of the
incendiaries were
discovered in a lift at
the casualty
department and the
third in a toilet in the
same block.
Explosives packed
into two cassette
cases made up the
bombs found in the
lift and the making of
an incendiary were in
a cigarette packet in
the toilet.
A 30lb bomb
exploded in the
kitchen of the Post
Office Club at
Thornhill Road,
Dunmurry. No one
was injured.
A family of six
escaped injury when
two shots were fired
at their house in
Cliftondene Crescent.
One bullet went
through a downstairs
front window and the
second through an
upstairs window.
The army defused a
bomb on the third
floor of the Livestock
M a r k e t i n g
Commission in
2121212121
Bomb attack on the Richview Filling Station
University Street. It
had been left by an
armed man.
A bomb was defused
in a hairdressers' at
Botanic Avenue but a
bomb exploded at the
chartered accountants
office next door a few
minutes later. The
bombs had been left
by an armed man.
Two men from the
Short Strand area of
Belfast were charged
with possessing a
quantity of explosives
and bombing
equipment in Belfast.
They were jointly
accused of possessing
100lb of explosive
mixture, 57
detonators, 11 timing
switches, three anti
handling units and
40ft of detonator cord
with intent.
Monday 4th October 1976A 29 year old man
from North Belfast
was charged with
having firearms and
ammunition. The
man from Spamount
Street was accused
with having a
revolver, a pistol and
12 rounds of
ammunition in
s u s p i c i o u s
circumstances in
Belfast.
A no warning bomb
d a m a g e d
A n d e r s o n s t o w n
Police Station caused
considerable damage
but nobody was hurt.
The bomb estimated
at 100lb badly
damaged a wall and a
fence at the entrance
to the station and also
wrecked cars parked
nearby. The police
station itself lost most
of its windows and
some doors were
ripped off their
hinges.
Five bombs went off
in the middle three
floors of the Embassy
Ballroom in Derry
causing serious
damaged. Over 330
dancers were
evacuated and no
injuries were
reported.
An army patrol found
nine homemade
mortar bombs, hand
grenades, 4lb of
explosives, switches
and other bomb
making material in
the Lone Moor Road
area of the Bogside.
Three houses on the
Antrim Road, Belfast
were damaged by fire
bombs and a
statement issued by
the IRA afterwards
said the attacks were
made on the homes of
"capitalists in
retaliation for damage
caused to workers
houses during army
searches".
2222222222
IRA bomb attack on Andersonstown RUC Barracks
Tuesday 5th October 1976A 10lb bomb left at
the back of a UDR
mans house in the
Tyrone village of
Caledon was defused
by the army.
Six people were
injured when a no
warning bomb
exploded on the
second floor of the
Casanova restaurant
in Corn market.
There were around 12
people in the
restaurant at the time
and the blast forced
the outer door shut
and it had to be
kicked down by the
police to enable them
to escape.
A 13 year old boy was
hit by a plastic bullet
in the Turf Lodge
area. The bullet
fractured his skull
when the army fired
on a group of youths
who were stoning
soldiers. The boy
from Norglen
Crescent was struck
at close range on the
temple and fell
immediately to the
ground.
Wednesday 6th October 197668 year old Katherine
O’Connor was
stabbed to death as
she lay in bed. Her
son in law, Frank
Nolan aged 34 was
shot dead at point
blank range in the
next door bedroom.
His wife managed to
escape the gunman by
diving under the bed.
They were killed in
their home in Victoria
Gardens, Belfast but
the family were
originally from the
Hillman Street area
and had only moved
into the area a short
time before the
murders.
A 26 year old man
was shot in the leg in
Anglesey Street in the
Shankill area. It was
believed to be a
punishment shooting.
A RUC land rover
came under fire at the
bottom of Tate’s
Avenue. The shots
were fired from the
direction of Maguire
and Patterson’s old
premises on the
Donegall Road.
Five pistols and
ammunition were
found in Kinallen
Street in Belfast
during a routine RUC
search. In
Ballymacarrett a
pistol and 200 rounds
of ammunition were
found.
Bombs left at a
building site in the
Grosvenor Road area
caused some
structural damage.
Two bombs were left
at the premises of
Spendlove Jebb at
Willow Street. There
were no injuries.
2323232323
TOP - Victoria Gardens
MIDDLE - The wife and children of
Frank Nolan are taken from their home
following the killings of Frank and his
mother in law Katherine O’Connor
BOTTOM - The broken window through
which the killers gained access
Thursday 7th October 1976A bomb exploded in
a office in Bedford
Street, Belfast. The
device was left in
Ewarts property
office by an armed
gang. The bomb was
in a cardboard box
and exploded a short
time after it was left
and caused a small
fire.
A 24 year old soldier,
serving with the 3rd
Parachute Regiment
was charged with the
killing of Majela
O’Hare at
Whitecross. He was
released into military
custody.
A soldier was injured
when his patrol came
under fire. He was a
member of a mobile
patrol which was
attacked at Monagh
roundabout in west
Belfast. A gunman
fired a single shot and
no fire was returned.
The army operating
in Manor Street in the
Oldpark area of
Belfast found
homemade .22 rifle.
In the same area in a
derelict house at
Waterproof Street,
police found a .45
pistol and 7 bullets
for the gun, along
with a stone of
chemical cement.
Back issues are onlyavailable as PDFsSee back cover for
details
2424242424Fire bomb attacks on warehouses in Adelaide Street
2525252525
Peace people rally in Ballymena
Friday 8th October 1976A 17 year old youth
of Ardmoulin Avenue
was found guilty of
the murder of Mr
Samuel Llewellyn
who was shot dead in
the Lower Falls area
in 1975. The youth
was detained during
the pleasure of the
Secretary of State for
his part in the murder.
A reserve policeman
and five soldiers were
injured in an
explosion in Kilrea,
Co Londonderry. The
Kilrea blast was in the
townland of
Gortncrene, off the
Garvagh Road, but it
was not clear if the
bomb had been
hidden in the van or
concealed at the
roadside. The patrol
had gone to the area
to examine the van
and as they towed it
away the bomb went
off. The policeman
was in his 40’s and
died instantly.
A bomb wrecked the
Belfast Telegraph
offices in Newry, a
short time after the
building was
evacuated. The
offices were badly
damaged in the 10lb
blast.
An army patrol
opened fire on a
gunman they claimed
to have seen taking
aim from a position at
Abercorn Square in
Strabane. The single
shot fired by the army
missed its target.
Saturday 9th October 1976Four bombs exploded
in Ballymena
seriously injuring one
man. Among the
targets were two
boutiques, hardware
shops and a Post
Office yard. The area
of Fair Hill was
packed with shoppers
on market day and
there an explosion
tore through a parked
car, hurling him
through the air and
seriously injuring
him. Mrs Yvonne
Dunlop, aged 26, died
when she was trapped
in the back of her
father’s shop which
was destroyed in one
of the incendiary
devices. Her 8 year
old son escaped from
the fire with singed
hair.
In Ballymoney two
parcel bombs were
found in the Main
Street and the area
was cleared and the
army moved in to
defuse the bombs.
2626262626
IRA bomber Noel
Jenkinson, 46, was
found dead in his cell
at Leicester Prison.
He was serving life
imprisonment for his
part in the Aldershot
barracks attack which
killed seven people in
1972. He died from
natural causes.
A large car bomb
Firemen clear up after firebomb attacks on shops in Ballymena
shattered the centre of
Dungannon. Three
teenagers were taken
to hospital but were
allowed home after
treatment for shock.
The 200lb bomb
exploded outside a
draper’s shop which
had been hijacked
earlier in Union
Street. The blast
caused extensive
damage to the street
and surrounding area.
Five men, three of
them armed, planted
three 30lb bombs
attached to petrol
cans in College
Square North. The
bombers left two of
the bombs downstairs
and one upstairs in
the premises of K and
E Wholesalers. The
bombs were later
defused by the army.
Police found a
machine gun and two
magazines in a
plantation behind
Markethill High
School, six miles
outside Armagh.
A 22 year old man
from Victoria Parade,
Belfast was charged
with possessing a
bomb with intent at
Gamble Street.
A man and a teenage
girl from North
Belfast appeared in
court charged with
causing an explosion
at Academy Shirt
Factory in Belfast.
A 19 year old from
Duncairn Parade was
charged with causing
an explosion in
Belfast.
A 32 year old man
form Twinbrook was
charged with
possessing a silencer
for a gun and also
having firearms and
ammunition at
Adelaide Park.
2727272727
Bomb attack on the Ewart offices in Bedford Street
Monday 11th October 1976Mrs Annie Brennan
aged 46 of Hillview
Street in the Oldpark
was shot dead on her
doorstep. Her son
had been shot in the
leg only hours before
she was attacked.
Mrs Brennan was
talking to a man and
a woman on her
doorstep when a
youth approached
from Linwood Street
and opened fire with
an automatic pistol.
He fired six shots
wounding Mrs
Brennan who died
three hours later in
hospital.
Thirteen year old
Brian Stewart died
when he was hit by a
plastic bullet fired
during disturbances
in Turf Lodge. He had
been hit on the head
seven days previously
and had not regained
consciousness.
The commander of an
army patrol was
injured in a bomb
blast set off by
bombers just after the
soldiers left the
Moyard base on
Springfield Road.
The soldier was
detained in hospital
with minor leg
injuries. The bomb
containing up to 25lb
of explosives, was
hidden in a culvert.
The blast blew a deep
crater blocking half
the road. A large
piece of tarmac threw
up by the blast
narrowly missed a
young child and a
block of concrete was
blown through the
roof of a house 300
yards away in
Springmartin Road.
After the blast the
army fired plastic
bullets to disperse a
crowd of youths.
A 43 year old man
lost part of a leg when
a booby trap bomb
was accidentally
triggered at Unicks
near Stewartstown. A
seven year old boy
and an eight year old
boy who were with
him received facial
injuries in the blast.
Tuesday 12th October 1976Thirty nine year old
Peter Francis
Woolsey was shot
dead in the milking
parlour of his farm
near Portadown. He
was believed he was
killed because he was
a Catholic. His body
was discovered by his
wife who went to
look for him when he
had not returned
home. He had been
shot in the back and
was lying face up in
the dairy section of
the building.
A bomb wrecked the
Ballygomartin West
Circular Road but no
one was hurt. The
2828282828
device was planted by
two youths who used
a Post Office van
hijacked earlier.
A hostile crowd
gathered as soldiers
conducted a search in
the Beechmount area.
The army fired two
shots at a man they
claimed was armed
but did not claim any
hits.
The milking shed in which the body of 39 year old Peter Woolsey
was discovered
An army robot moves in on a suspect van
in Dock Street
A controlled explosion blows the roof of
the van into the air
Wednesday 13th October 1976Police found a big
arms cache in a house
in Waveney Avenue.
They found two sub
machine guns, a 9mm
pistol, a .22 zip gun,
two .33 rifle parts,
five SLR magazines,
8 Styre magazines,
three cartridge cases,
100 cartridges, six
.9mm drill rounds, a
Starlight night-sight,
a homemade silencer,
two cleaning kits and
a camouflage face-
kit.
In Lurgan the army
discovered a cache of
bomb making
equipment in a house
in Dingwell Park.
A number of soldiers
were involved in a
fire which damaged a
Gaelic Club in West
Belfast.
A formal complaint
was lodged with the
police over the blaze
at the O’Donnell
GAA Club in
Rockmore Street in
the Falls Road area.
A 43 year old man of
Beechmount Grove
was accused of
possessing 8 sets of
terminal leads, 26
batteries, one roll of
wire, two strips of
wire, seven boxes of
clocks fitted with
wires, one small
timing device and
other suitable bomb
making material, in
s u s p i c i o u s
circumstances.
2929292929
Seconds later the van busts into flames
A fireman tackles the blaze with portable
extingishers
Thursday 14th October 1976Five soldiers from the
Black Watch
regiment were
accused of conspiring
to pervert the course
of justice. The charge
relates to the alleged
planting of evidence;
mainly single bullets,
on civilians brought
in for questioning
when the regiment
was based at Fort
Monagh in west
Belfast.
Mr William Henry
Corrigan aged 41 was
shot dead outside his
home at
Meadowview Drive,
Annaghmore. His 19
year old son was
seriously injured in
the attack. As Mr
Corrigan was
drinking his car into
the driveway a
gunman hiding
behind a wooden
fence opened up with
the automatic
Kalashnikov rifle,
and hit him on the
head. His son was
shot in the back
several times.
A 19 year old man
from St James’
Crescent was accused
of possessing a .38
revolver and 6 rounds
of ammunition with
intent at his home.
A pipe bomb
exploded in the centre
of Bangor. The
device contained half
a pound of explosives
was thrown at an
e l e c t r i c i t y
transformer at the rear
of shops at Main
Street.
At Keady a single
high velocity shot
was fired at the towns
RUC station.
Youths hijacked
lorries, a bus and a
car, and stoned
A n d e r s o n s t o w n
police station during
the disturbances.
Friday 15th October 1976Belfast’s Aldergrove
airport was shut down
by a bomb scare.
Flights were halted
and the airport
building evacuated
but nothing was
found in an extensive
search.
Six men were
arrested after an RUC
patrol and military
police arrived at the
Balmoral Furnishing
Company premises in
Upper Dunmurry
Lane following a tip
off. They fired on
bombers trying to
escape and two men
were hit and the RUC
then arrested five at
the scene and another
man with a gunshot
wound was arrested
on the Lisburn Road.
Two of the bombs
were placed on the
ground floor and two
on the first floor of
the premises. Two
five gallon petrol
containers were also
planted. The bombs
exploded a short time
later.
3030303030
Saturday 16th October 1976Garda Michael
Clarken aged 24 died
and four other
officers were injured
in a blast at a remote
house in Garyhinch,
near Portlaoise Jail.
The police were lured
to the trap by an
a n o n y m o u s
telephone call to the
police station. The
caller said that men
were moving around
inside the house
which had been
empty for two years.
The police
surrounded the
building and when
the officer
approached the house
and opened the door
there was a huge
explosion. He was
killed instantly and
four others were
buried under rubble
as the house
collapsed on them.
About 100lb of
explosives were
packed into all sides
of the building and
trip wires were laid
across entrances.
A small bomb went
off without warning
in the Elk Bar
b e t w e e n
Toomebridge and
Castledawson. Two
customers in the pub
had to be treated for
shock. A short time
later another larger
bombs exploded in
the same room of the
bar. Three policemen
who were checking
the building were
slightly injured in the
blast.
Four people had to be
treated for shock and
slight injuries when a
bomb exploded
without warning in
the Rockboat Bar in
Martinstown. The
device went off in a
pool room in the bar.
Only slight damage
was caused by the
bomb which was
estimated at 3 lb.
Soldiers found six
bags containing over
250lbs of explosives
under bushes five
miles south of
Pomeroy.
A 27 year old man
was charged with
possessing two
pistols in the city
centre. The man from
Moira Street was
remanded.
Army patrols
uncovered two rifles
and 45 rounds of
ammunition under a
hedge in Coalisland
and a rifle a shotgun,
ammunition and five
pounds of explosives
hidden in a wall near
Kilrea.
Monday 18th October 1976A 23 year old
pregnant woman was
shot in the back as she
left the GAA and
Camogie Club at
Greencastle near
Belfast.
A 1lb bomb of
h o m e m a d e
explosives went off
near Abercorn army
base in Derry. The
bomb in a brown
carrier bag was
spotted lying on the
ground near the post
by a soldier and the
area was evacuated.
Two low velocity
shots were fired at a
police land rover in
North Queen Street.
One bullet struck the
passenger door of the
vehicle but no one
was injured and fire
was not returned.
A 47 year old man
was slightly injured at
Cliftonville Cricket
ground. He was
walking his dog when
a booby trap bomb,
thought to have been
meant for the security
forces exploded and
injured his left hand.
The RUC narrowly
escaped injury when
a car bomb exploded
as they were on their
way to investigate an
armed robbery at the
Peoples Filling
Station, Upper
Springfield Road.
The car bomb
exploded as the
police vehicle was
travelling to the
scene.
The RUC discovered
three pistols and 40
rounds of
ammunition in a
derelict garage in
Wilson Street in the
Shankill area.
A member of the
army foot patrol was
3131313131
3232323232
hit in the leg at the
junction of Shankill
Street and Edward
Street in Lurgan. He
was not seriously
injured.
The IRA admitted
that they were
responsible for an
attack on Belfast’s
gasworks which
resulted in one of the
most spectacular
explosions in the city.
Three IRA members
died by their own
bomb. The explosion
sent a huge fireball
soaring hundreds of
feet into the air over
the city. Hundreds of
homes near the
gasworks were
evacuated when one
of the four
gasometers caught
fire. The gas did not
explode and damage
was confined to the
gasworks complex.
All that was left of the
gasometer after the
blaze was a ring of
steel supports. A
statement from the
IRA said that their
intended target was
an army base inside
the gasworks. The
three men killed were
named as Paul
Marlowe, aged 32,
married with three
children, from
Nansen Street in the
the Falls area.
Francis Fitzsimmons,
aged 28, married with
two children, from
Thompson Street in
the Short Strand area
and Patrick Joseph
Surgenor, aged 24, a
bachelor form Sheriff
Street, in the same
district. They died
instantly when one of
their bombs
d e t o n a t e d
prematurely setting
off another four
linked to it each
contained 10lb of
explosives.
The skeleton frame of the gas holder at Belfast Gas Works after it was destroyed by an
IRA bomb which killed three of its members
3333333333
Tuesday 19th October 1976Four armed men
carried out a bombing
raid on McIlhaggas
glass and paint shop
and Batty Bros,
hardware and fancy
glass store in Datton
Street off Townsend
Street in the Shankill.
The RUC broke into
nearby homes after
the blast after it was
feared that some
residents had been
trapped, but no one
was found.
Police in Co Cavan
found a bomb making
factory and more than
a ton of explosives in
an unoccupied house
at Gortacashel,
Redhills. Included in
the find were
d e t o n a t o r s ,
explosives and timing
devices.
A small find of arms
was made by the
army in the Rossville
Flats in Derry.
Wednesday 20th October 1976The 23 year old
woman who was shot
in the back at
Greencastle lost her
baby who was born
four weeks
prematurely after the
shooting. The woman
remained in intensive
care.
Two soldiers were
shot in an ambush on
the Falls Road,
Belfast. The soldiers
from the Kings Own
Borderers were
travelling in a land
rover patrol along the
Falls Road and were
about to turn into the
Whiterock Road when
the gunmen opened
up from the cover of a
nearby house. About
8 shots were fired and
one of the soldiers was
hit in the back and the
other in the groin.
Soldiers carrying out
a search in the
Taghnevan Estate in
Lurgan found arms,
bullets and explosives
hidden inside the
inspection plates of a
number of lamp posts.
The finds included a
machine gun, a rifle
and a pistol along with
500 rounds of
ammunition gelignite
and two telescopic
sights.
In Lisnaskea troops
found 86 bullets, 20ft
of fuse wire and 41lb
of explosives in two
plastic bags hidden in
a small wood near the
town.
An anonymous
telephone warning
that a bomb had been
planted outside
Andersonstown RUC
station was received
and four youths were
seen planting a parcel
in a wrecked car near
the perimeter fence.
The youths ran away
and the area was
Friday 22nd October 1976
Thursday 21st October 1976cleared. The army
carried out a
controlled explosion
in the vehicle but it
did not contain
explosives.
Incendiary attacks on
shops in Shipquay
Street in Derry
severely damaged
one floor of
Alexander Sloan’s
furniture store and
caused slight damage
to another shop. The
first incendiary was in
a record shop in an
arcade and the device
was neutralised by
the army.
A soldier was shot in
the leg at an army
observation post at
Oldpark RUC station
in Belfast. Four shots
were fired at the
observation post.
The RUC foiled a car
bombing in Castlederg.
The car was stopped at
a checkpoint at
Kilclean on the border,
a number of men got
out and ran away and
shortly afterwards the
car exploded. A
policeman was hit on
the back by shrapnel
but was not seriously
injured.
The Europa Hotel in
Belfast was the target
for an elaborate bomb
hoax when the driver
of the van carrying the
fake bomb lost his way
and ended up near an
RUC station. The
driver who was
unfamiliar with Belfast
parked in Ann Street
and raised the alarm.
The area was
evacuated and traffic
diverted and the army
carried out a controlled
explosion but it did not
contain explosives.
3434343434
Saturday 23rd October 1976
Troops found a man
carrying a loaded
pistol in Norglen
Parade, Belfast.
A Belfast man was
charged with
possessing more than
800 bullets. The 33
year old from
Lawnbrook Avenue
was charged with
possession of the
bullets and parts of a
Sterling submachine
gun.
The army defused a
bomb device left near
the pavilion at Shane
Park, Belfast, home
of Instonians Rugby
Club.
A 19 year old girl
from Ballyclare
Street, Belfast, was
accused of possession
of a Thompson sub
machine gun and also
faced a charge of
member shop of
Cumann na mBan.
A barman was shot in
the leg as he fled from
a car he had been
bundled into earlier in
Monkstown. He was
found by a passing
motorist and taken to
hospital.
Gambles bookshop
on the Antrim Road
was blown up by a
20lb bomb. The shop
had been closed and
the owner was held
hostage while the
bomb was planted.
Five passersby and a
policeman were
injured in the blast
which occurred after
a telephone warning
that there was a 20lb
car bomb outside the
Ace Taxis premises,
20 m from the
b o o k s h o p .
Thousands of rare
Irish books were
destroyed in the blast.
The army defused a
100lb car bomb
outside Newry town
hall, one minute
before it was due to
exploded. About 200
people were playing
bingo in the hall when
the warning was
issued.
An incendiary device
was found in the paint
department of
Wellworths store in
Market Street,
Omagh. The area
was cleared and it
was taken away by
the army.
In Derry an army
mobile patrol fired a
plastic bullet to
disperse a stone
throwing crowd of
400 youths who
surround it outside a
community centre in
Creggan.
3535353535
Monday 25th October 1976One soldier died and
four others hurt when
the army patrol was
ambushed in
Ardoyne. Gunner
Anthony Brian
Abbott aged 19 from
W h i t e f i e l d ,
Manchester, died
from gunshot wounds
to the chest. 27 shots
were fired from two
firing positions.
A soldier was injured
when the army land
rover in which he was
travelling along the
Springfield Road
came under fire from
a sniper. The soldier
was hit in the chest by
a single bullet.
A soldier was injured
in an explosion in an
alleyway in the New
Barnsley estate. A
man walking with
two children nearby
was blown over by
the blast. The soldier
was hit about the legs
with glass fragments
when the bomb
exploded.
A 29 year old man
lost an eye after being
hit by one of four
bullets fired at an
army patrol in
Dunmisk Park, near
Andersonstown. He
was walking nearby
when the gunman
opened fire. The
soldiers did not return
fire and administered
first aid until the man
was removed to
hospital.
The driver of a van
was injured in the leg
when gunmen opened
fire on an army patrol
in the Oldpark
district. Six shots
were fired at the
patrol in Ballynure
Street, all missed but
one hit the van. The
driver’s five year old
son was in the van but
was not hurt.
The army came under
fire on the Antrim
Road, Springfield
Road and at
Broadway but no hits
were claimed.
A doorman at the
Regency Hotel in
Botanic Avenue was
injured when five
shots were fired
through the door from
a passing car. The
man received cuts to
the legs and abdomen
but was not seriously
hurt.
A petrol bomb thrown
at the rear of a house
occupied by a 75 year
old woman at
Hawthorne Park,
Dunmurry, hit the
garden fence and
exploded.
Five soldiers were
hurt, when seven
mortar bombs were
fired at Crossmaglen
army police base.
Five bombs landed
inside the camp
damaging temporary
buildings. The other
two bombs landed on
outbuildings of a
house occupied by
two pensioners. The
buildings were
destroyed and their
home left
uninhabitable. The
five injured soldiers
were hit by shrapnel
and burned by flashes
from the exploding
mortar bombs. A
heavy burst of
automatic fire was
directed at the post.
A 19 year old youth
from Portadown died
in hospital 12 days
after being injured in
a gun attack at his
home at
Annaghmore. His
father Mr William
Corrigan was killed
instantly in the attack
which came as he was
driving into his
garage. His son,
Leslie Corrigan was
working at a van in
the yard and was hit
in the back.
An army patrol found
216 bullets and part
of a telescopic sight
under brambles at
Corcullentrabeg on
the Moy Road,
Portadown.
Seven incendiary
devices planted in a
post office,
newsagents, a
hardware shop and a
shoe shop were all
defused in
Newtownhamilton.
Home Decor paint
and paper shop at
Strand Road, Derry,
was badly damaged
3636363636
by a bomb and in the
fire which followed
the next door
L e p r e c h a u n
Restaurant was
gutted. A caller
representing the IRA
told police that there
were eight bombs in
Strand Road and gave
a 20 minute warning.
The area was
evacuated and there
were no injuries. An
incendiary device
was carried out of a
chemist shop beside
the Leprechaun and
defused as was
another device, with
an explosive charge
attached, in a paint
store on the opposite
side of the street. A
fourth incendiary
exploded later at a
record shop but
caused only minor
damage. In the
Waterside three shops
including a
supermarket and a
boutique in the
Spencer Road area
were damaged after
incendiary devices
exploded. A second
device at a boutique
was neutralised.
Tuesday 26th October 1976Fifty five year old Mr
Joseph Wilson of
Lisdown Armagh was
shot dead by a youth
who walked into the
supermarket where
he worked and shot
Mr Wilson in the
back. Mr Wilson was
a lieutenant in the
UDR and had
survived another bid
on his life 12 months
previously.
Cowzers chemist
shop on the Ormeau
Road in Belfast was
badly damaged in a
bomb attack. The
area had been cleared
and no one was hurt.
The bomb blasts
started a fire which
destroyed a robot
used by the army to
defuse bombs.
A device planted in
the Swift Screw
Products factory in
the Dunmore Estate
in north Belfast was
defused by the army.
The RUC
investigated an
explosion at a lamp
post near the junction
of Ballymurphy
Road. The blast did
little damage and no
one was hurt.
An incendiary device
found in the
Waterside Heel bar in
Derry was defused.
The device was
pushed through the
letter box of the shoe
shop and the device
was discovered by the
owner when he
opened up.
In Derry the army
defused a suspect
bomb in a plastic bag
with wires attached
found in Bishop
Street.
Wednesday 27th October 1976Buses and lorries
were hijacked in the
Turf Lodge area as
protest of army raids.
It was their first
searches since the
death of Brian
Stewart who died
after being shot in the
head by a plastic
bullet.
One of several shots
fired in Church
Avenue, Bangor,
went through the
front window of a
house. No one was
injured in the
shooting.
In Belfast the army
were investigating a
mystery explosion in
the Whiterock area.
The site of the blast
had not been found.
Thursday 28th October 1976Sixty one year old Mr
James Kyle died in
hospital, one month
after he was shot at
his home in Ormonde
Park in Finaghy. His
19 year old daughter,
Rosaleen, died in the
gun attack when
gunmen sprayed the
hallway of the house.
A 55 year old man
was charged with
having a rifle in the
Andersonstown area.
The man from
Glenhill Park was
accused of having the
rifle at his home.
A 52 year old
Catholic man was
seriously injured
when a car bomb
exploded outside his
home in Antrim.
Police examined a
van used by bombers
to attack a pub near
Castledawson. Two
3737373737
men left a suitcase in
the Moyola Lodge
restaurant and
shouted a 5 minute
warning. The bomb
exploded but no one
was injured. The
building was
structurally damaged.
Two blast bombs
were thrown over a
perimeter wall at
Strand Road RUC
station but no one was
hurt. At the same
time a blast bomb was
thrown at a police
land rover at the
junction of Strand
Road and Lawrence
Hill, but it did not
explode.
Soldiers found 20lb
of explosives, two
grenades, a revolver,
20 bullets, batteries
and other items of
bomb making
equipment during a
search of a house at
Lislane Drive in
Creggan Estate.
Friday 29th October 1976Mrs Maire Drumm
was shot dead by
loyalist gunmen as
she lay recuperating
in the Mater Hospital
after an eye
operation. She was
due to be moved to a
Dublin nursing home
but three gunmen,
dressed as hospital
workers, walked into
the hospital with
pistols hidden in
coats. The men
calmly walked up to
her bed and opened
fire on the former
vice president of Sinn
Fein, who had gone to
a cupboard to get
some grapes. They
fired at 12 times,
hitting her five times
in the head and chest.
As the gunmen ran
off Mrs Drumm
crawled some
distance across the
floor and collapsed
and died 10 minutes
later.
A 53 year old UDR
man was attacked as
he arrived at his home
in Harding Street,
Derry, after work.
The gunmen opened
fire with pistols at
point blank range.
Five or six shots were
fired from the
3838383838
doorway of a nearby
house hitting the man
in the stomach.
A blast bomb was
thrown at an
observation post at
Rosemount RUC
station in Derry. No
one was hurt and the
post was undamaged.
Patterson’s bar in
Bank Square,
Maghera, was badly
damaged by a bomb
blast. Three gunmen
held up customers
before planting the
bomb. They also
sprinkled petrol over
the floor before
leaving, but the
explosion did not start
the fire. No one was
injured.
A petrol bomb was
thrown through the
front living room
window of a house in
the Woodvale are.
The device caused
scorching to furniture
in the house at March
Street.
The army defused
two bombs left under
the front seat of a land
rover at the rear of
Agnew’s car
showroom on the
Lisburn Road,
Belfast. The devices
contained 50lb of
explosives and were
attached to five
gallons of petrol.
Five high velocity
shots were heard in
the Springhill area but
the target was not
known.
A shot fired at
Andersonstown RUC
station struck a sentry
post but no one was
hurt and no fire was
returned.
Five high velocity
shots were fired at
soldiers in Bridge
Street, Strabane. No
one was injured and
no fire was returned.
A mini car left at
Portlee Walk, Antrim,
was damaged in a
controlled explosion
set off by the army.
The vehicle did not
contain explosives.
Saturday 30th October 1976A 20lb bomb was
planted in the
p h o t o g r a p h i c
department of the
Royal Victoria
Hospital. The device
was planted by a man
and woman was made
safe by the army. The
device did not contain
a firing mechanism.
Three petrol bombs
were thrown into
Corry’s timber yard
on the Springfield
Road and were dealt
with by staff and little
damage was caused.
A number of shots
were fired at an army
mobile patrol a sits
crossed the Albert
Bridge in Belfast.
The army returned
fire but no hits were
reported.
A shot was fired from
a Cortina car at two
pedestrians in Ross
Street. No one was
injured.
In Newtownwstewart
a bomb in a green
holdall was left
outside the front door
of the RUC station
and exploded just as
the area was
evacuated. Structural
damage was caused
and nearby houses
were also damaged
but no one was hurt
3939393939
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