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[8] The brigade was described by author Don Mullan as one of the most ruthless units operating in the 1970s. They subsequently set up a roadblock with "all the trappings of a regular military checkpoint". After receiving radio confirmation that there were no authorised checkpoints in the area that night, they reported the incident and requested help from the British Army to investigate it, but no action was taken. Other photographs in the set show similar injuries to all four limbs, his buttocks and face. As the UUUC would not abide any form of power-sharing with the Dublin government, no agreement could be reached and the convention failed, again marginalising Northern Ireland's politicians and the communities they represented. "The cops showed John a bag containing a human arm with a Mid-Ulster UVF tattoo on it. Former serving Secret Intelligence Service agent Captain Fred Holroyd, and others, suggested that Nairac had organised the attack in co-operation with Robin Jackson and the Mid-Ulster UVF. These were held on 1 May 1975 and the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC), which had won 11 out of 12 Northern Irish seats in the February 1974 general election, won a majority again. 50 True-Crime Documentaries on Netflix | 2023 . [clarification needed] James McDowell lives in Lurgan, and John James Somerville became an evangelical minister in Belfast. [4], In May 1974, unionists called a general strike to protest against the Sunningdale Agreement an attempt at power-sharing, setting up a Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland, which would have given the Government of Ireland a voice in running Northern Ireland. [72][73] Surviving band members Stephen Travers and Des McAlea told police and later testified in court that a British Army officer with a "crisp, clipped English accent" oversaw the attack, the implication being that this was Nairac. Findings in a report carried out by the PSNI's Historic Enquiries Team into the Miami atrocity stated that there was fingerprint evidence linking Robin Jackson to the attack. The Miami Showband were an Irish showband in the 1960s and 1970s led firstly in 1962 by singer Jimmy Harte, followed by Dickie Rock and later by Fran O'Toole. Somerville told other paramilitary prisoners how detectives repeatedly tried to persuade him to become a Special Branch tout operating inside the UVF. The night after the Miami Showband massacre, gunmen shot a minibus near Gilford. [5] This move made loyalists apprehensive and suspicious that a secret accord was being conducted between the British government and the IRA, and that Northern Ireland's Protestants would be "sold out". In his flat - which few people visited - Somerville kept a large photograph of Robin Jackson on the wall of his living room. Griffin suggests that McCoy, who originally came from Caledon, County Tyrone, and had strong UDR and Orange Order family connections, was possibly approached at some stage by Jackson with a view of securing his help in carrying out UVF attacks in the Irish Republic. But by this time, he was ready to go to jail. [5] At Christmas 1974 the IRA declared a ceasefire, which theoretically lasted throughout most of 1975. [4] Two men had been observed acting suspiciously inside the Castle Ballroom during the band's performance that night, suggesting that the Miami Showband's movements were being carefully monitored. Organisieren, kontrollieren, verteilen und messen Sie alle Ihre digitalen Inhalte. And after stopping GAA fans 22-year-old Colm McCartney and 32-year-old John Farmer, they shot them dead. Concerned they might be damaged, McAlea first approached the two gunmen and asked if he could remove his saxophone. [35] Dillon also opined in God and the Gun: The Church and Irish Terrorism that the dead bombers, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, had actually led the UVF gang at Buskhill. He was given a total of four life sentences (three for the murders of the Miami Showband members and one for the Falls murder) on 9 November 1981; he had pleaded not guilty. [2], The UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade operated mainly around the Portadown and Lurgan areas. It also devastated the burgeoning live music scene in Northern Ireland.. Jackson was charged with possession of the silencer but not convicted, the trial judge having reportedly said: "At the end of the day I find that the accused somehow touched the silencer, but the Crown evidence has left me completely in the dark as to whether he did that wittingly or unwittingly, willingly or unwillingly". Laat uw merk op authentieke wijze groeien door uw merkcontent te delen met de makers van het internet. . Mit unserem einfachen Abonnement erhalten Sie Zugriff auf die besten Inhalte von Getty Images. [79] and that none of the perpetrators ever offered him an apology. [69] Stephen Travers decried: "We believe the only conclusion possible arising from the HET report is that one of the most prolific loyalist murderers of the conflict was an RUC Special Branch agent and was involved in the Miami Showband attack". The Mid-Ulster Battalion has been assisting the South Down-South Armagh units since the IRA Forkhill boobytrap which killed four British soldiers. [69], A third person, former UDR soldier John James Somerville (aged 37, a lorry-helper and the brother of Wesley), was arrested following an RUC raid in Dungannon on 26 September 1980. Fortnight Magazine reported that on 1 June 1982, John James Somerville began a hunger strike at the Maze to obtain special category status. [19], The 1975 line-up comprised four Catholics and two Protestants. This is one of the last photographs taken of the band before the massacre on 31st July 1975. They were: lead vocalist and keyboard player Fran O'Toole, 28, Catholic; guitarist Anthony (Tony) Geraghty, 24, Catholic, from Dublin; trumpeter Brian McCoy, 32, Protestant, from Caledon, County Tyrone; saxophonist Des McAlea (a.k.a. I got them with dum-dums". Near the anniversary of the killings, a temporary plaque is placed at the location of the killings. But two other UVF men, Thomas Crozier and James McDowell - both soldiers in the UDR - were jailed for life. [9] According to authors Paul Larkin and Martin Dillon, Jackson was accompanied by Harris Boyle when he killed Hanna. Director Stuart Sender Writers Jeff Zimbalist Michael Zimbalist Stars Stephen Travers Bertie Ahern The dead bombers were named by the UVF, in a statement issued within 12 hours of the attack. Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville were given UVF paramilitary funerals conducted by Free Presbyterian minister William McCrea, a Democratic Unionist Party politician. The IRA said it killed him because of an alleged association with British Army officer and member of 14th Intelligence Company, Captain Robert Nairac, and claimed it was in possession of his diary, which had been stolen in Portadown.[61]. The mother of the late singer-rapper Aaron Carter released photos of the scene of his death Wednesday, calling for a "real . A report by the police's Historical Enquiries Team (HET) also suggests this. Weir's affidavit implicating Robin Jackson in a number of attacks including the 1974 Dublin bombings was published in the 2003 Barron Report; the findings of an official investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings commissioned by Irish Supreme Court Judge Henry Barron. The Glenanne gang was a loose alliance of loyalist extremists allegedly operating under the command of British Military Intelligence and/or RUC Special Branch. The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. According to former Intelligence Corps agent Captain Fred Holroyd, the killings were organised by British intelligence officer Robert Nairac, together with the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade and its commander Robin "the Jackal" Jackson. Note: Initially it was believed that the bomb had been placed in the rear of the minibus and that the closure of the door had triggered the blast. [30][32], McCoy, son of the Orange Order's Grand Master for County Tyrone,[33] had close relatives in the security forces; his brother-in-law was a former member of the B Specials which had been disbanded in 1970. "A hundred of your men haven't done what I've done," he told a UVF leader. A long battle for justice for three members of a popular Irish music group, Miami Showband, who were murdered during The Troubles in Northern Ireland received a huge boost this week with. [28][45] The RUC's investigative unit, the Assassination or "A" Squad of detectives, was set up to investigate the crime and to discover the identities of the UVF gunmen who perpetrated the killings. He also added that "that bomb was definitely placed there with a view to killing all in that band".[22]. 3/2/2023 1:00 AM PT. The incident had an adverse effect on the Irish showband scene, with many of the bands afraid to play in Northern Ireland. He believed it was based on the erroneous linkage of Nairac to the earlier murder of IRA man John Francis Green in County Monaghan the same pistol was used in both attacks. Please check your inbox to verify your details, Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. But our investigations this week revealed that shortly before he died, Jackson sent for self-confessed loyalist gunrunner Willie Frazer, also now deceased. He was released in 1998. The ruthless UVF killer fell into a deep depression fuelled by alcohol. Our source also claimed John Somerville told him that in an attempt to break him, a police officer entered the interrogation room carrying a severed human arm in a plastic bag. [4][18][28][29] As Crozier took down the information, a car pulled up and another uniformed man appeared on the scene. [97] Irish Times diarist, Frank McNally, summed up the massacre as "an incident that encapsulated all the madness of the time". [4], The killings shocked both Northern Ireland and Ireland and put a serious strain on Anglo-Irish relations. Geraghty was engaged to be married. Days before the Miami attack, Robin Jackson murdered William Hanna, the UVF commander in mid-Ulster. [101], A Netflix documentary titled ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre was released 22 March 2019, highlighting the efforts of Steve Travers to track down who authorized the attack, for what purposes, and to get an admission of culpability.[102][103]. He also survived by remaining silent, pretending he was dead. [67][clarification needed], A number of suspects were arrested by the RUC in early August 1975. John Somerville was born in 1940 into a respectable small farming family from outside Moygashel, Co Tyrone. The 55-cent stamp, designed with a 1967 publicity photograph of the band, included two of the slain members, Fran O'Toole and Brian McCoy, as part of the line-up when Dickie Rock was the frontman. The following year, Fran O'Toole became the band's lead vocalist after Mick Roche (Billy Mac's replacement) was sacked. The Miami Showband reformed in 2008, with Stephen Travers, Des McAlea, and Ray Millar, plus new members. Updated / Monday, 13 Dec 2021 22:28. "[54] In May 1976, Robin Jackson's fingerprints were discovered on the metal barrel of a home-made silencer constructed for a Luger. [20] He survived by pretending he was dead, as he lay beside the body of McCoy. Travers was not able to positively identify Nairac, from his photograph, as having been the man at Buskhill. [21][36] He suggested that had all gone according to plan, the loyalist extremists would have been able to clandestinely bomb the Republic of Ireland, yet claim that the band were republican bomb-smugglers carrying explosives on behalf of the IRA. Jane Carter says late son received many threats prior to his death. [81] Martin Dillon maintained in The Dirty War that the Miami Showband attack was planned weeks before at a house in Portadown, and the person in charge of the overall operation was a former UDR man, whom Dillon referred to for legal reasons as "Mr. He . The only identifiable body part from the bombers to survive the blast (which had been heard up to 4 miles (6.4km) away) was a severed arm belonging to Wesley Somerville. Just after the arrival of this mysterious soldier, McCoy nudged Travers, who was standing beside him, and reassured him by saying "Don't worry Stephen, this is British Army". It was released under the heading Ulster Central Intelligence Agency Miami Showband Incident Report:[20][48][42]. Three band members were shot dead by loyalist gunmen. The emergence of discos later in the decade meant that ballrooms were converted into nightclubs, leaving the showbands with few venues available in which to perform. The attack was carried out by loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and took place while the group, a popular cabaret band, were travelling home to Dublin after a performance. Jackson had assumed command of the Mid-Ulster UVF just a few days before the Miami Showband attack, after allegedly shooting Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan on 27 July 1975. [65] Earlier that night, three RUC officers in an unmarked car had been stopped at a checkpoint but allowed through. [17] Five Catholic civilians were shot; passenger Joseph Toland was killed outright and driver James Marks died of his wounds in January 1976. The Miami Showband minibus with five members in all was stopped at a bogus army checkpoint in Northern Ireland and three were killed and two, including Travers, badly injured in July 1975. Miljoenen beelden, videos en muzikale opties van hoge kwaliteit wachten op u. Maak gebruik van de wereldwijde schaalgrootte, data-gedreven inzichten en het netwerk van meer dan 340.000 makers van Getty Images om voor uw merk exclusieve content te creren. [19] In early 1973, Billy MacDonald (a.k.a. He relayed all his instructions to the gunman in command. Over the following month, there were two similar attacks in the area. [5] Their fears were slightly grounded in fact, as the MI6 officer Michael Oatley was involved in negotiations with a member of the IRA Army Council, during which "structures of disengagement" from Ireland were discussed. UVF serial killer John Somerville told how detectives repeatedly tried to persuade him to become Special Branch tout and avoid jail, No remorse: Miami Showband killer John Somerville. Miami showband massacre Stock Photos and Images (9) See miami showband massacre stock video clips RF TTNAG4 - A plaque in Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland to those who died in what became known as the Miami Showband Massacre in 1975 at Buskhill, Newry. The Gruesome Death Scene Launch Gallery. [68] McDowell had pleaded guilty. While the Miami is synonymous, for many, with the atrocity, the musical tells the whole story of the band, Lynch says, from when it re-formed in 1967, and Fran O'Toole and Des Lee first joined . Somerville would never have gone to prison if he'd agreed to work for the RUC. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. UVF serial killer John Somerville shot Miami Showband singer Fran O'Toole 22 times in the face. Crozier had pleaded not guilty. [99], The findings noted in the report confirmed Mid-Ulster UVF leader Robin Jackson's involvement and identified him as an RUC Special Branch agent. At the precise moment of the explosion, the patrol came under intense automatic fire from the occupants of the other vehicle. [70] Crozier, McDowell, and Somerville were released after 1998 under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. But along with his friend Jackson, he helped build the UVF in mid-Ulster. Those responsible for the attack belonged to the Glenanne gang, a secret alliance of loyalist militants, Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police officers and UDR soldiers. (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection) (Photo by Independent News and Media/Getty Images), 3928x2594px (33,26 x 21,96 cm) - 300 dpi - 5 MB. Stroomlijn uw workflow met ons toonaangevende beheersysteem voor digitale bestanden. It allows for commemoration and leaving of flowers at the location itself. His cell was kept immaculately clean and visitors were required to remove their shoes before entering. [25] As McCoy rolled down the window and produced his driving licence, gunmen came up to the minibus and one of them said in a Northern Irish accent, "Goodnight, fellas. Two serving UDR soldiers and one former UDR soldier were found guilty of the murders and received life sentences; they were released in 1998. Somerville was sent to jail for 35 years and, despite being firmly opposed to the Good Friday Agreement, he was released under its terms after spending just 18 years behind bars. [19], In 1994, Eric Smyth, a former UDR member and the husband of Brian McCoy's sister, Sheila, was killed by the IRA. [29] Travers also stepped up to the gunmen and told them to be careful with his guitar. Aged 70, he died of cancer of the kidney. Ashford had been asked to leave the band in 1973, for complaining that performing in Northern Ireland put their lives at risk. What little that remained intact of their bodies was burnt beyond recognition; one of the limbless torsos was completely charred.[20]. [88], Travers travelled to Belfast in 2006 for a secret meeting with the second-in-command of the UVF's Brigade Staff, in an attempt to come to terms with the killing of his former colleagues and friends. [4] The UVF had cut all ties with Somerville after he had opposed the 1994 ceasefire. [43], Ballistic evidence indicates that the 10-member gang took at least six guns with them on the attack. According to Kerr, on 31 July 1975 at 4 am Nairac had started out on a road journey from London to Scotland for a fishing holiday. [37] They had hoped to embarrass the Government of Ireland, as well as to draw attention to its level of control of the border.

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