John McMichael
Encyclopedia
John "Big John" McMichael (9 January 1948 – 22 December 1987) was a leading Northern Irish
loyalist
who rose to become the most prominent figure within the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) as the Deputy Commander and leader of its South Belfast Brigade. He was also commander of the organisation's cover name, the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF). The UDA used this name when it wished to claim responsibility for attacks, thus allowing it to remain a legal paramilitary organisation until August 1992 when it was proscribed by the British Government.
McMichael held political office as leader of the Ulster Democratic Party
(UDP) from 1981 until his death. He was killed by a booby-trap car bomb
which was carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
. There were allegations that members within the UDA had colluded with the IRA in his death by passing on vital information about him.
, County Antrim
on 9 January 1948, one of the children of John and Annie McMichael. He came from a working-class background, and was brought up in the Protestant religion. He had married twice and was the father of two sons, Gary
and Saul.
McMichael, who owned and operated the "Admiral Benbow" pub in his native Lisburn, initially rose to prominence in the UDA in the 1970s as the commander of the South Belfast Brigade and a member of its Inner Council, where he became known for his belief in the unique identity of Ulster
Protestants
, as well as his talent as an organiser. In 1977 he helped establish a political think tank
called the New Ulster Political Research Group, and served as its chairman. He also assisted in the composition of a document entitled Beyond the Religious Divide which promoted independence for Northern Ireland along with a constitutional Bill of Rights—acceptable to both nationalists and unionists—as the "only hope of achieving a united Northern Ireland". This was the first step on the UDA's road to political development.
By 1979 he had emerged as the leading figure within the UDA and, according to the Belfast Telegraph, drew up a ‘shopping list’ of targets (mostly members of Sinn Féin
and other republican
groups) that he felt the UDA should eliminate. McMichael hand-picked his own squad for this task and throughout 1980 a number of the targets were assassinated. However the attacks came to an end in 1981, following an ambush by the Parachute Regiment after a failed attempt by the UFF on the lives of Bernadette McAliskey and her husband, Michael, during which the entire gang (including Ray Smallwoods
) were captured and later imprisoned. McAliskey, who was shot seven times in front of her children at her home in Coalisland
, County Tyrone
on 16 January 1981 survived the attack, as did her husband who was also wounded. McMichael himself was arrested in April 1981 in the wake of an RUC
raid on UDA headquarters. He was brought before the court as it was alleged he and his men had organised the McAliskey shootings. Raymond Murray in his book SAS in Ireland claimed that McAliskey's shooting was planned in a room above McMichael's "Admiral Benbow" pub.
regarding the Armalite and ballot box strategy
and felt that the UDA should also build up a political wing to this end. As a result, following the murder of Robert Bradford
, he stood as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party candidate in the by-election
for Bradford's South Belfast
seat and ran the most high profile ULDP campaign ever seen, calling for a long term strategy of negotiated independence for Northern Ireland
. Despite fears from mainstream unionists that McMichael might split their vote, he ultimately only captured 576 votes. After the failure of his political strategy, McMichael returned to his work with the UDA and, after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement
, he co-wrote another document Common Sense: Northern Ireland - An Agreed Process, which outlined plans for a future political settlement in Northern Ireland. The paper was viewed positively by some politicians including SDLP
leader John Hume
and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
, Tom King
. At this time, he and the UDA's Supreme Commander Andy Tyrie
set up an elite group of men carefully selected from within the UDA; this unit, called the 'Ulster Defence Force' (UDF), was formed to make the organisation capable of meeting any "Doomsday" situation (such as a civil war) that might occur as a result of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. The group's motto was Sans Peur, and the men received training by former British soldiers. McMichael was also allegedly put in charge of a UDA/UFF bombing campaign that was to be waged against the Republic of Ireland
. Ultimately the proposed campaign was unsuccessful. The four incendiary bombs planted in the city centre of Dublin in November 1986 failed to inflict much damage. McMichael himself put the failure down to the lack of bombing expertise in the UDA.
McMichael sat on the Ulster Clubs
executive and its security committee. In June 1985, he instructed UDA Intelligence chief Brian Nelson
to travel to South Africa
to investigate the possiblity of obtaining weapons by proposing an exchange of arms. Nelson, who was a British military intelligence agent recruited by the Force Research Unit
, made the journey. When he returned from the trip he reported his findings to McMichael, who had previously received reports regarding Nelson's unsatisfactory conduct in South Africa.
Four years earlier, McMichael had hoped to draw Catholic support for Beyond the Religious Divide, having made the following statement
Paul Arthur, professor of politics at the University of Ulster
, called him an "astute thinker". British journalist Peter Taylor
, who met McMichael, described him as having been "articulate and tough", and his son by his first marriage, Gary, said of his father
concert in Belfast's Ulster Hall
at the time the bomb detonated. During the performance, a note was passed to the band's lead singer, Jake Burns, who then made an announcement that Gary McMichael was to phone his home. McMichael had initially planned to take his two year-old son Saul with him to deliver the turkeys, but had changed his mind at the last minute. McMichael's wife and son were inside the house at the time of the explosion.
McMichael's funeral was attended by 5,000 people; among the mourners were many unionist politicians including Rev. Ian Paisley
. Representatives from the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party
(SDLP) were also in attendance. A large number of UDA members marched in the procession behind the coffin which was preceded by the RUC and a bagpiper. The UDA's commander Andy Tyrie was one of the pallbearers. At the burial service, Rev. Canon R. H. Lowry described McMichael as having been "a man of great intelligence and ability, and a man of great kindness and one who had been working towards peace". McMichael was buried at the New Blaris Cemetery in Lisburn.
, and carried out by a unit led by Sean Savage
, who was to be killed by the SAS
in Gibraltar
three months later in what was termed Operation Flavius
. At the time, however, the Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) hinted that some within the UDA may have had knowledge that the assassination was about to happen. Eventually the UDA admitted this themselves when they backed the killing of racketeer and UDA fund-raiser James Pratt Craig
by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) in 1988, claiming that he had been involved in planning the murder of McMichael. According to author Martin Dillon
, McMichael had begun an inquiry into Craig's racketeering business, and Craig, fearing McMichael would put a stop to his lucrative protection operation, passed on information to the IRA which led to his assassination. Prior to his death, McMichael had his own personal bodyguard and changed his car every two weeks. McMichael had been warned that the IRA had already made an attempt to kill him just one week before his assassination. McMichael's son, Gary is firmly convinced that Craig was involved in his father's killing.
Another suspect was West Belfast
brigadier Tommy Lyttle
, who it was alleged helped set him up under orders by the security forces after it was rumoured McMichael was planning to carry out a bombing campaign against the Irish Republic. Later, it emerged that Lyttle was an RUC Special Branch
informer. Lyttle in his turn placed the blame on Craig.
Andy Tyrie was not convinced of Craig's complicity in McMichael's killing; he instead put the blame on John Hanna, a prison officer in the Maze Prison, who obtained information about McMichael when the latter visited loyalist inmates and then supplied the IRA with the gathered information through a well-known Catholic actress with whom Hanna (a Protestant) was infatuated. The actress was an Intelligence Officer of the IRA. According to Tyrie, the actress was introduced to McMichael in the "Admiral Benbow"; McMichael was warned he was "being watched". Tyrie himself narrowly escaped an attempt on his life by a car bomb in March 1988. Shortly after the failed attack, Tyrie tendered his resignation as UDA commander.
In an interview with Peter Taylor, Tyrie explained the IRA's possible motive for assassinating McMichael:
Tyrie also said on another occasion, that McMichael, prior to being interviewed, would practice his replies to likely questions in front of a mirror.
His widow, Shirley McMichael (née McDowell) is a member of the Forum For Victims and Survivors, a group established to bring healing to those who were themselves victims or lost loved ones in The Troubles
.
The John McMichael Centre, a community centre in Belfast's Sandy Row
area, is named in honour of McMichael. Its principal organiser is the UDA's incumbent leader Jackie McDonald
, who assumed command of McMichael's South Belfast Brigade after his death. For a period, McDonald had acted as one of McMichael's bodyguards.
People of Northern Ireland
Northern Irish people or people of Northern Ireland are "all persons born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of...
loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
who rose to become the most prominent figure within the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
(UDA) as the Deputy Commander and leader of its South Belfast Brigade. He was also commander of the organisation's cover name, the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF). The UDA used this name when it wished to claim responsibility for attacks, thus allowing it to remain a legal paramilitary organisation until August 1992 when it was proscribed by the British Government.
McMichael held political office as leader of the Ulster Democratic Party
Ulster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
(UDP) from 1981 until his death. He was killed by a booby-trap car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
which was carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
. There were allegations that members within the UDA had colluded with the IRA in his death by passing on vital information about him.
Ulster Defence Association
John McMichael was born in LisburnLisburn
DemographicsLisburn Urban Area is within Belfast Metropolitan Urban Area and is classified as a Large Town by the . On census day there were 71,465 people living in Lisburn...
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
on 9 January 1948, one of the children of John and Annie McMichael. He came from a working-class background, and was brought up in the Protestant religion. He had married twice and was the father of two sons, Gary
Gary McMichael
Gary McMichael is the son of former Ulster Defence Association leader John McMichael and was the leader of the now defunct Ulster Democratic Party during the peace process....
and Saul.
McMichael, who owned and operated the "Admiral Benbow" pub in his native Lisburn, initially rose to prominence in the UDA in the 1970s as the commander of the South Belfast Brigade and a member of its Inner Council, where he became known for his belief in the unique identity of Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
Protestants
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, as well as his talent as an organiser. In 1977 he helped establish a political think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
called the New Ulster Political Research Group, and served as its chairman. He also assisted in the composition of a document entitled Beyond the Religious Divide which promoted independence for Northern Ireland along with a constitutional Bill of Rights—acceptable to both nationalists and unionists—as the "only hope of achieving a united Northern Ireland". This was the first step on the UDA's road to political development.
By 1979 he had emerged as the leading figure within the UDA and, according to the Belfast Telegraph, drew up a ‘shopping list’ of targets (mostly members of Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
and other republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
groups) that he felt the UDA should eliminate. McMichael hand-picked his own squad for this task and throughout 1980 a number of the targets were assassinated. However the attacks came to an end in 1981, following an ambush by the Parachute Regiment after a failed attempt by the UFF on the lives of Bernadette McAliskey and her husband, Michael, during which the entire gang (including Ray Smallwoods
Ray Smallwoods
Raymond "Ray" Smallwoods was a Northern Ireland politician and sometime leader of the Ulster Democratic Party. A leading member of John McMichael's south Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association , Smallwoods later served as a leading adviser to the UDA's Inner Council...
) were captured and later imprisoned. McAliskey, who was shot seven times in front of her children at her home in Coalisland
Coalisland
Coalisland is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 4,917 people . As its name suggests, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.-History:...
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
on 16 January 1981 survived the attack, as did her husband who was also wounded. McMichael himself was arrested in April 1981 in the wake of an RUC
RUC
RUC may refer to: or Coimbra University Radio, a Portuguese university station* Rapid Update Cycle, an atmospheric prediction system* Renmin University of China* Roskilde University or Roskilde Universitetscenter...
raid on UDA headquarters. He was brought before the court as it was alleged he and his men had organised the McAliskey shootings. Raymond Murray in his book SAS in Ireland claimed that McAliskey's shooting was planned in a room above McMichael's "Admiral Benbow" pub.
Electoral politics
McMichael came to support the ideas of republican Danny MorrisonDanny Morrison (republican)
Daniel Gerard Morrison , known generally as Danny Morrison is an Irish republican writer and activist...
regarding the Armalite and ballot box strategy
Armalite and ballot box strategy
The Armalite and ballot box strategy was a strategy pursued by the Irish republican movement in the 1980s and early 1990s in which elections in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were contested by Sinn Féin, while the IRA continued to pursue an armed struggle against the British Army, the...
and felt that the UDA should also build up a political wing to this end. As a result, following the murder of Robert Bradford
Robert Bradford (NI politician)
Robert Jonathan Bradford MP was a Vanguard Unionist and Ulster Unionist Member of Parliament for the Belfast South constituency in Northern Ireland until he was killed by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on 14 November 1981....
, he stood as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party candidate in the by-election
Belfast South by-election, 1982
The Belfast South by-election was held on 4 March 1982 following the death of Robert Bradford, Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Belfast South....
for Bradford's South Belfast
Belfast South (UK Parliament constituency)
Belfast South is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons.-Boundaries:The seat was created in 1922 when, as part of the establishment of the devolved Stormont Parliament for Northern Ireland, the number of MPs in the Westminster Parliament was drastically cut...
seat and ran the most high profile ULDP campaign ever seen, calling for a long term strategy of negotiated independence for Northern Ireland
Ulster nationalism
Ulster nationalism is the name given to a school of thought in Northern Irish politics that seeks the independence of Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom without becoming part of the Republic of Ireland, thereby becoming an independent sovereign state separate from England, Scotland and Wales...
. Despite fears from mainstream unionists that McMichael might split their vote, he ultimately only captured 576 votes. After the failure of his political strategy, McMichael returned to his work with the UDA and, after the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement
Anglo-Irish Agreement
The Anglo-Irish Agreement was an agreement between the United Kingdom and Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland...
, he co-wrote another document Common Sense: Northern Ireland - An Agreed Process, which outlined plans for a future political settlement in Northern Ireland. The paper was viewed positively by some politicians including SDLP
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
leader John Hume
John Hume
John Hume is a former Irish politician from Derry, Northern Ireland. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and was co-recipient of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, with David Trimble....
and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, informally the Northern Ireland Secretary, is the principal secretary of state in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State is a Minister of the Crown who is accountable to the Parliament of...
, Tom King
Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater
Thomas Jeremy King, Baron King of Bridgwater, CH, PC , is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1983–92, and was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Bridgwater in Somerset from 1970-2001...
. At this time, he and the UDA's Supreme Commander Andy Tyrie
Andy Tyrie
Andrew "Andy" Tyrie is an Ulster loyalist and served as commander of the Ulster Defence Association during much of its early history...
set up an elite group of men carefully selected from within the UDA; this unit, called the 'Ulster Defence Force' (UDF), was formed to make the organisation capable of meeting any "Doomsday" situation (such as a civil war) that might occur as a result of the Anglo-Irish Agreement. The group's motto was Sans Peur, and the men received training by former British soldiers. McMichael was also allegedly put in charge of a UDA/UFF bombing campaign that was to be waged against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Ultimately the proposed campaign was unsuccessful. The four incendiary bombs planted in the city centre of Dublin in November 1986 failed to inflict much damage. McMichael himself put the failure down to the lack of bombing expertise in the UDA.
McMichael sat on the Ulster Clubs
Ulster Clubs
The Ulster Clubs was the name given to a network of unionist organisations founded in Northern Ireland in November 1985. Emerging from an earlier group based in Portadown the Ulster Clubs briefly mobilised wide support across Northern Ireland and sought to co-ordinate opposition to the development...
executive and its security committee. In June 1985, he instructed UDA Intelligence chief Brian Nelson
Brian Nelson
Brian Nelson may refer to:*Brian Nelson , American screenwriter and producer*Brian Nelson , British intelligence agent operating as the intelligence chief of the loyalist Ulster Defence Association paramilitary organization...
to travel to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
to investigate the possiblity of obtaining weapons by proposing an exchange of arms. Nelson, who was a British military intelligence agent recruited by the Force Research Unit
Force Research Unit
Force Research Unit is alleged to be a name used by a covert military intelligence unit established by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army based at Templer Barracks, Ashford in Kent. The FRU is alleged to have been formed between 1980 and 1981...
, made the journey. When he returned from the trip he reported his findings to McMichael, who had previously received reports regarding Nelson's unsatisfactory conduct in South Africa.
Four years earlier, McMichael had hoped to draw Catholic support for Beyond the Religious Divide, having made the following statement
"We'll just continue what we've been doing during the past year. It will become more and more obvious that the UDA is taking a very steady line, that we're not willing to fall into line behind sectarian politicians. It will take time. What people forget is that we also have to sell the idea to Protestants".
Paul Arthur, professor of politics at the University of Ulster
University of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
, called him an "astute thinker". British journalist Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor (Journalist)
Peter Taylor born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire is a British journalist and documentary-maker who had covered for many years the political and armed conflict in Northern Ireland, widely known as the Troubles...
, who met McMichael, described him as having been "articulate and tough", and his son by his first marriage, Gary, said of his father
"I think it was recognised that my father was no angel. He was a leader in a paramilitary organisation. Perhaps he'd been there and done that and bought the T-shirt. He was a well-respected person within the loyalist community and his credentials were extremely strong. People saw my father as someone who said that loyalism was at war with militant republicanism and he was unashamed about that. At that same time, he was also making a contribution to trying to push not just loyalism but everyone beyond conflict".
Killing
McMichael was killed by a bomb attached to his car outside his Hilden Court home, in Lisburn's loyalist Hilden estate on 22 December 1987 shortly before his fortieth birthday. He was allegedly on his way to deliver Christmas turkeys to the families of loyalist prisoners. At 8.20 p.m. after he had turned on the ignition of his car and the vehicle slowly reversed down the driveway, the movement-sensitive switch in the detonating mechanism of the five pound booby-trap bomb attached to its underside was activated, and the device exploded. McMichael lost both legs in the blast and suffered grave internal injuries. On account of his physical strength, he managed to hold onto life for two hours and muttered a few words about his wife and children before he died. His 18 year-old son, Gary had been attending a Stiff Little FingersStiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
concert in Belfast's Ulster Hall
Ulster Hall
The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade B1 listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences...
at the time the bomb detonated. During the performance, a note was passed to the band's lead singer, Jake Burns, who then made an announcement that Gary McMichael was to phone his home. McMichael had initially planned to take his two year-old son Saul with him to deliver the turkeys, but had changed his mind at the last minute. McMichael's wife and son were inside the house at the time of the explosion.
McMichael's funeral was attended by 5,000 people; among the mourners were many unionist politicians including Rev. Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
. Representatives from the moderate Social Democratic and Labour Party
Social Democratic and Labour Party
The Social Democratic and Labour Party is a social-democratic, Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. Its basic party platform advocates Irish reunification, and the further devolution of powers while Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom...
(SDLP) were also in attendance. A large number of UDA members marched in the procession behind the coffin which was preceded by the RUC and a bagpiper. The UDA's commander Andy Tyrie was one of the pallbearers. At the burial service, Rev. Canon R. H. Lowry described McMichael as having been "a man of great intelligence and ability, and a man of great kindness and one who had been working towards peace". McMichael was buried at the New Blaris Cemetery in Lisburn.
Allegations
The attack was claimed by the Provisional IRAProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
, and carried out by a unit led by Sean Savage
Seán Savage
Seán Savage was a volunteer of the Provisional IRA who was shot and killed by British Army Special Air Service soldiers in Operation Flavius.-Early life:...
, who was to be killed by the SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
three months later in what was termed Operation Flavius
Operation Flavius
Operation Flavius was the name given to an operation by a Special Air Service team in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988 tasked to prevent a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb attack...
. At the time, however, the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) hinted that some within the UDA may have had knowledge that the assassination was about to happen. Eventually the UDA admitted this themselves when they backed the killing of racketeer and UDA fund-raiser James Pratt Craig
James Craig (loyalist)
James Pratt "Jim" Craig was a Northern Irish loyalist, who served as a fund-raiser for the Ulster Defence Association and sat on its Inner Council. He also ran a large protection racket from west Belfast's Shankill Road area, where he lived...
by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) in 1988, claiming that he had been involved in planning the murder of McMichael. According to author Martin Dillon
Martin Dillon
Martin Dillon is an author and journalist from Northern Ireland. He worked for eighteen years at the BBC and has written a number of plays and novels, but he is best known for his non-fiction books about the Troubles....
, McMichael had begun an inquiry into Craig's racketeering business, and Craig, fearing McMichael would put a stop to his lucrative protection operation, passed on information to the IRA which led to his assassination. Prior to his death, McMichael had his own personal bodyguard and changed his car every two weeks. McMichael had been warned that the IRA had already made an attempt to kill him just one week before his assassination. McMichael's son, Gary is firmly convinced that Craig was involved in his father's killing.
Another suspect was West Belfast
UDA West Belfast Brigade
The UDA West Belfast Brigade is the section of the Northern Irish loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association based in the western quarter of Belfast in the Greater Shankill area...
brigadier Tommy Lyttle
Tommy Lyttle
Tommy "Tucker" Lyttle , was a high-ranking Northern Irish loyalist who was a member of the Ulster Defence Association . He served as the UDA's spokesman as well as the leader of the organisation's West Belfast Brigade from 1975 until his arrest and imprisonment in 1990...
, who it was alleged helped set him up under orders by the security forces after it was rumoured McMichael was planning to carry out a bombing campaign against the Irish Republic. Later, it emerged that Lyttle was an RUC Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
informer. Lyttle in his turn placed the blame on Craig.
Andy Tyrie was not convinced of Craig's complicity in McMichael's killing; he instead put the blame on John Hanna, a prison officer in the Maze Prison, who obtained information about McMichael when the latter visited loyalist inmates and then supplied the IRA with the gathered information through a well-known Catholic actress with whom Hanna (a Protestant) was infatuated. The actress was an Intelligence Officer of the IRA. According to Tyrie, the actress was introduced to McMichael in the "Admiral Benbow"; McMichael was warned he was "being watched". Tyrie himself narrowly escaped an attempt on his life by a car bomb in March 1988. Shortly after the failed attack, Tyrie tendered his resignation as UDA commander.
In an interview with Peter Taylor, Tyrie explained the IRA's possible motive for assassinating McMichael:
"John was killed because he was the best person we had and the Republican Movement didn't like him. I didn't have anybody as astute in politics as he was. They also didn't like him because he was being listened to and they knew the loss we would incur with John being killed."
Tyrie also said on another occasion, that McMichael, prior to being interviewed, would practice his replies to likely questions in front of a mirror.
Legacy
McMichael's eldest son, Gary McMichael followed in his father's footsteps of trying to build up the Ulster Democratic Party as a strong political wing for the UDA, but following the collapse of the party he dropped out of politics.His widow, Shirley McMichael (née McDowell) is a member of the Forum For Victims and Survivors, a group established to bring healing to those who were themselves victims or lost loved ones in The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
.
The John McMichael Centre, a community centre in Belfast's Sandy Row
Sandy Row
Sandy Row is a Protestant working-class community in south Belfast, Northern Ireland. It has a population of about 3,000. It is a staunchly loyalist area of Belfast, being a traditional heartland for affiliation with the paramilitary Ulster Defence Association and the Orange Order.-Location:Sandy...
area, is named in honour of McMichael. Its principal organiser is the UDA's incumbent leader Jackie McDonald
Jackie McDonald
John "Jackie" McDonald is a senior Northern Irish loyalist and the incumbent Ulster Defence Association brigadier for South Belfast, having been promoted to the rank by former UDA commander Andy Tyrie in 1988, following John McMichael's killing by the Provisional IRA in December 1987...
, who assumed command of McMichael's South Belfast Brigade after his death. For a period, McDonald had acted as one of McMichael's bodyguards.