Loughgall Ambush
Encyclopedia
The Loughgall ambush took place on 8 May 1987 in the village of Loughgall
, Northern Ireland
. An eight-man Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) group launched an attack on the village's Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) station, but was ambushed by a British Army
Special Air Service
(SAS) unit of twenty-five. The SAS shot dead eight IRA members and a civilian. This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during The Troubles
.
carried out attacks in eastern County Tyrone
, though it had also conducted attacks in neighbouring County Armagh
. Since 1985 it had been led by Patrick Joseph Kelly
. The group had carried out two major attacks on RUC stations in eastern Tyrone, described by author Mark Urban as "spectaculars". The first was the attack on the RUC barracks in Ballygawly
, on 7 December 1985 and the second was an attack on the RUC station in Birches, near Portadown
, on 11 August 1986. Both of these attacks involved raking the bases with gunfire, breaching the reinforced fences and detonating a bomb inside. In both attacks, the bases were wrecked and most or all of those inside were killed. It was therefore with some confidence that the IRA tried the same tactics on the unmanned Loughgall station.
The SAS, however, had set a trap to destroy the group as they attempted to attack. They placed an SAS soldier inside the base, and deployed a squad of 24 soldiers split into six groups around the building. It has been alleged, but never proved, that the RUC had an informer among the IRA members, and that he was killed by the SAS in the ambush. Other sources claim instead that the security forces obtained beforehand information after a close surveillance operation directed at Jim Lynagh.
carrying 200 lb (90 kg) of semtex plastic explosive within an oil drum, wired to two forty second fuzes, in its front bucket through the perimeter fence of the RUC station. The owner of the JCB, a farmer called Peter Mackle, was held hostage in his home at gunpoint along with his family to prevent them informing the security forces. A van, a dark blue Toyota Hiace
, also stolen and carrying the rest of the IRA members pulled up where they then jumped out and opened fire on the station while Tony Gormley lit both of the bomb fuzes with a zippo
lighter. However, within seconds, the SAS unit opened fire with M16
and H&K G3
rifle
s and L7A2
general purpose machine gun
s. The bomb detonated destroying the JCB along with a substantial part of the building, injuring three members of the security forces.
The SAS riddled the JCB and the Toyota with bullets, firing approximately 600 rounds; whilst the IRA members fired about 70 rounds but did not hit any of their targets. All eight IRA members were killed, having sustained head wounds. Even though the eight men were wearing bullet resistant vests at the time, they were not sufficient to stop the SAS rifle and machine gun rounds. It has been alleged that three of the eight IRA men were shot while lying down after surrendering. According to author Raymond Murray, citing Jim Cussack's article in The Irish Times
of 5 June 1987, another six members driving three scout cars in a supporting role made good their escape.
The SAS also fired upon the car of Anthony Hughes, who was traveling back from work with his brother Oliver Hughes and had driven into the ambush zone by mistake. He was killed while his brother was wounded. Both were wearing blue boilersuits similar to those worn by the IRA members and were mistaken to be IRA members themselves. The SAS fired around 40 rounds at the car as the two men tried to reverse out of the gunfire. Hughes' widow later received compensation from the British Government for the death of her husband.
The security forces recovered one firearm from each dead IRA member at the scene, coming to a total of three H&K G3 rifles, one FN FAL
rifle, two FN FNC
rifles, a Ruger security six
revolver
and a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun
. The RUC linked the guns to seven murders and twelve attempted murders in the mid Ulster area. The Ruger security six had been stolen from Reserve RUC officer William Clement, killed two years earlier in the attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks that was carried out by the same IRA men. It was determined another of the firearms had been used in the killing of Harold Henry, a key contractor to the British Army and the RUC in Northern Ireland.
The IRA men became known as the "Loughgall Martyrs" among republicans
. The men's relatives considered their killings to be part of a deliberate shoot-to-kill policy
by the security forces.
Thousands of people attended the funerals of the dead IRA men, the biggest republican funerals in Northern Ireland since those of the IRA hunger strikers of 1981. Gerry Adams
, in his graveside oration, gave a speech stating the British Government understood that it could buy-off the government of the Republic of Ireland
, which he described as the "shoneen clan" (pro-British), but added "it does not understand the Jim Lynaghs, the Pádraig McKearneys or the Séamus McElwaine
s. It thinks it can defeat them. It never will."
Shortly after the ambush the Provisional IRA released a statement saying: "volunteers who shot their way out of the ambush and escaped saw other volunteers being shot on the ground after being captured".
In 2001 the European Court of Human Rights
ruled that ten IRA members, including the eight killed at Loughgall, had their human rights violated by the failure of the British government to conduct a large enough investigation into the circumstances of their deaths. The court did not make any finding that these deaths amounted to unlawful killing.
Loughgall RUC station, tranferred to the PSNI in 2001, was shut in August 2009 and eventually sold for private development in April 2011.
' 1988 song "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six
". "Loughgall Ambush" is also the name of a republican ballad specifically about this attack as recorded by Charlie and The Bhoys
amongst others.
Loughgall
Loughgall is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 285 people.Loughgall was named after a small nearby loch. The village is at the heart of the apple-growing industry and is surrounded by orchards. Along the village's main street...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. An eight-man 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...
(IRA) group launched an attack on the village's 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) station, but was ambushed by a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Special Air Service
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...
(SAS) unit of twenty-five. The SAS shot dead eight IRA members and a civilian. This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during 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...
.
Background
The IRA's East Tyrone BrigadeProvisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade
The East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army , also known as the Tyrone/Monaghan Brigade was one of the most active republican paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles"...
carried out attacks in eastern 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...
, though it had also conducted attacks in neighbouring County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. Since 1985 it had been led by Patrick Joseph Kelly
Patrick Joseph Kelly
Patrick Joseph Kelly born Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was the head of the Tyrone Brigade and the Commander of the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army during the mid 1980s until his death in a Special Air Service ambush at Loughgall, County Armagh in May...
. The group had carried out two major attacks on RUC stations in eastern Tyrone, described by author Mark Urban as "spectaculars". The first was the attack on the RUC barracks in Ballygawly
Attack on Ballygawley barracks
The attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks was an attack carried out on 7 December 1985 by a Provisional Irish Republican Army group against a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks at Ballygawley, County Tyrone...
, on 7 December 1985 and the second was an attack on the RUC station in Birches, near Portadown
Portadown
Portadown is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about 23 miles south-west of Belfast...
, on 11 August 1986. Both of these attacks involved raking the bases with gunfire, breaching the reinforced fences and detonating a bomb inside. In both attacks, the bases were wrecked and most or all of those inside were killed. It was therefore with some confidence that the IRA tried the same tactics on the unmanned Loughgall station.
The SAS, however, had set a trap to destroy the group as they attempted to attack. They placed an SAS soldier inside the base, and deployed a squad of 24 soldiers split into six groups around the building. It has been alleged, but never proved, that the RUC had an informer among the IRA members, and that he was killed by the SAS in the ambush. Other sources claim instead that the security forces obtained beforehand information after a close surveillance operation directed at Jim Lynagh.
Ambush
Just after 7:00 pm on 8 May 1987, IRA member Declan Arthurs drove a stolen JCB excavatorBackhoe loader
A backhoe loader, also called a loader backhoe, digger, or colloquially shortened to backhoe, is a heavy equipment vehicle that consists of a tractor fitted with a shovel/bucket on the front and a small backhoe on the back...
carrying 200 lb (90 kg) of semtex plastic explosive within an oil drum, wired to two forty second fuzes, in its front bucket through the perimeter fence of the RUC station. The owner of the JCB, a farmer called Peter Mackle, was held hostage in his home at gunpoint along with his family to prevent them informing the security forces. A van, a dark blue Toyota Hiace
Toyota Hiace
The Toyota HiAce is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, and ambulance....
, also stolen and carrying the rest of the IRA members pulled up where they then jumped out and opened fire on the station while Tony Gormley lit both of the bomb fuzes with a zippo
Zippo
A Zippo lighter is a refillable, metal lighter manufactured by Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania, U.S. Thousands of different styles and designs have been made in the seven decades since their introduction including military ones for specific regiments.-Establishment:George G...
lighter. However, within seconds, the SAS unit opened fire with M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
and H&K G3
Heckler & Koch G3
The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and L7A2
FN MAG
The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
general purpose machine gun
General purpose machine gun
A general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...
s. The bomb detonated destroying the JCB along with a substantial part of the building, injuring three members of the security forces.
The SAS riddled the JCB and the Toyota with bullets, firing approximately 600 rounds; whilst the IRA members fired about 70 rounds but did not hit any of their targets. All eight IRA members were killed, having sustained head wounds. Even though the eight men were wearing bullet resistant vests at the time, they were not sufficient to stop the SAS rifle and machine gun rounds. It has been alleged that three of the eight IRA men were shot while lying down after surrendering. According to author Raymond Murray, citing Jim Cussack's article in The Irish Times
The Irish Times
The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Kevin O'Sullivan who succeeded Geraldine Kennedy in 2011; the deputy editor is Paul O'Neill. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays...
of 5 June 1987, another six members driving three scout cars in a supporting role made good their escape.
The SAS also fired upon the car of Anthony Hughes, who was traveling back from work with his brother Oliver Hughes and had driven into the ambush zone by mistake. He was killed while his brother was wounded. Both were wearing blue boilersuits similar to those worn by the IRA members and were mistaken to be IRA members themselves. The SAS fired around 40 rounds at the car as the two men tried to reverse out of the gunfire. Hughes' widow later received compensation from the British Government for the death of her husband.
The security forces recovered one firearm from each dead IRA member at the scene, coming to a total of three H&K G3 rifles, one FN FAL
FN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
rifle, two FN FNC
FN FNC
The FNC is a 5.56mm assault rifle developed by the Belgian arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale of Herstal and introduced in the late 1970s.-Development:...
rifles, a Ruger security six
Ruger Security Six
The Ruger Security Six and its variants, the Service Six and Speed Six are a product line of double action revolvers introduced in 1971 and manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Company...
revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
and a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
. The RUC linked the guns to seven murders and twelve attempted murders in the mid Ulster area. The Ruger security six had been stolen from Reserve RUC officer William Clement, killed two years earlier in the attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks that was carried out by the same IRA men. It was determined another of the firearms had been used in the killing of Harold Henry, a key contractor to the British Army and the RUC in Northern Ireland.
Aftermath
The East Tyrone Brigade continued to be active until the last IRA ceasefire ten years later. SAS operations against the IRA also continued. The IRA searched to find the informer it believed to be among them, although it has been suggested that the informer, if there ever was one, was killed in the ambush.The IRA men became known as the "Loughgall Martyrs" among republicans
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...
. The men's relatives considered their killings to be part of a deliberate shoot-to-kill policy
Shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland
During the period known as "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland, the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary were accused of operating a shoot-to-kill policy, under which suspects were alleged to have been deliberately killed without any attempt to arrest them...
by the security forces.
Thousands of people attended the funerals of the dead IRA men, the biggest republican funerals in Northern Ireland since those of the IRA hunger strikers of 1981. Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
, in his graveside oration, gave a speech stating the British Government understood that it could buy-off the government of 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,...
, which he described as the "shoneen clan" (pro-British), but added "it does not understand the Jim Lynaghs, the Pádraig McKearneys or the Séamus McElwaine
Séamus McElwaine
Séamus Turlough McElwaine was a volunteer in the South Fermanagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army killed by the Special Air Service in 1986...
s. It thinks it can defeat them. It never will."
Shortly after the ambush the Provisional IRA released a statement saying: "volunteers who shot their way out of the ambush and escaped saw other volunteers being shot on the ground after being captured".
In 2001 the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
ruled that ten IRA members, including the eight killed at Loughgall, had their human rights violated by the failure of the British government to conduct a large enough investigation into the circumstances of their deaths. The court did not make any finding that these deaths amounted to unlawful killing.
Loughgall RUC station, tranferred to the PSNI in 2001, was shut in August 2009 and eventually sold for private development in April 2011.
Songs
The ambush is alluded to in The PoguesThe Pogues
The Pogues are a Celtic punk band, formed in 1982 and fronted by Shane MacGowan. The band reached international prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. MacGowan left the band in 1991 due to drinking problems but the band continued first with Joe Strummer and then with Spider Stacy on vocals before...
' 1988 song "Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six
Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six
"Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six" is a political song by the Irish folk punk band The Pogues, written by Terry Woods and Shane MacGowan and included on the band's 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God....
". "Loughgall Ambush" is also the name of a republican ballad specifically about this attack as recorded by Charlie and The Bhoys
Charlie and The Bhoys
Charlie and the Bhoys are a Celtic/Irish band from Scotland and Ireland. The band played their first concert at the Squirrel Bar near the Gallowgate, Glasgow in 1989...
amongst others.
See also
- Timeline of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
- Attack on Ballygawley barracksAttack on Ballygawley barracksThe attack on Ballygawley RUC barracks was an attack carried out on 7 December 1985 by a Provisional Irish Republican Army group against a Royal Ulster Constabulary barracks at Ballygawley, County Tyrone...
- Ballygawley bus bombingBallygawley bus bombingThe Ballygawley bus bombing was an attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on a bus carrying British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland...
- Attack on Derryard checkpointAttack on Derryard checkpointThe attack on Derryard checkpoint was a raid carried out on 13 December 1989 by a Provisional Irish Republican Army unit against a British Army permanent vehicle checkpoint manned by soldiers of the King's Own Scottish Borderers . It occurred near the Northern Ireland–Republic of Ireland border at...
- Clonoe ambushClonoe ambushThe Clonoe ambush happened on 16 February 1992 in the village of Clonoe, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. A local Provisional Irish Republican Army unit was ambushed by the Special Air Service at a graveyard after launching a machine-gun attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary base in Coalisland...
- 1997 Coalisland attack1997 Coalisland attackOn the evening of 26 March 1997, the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade launched an improvised grenade attack on the fortified RUC/British Army base in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The blast sparked an immediate reaction by an SAS unit, who shot and wounded alleged IRA volunteer...