Martin McGartland
Encyclopedia
Martin McGartland is a former Provisional Irish Republican Army
informer who joined the organisation in order to pass information to British security forces. When he was exposed as an informer in 1991, he escaped from IRA custody and was resettled in England
. His identity became known after a minor court case. He was later shot by the IRA, but recovered from the injuries. He has written two books about his life.
. He also became involved in battles with other Catholic
youths against Protestant boys, this mostly involved throwing stones at each other.
He became involved in petty crime, which brought him to the notice of the RUC
. He agreed to provide information to them about the Provisional IRA, which he infiltrated and was given the code name, Agent Carol. He led a double life, kept secret even from the mother of his two children. From 1987 to 1991 he provided information to the Special Branch
.
McGartland's reported greatest regret was his failure in June 1991 to save the life of 21-year-old Private Tony Harrison, a soldier from London, who was shot at the home of his East Belfast fiancee where they were making wedding plans. McGartland was brought into the operation so late he had no time to advise his handlers although he had previously indicated the IRA's interest in the area. A taxi driver, Noel Thompson, who picked Harrison up at Belfast airport and informed the IRA was later jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to murder.
In 1991, McGartland provided information about an attack planned on a Bangor, County Down
, Northern Ireland
pub where English soldiers frequently drank after what was generally a football match between the prison wardens. The RUC intercepted the courier delivering the gun to be used and McGartland was exposed as an informer. He was abducted by the IRA but escaped execution by jumping from a third floor window and was rescued by passers-by before being hospitalised.
, Tyne & Wear, going by the name Martin Ashe. He failed in his attempt to receive compensation for his injuries.
In 1997, his identity was revealed publicly by the Northumbria Police
in court when he was caught breaking the speed limit and subsequently prosecuted for holding driving licences in different names, which he explained as a means of avoiding IRA detection. He was cleared of perverting the course of justice. In June 1997, the BBC broadcast a television documentary on his story.
whether the government intended to remove police protection from McGartland and was told by Lord Bassam of Brighton that "Individual protection arrangements are a matter for the chief constable of the police force concerned and are not discussed for security reasons."
The day after he was shot, the incident, along with the murders of Eamon Collins
, Brendan Fegan and Paul Downey, was cited by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble
in an interview with reporters in Belfast, to question whether the IRA ceasefire was being maintained. He reminded Mo Mowlam
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
, that this was a condition of the early release of paramilitaries under the Good Friday Agreement. A week later, it was mentioned in the Northern Ireland Grand Committee
as evidence that IRA arms decommissioning had not taken place, and in January 2000 by Robert McCartney
in the Northern Ireland Assembly
.
In 1999 McGartland published a book about his life, Fifty Dead Men Walking. The title indicates the number of lives he considers he saved through his activities. The following year he won his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers
, publishers of The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard and This is London web site, which had published an article alleging the shooting might be related to connections with local criminal gangs.
In 2003, IRA member Scott Monaghan sued Northumbria Police for £150,000 for alleged ill-treatment when he was arrested (but not charged) over McGartland's shooting. McGartland had frequently criticised the police for inadequate protection but offered to testify on their behalf, saying: "There are people who have been the victims of terrorist attacks, who've lost loved ones, and some of them haven't been compensated. It's a scandal. I am the victim of an attack and I got around £50,000 in compensation, which is not a big amount considering my injuries. I'm not complaining. At the end of the day I was grateful to be alive. The reason I will help Northumbria Police is that this is an injustice." Monaghan's main claims were for false imprisonment, assault and wrongful interference with goods. They were rejected by the High Court in January 2006. However, he was awarded £100 for a delay in returning items of property. As of September 2008, no one was ever charged with the shooting.
. When he asked Sinn Féin
president, Gerry Adams
, when he would be able to, he was informed that it was a matter between him and the IRA. McGartland has said that his relatives have received harassment from Republicans. In August 2006 Ian Paisley
told Peter Hain
, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
, "We have also heard how the sister of IRA informer Martin McGartland was told by police that his safety was under threat. This news broke immediately after the Secretary of State's comments that he believed the IRA had ended all of its illegal activity."
(the number of lives he is believed to have saved) inspired by his book went on general release in April 2009; the film was directed by Kari Skogland and stars Ben Kingsley
and Jim Sturgess
.
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...
informer who joined the organisation in order to pass information to British security forces. When he was exposed as an informer in 1991, he escaped from IRA custody and was resettled in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His identity became known after a minor court case. He was later shot by the IRA, but recovered from the injuries. He has written two books about his life.
Northern Ireland
McGartland described his childhood as one in which he would join with older boys in stone-throwing to goad the British ArmyBritish 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...
. He also became involved in battles with other Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
youths against Protestant boys, this mostly involved throwing stones at each other.
He became involved in petty crime, which brought him to the notice of the RUC
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...
. He agreed to provide information to them about the Provisional IRA, which he infiltrated and was given the code name, Agent Carol. He led a double life, kept secret even from the mother of his two children. From 1987 to 1991 he provided information to the 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...
.
McGartland's reported greatest regret was his failure in June 1991 to save the life of 21-year-old Private Tony Harrison, a soldier from London, who was shot at the home of his East Belfast fiancee where they were making wedding plans. McGartland was brought into the operation so late he had no time to advise his handlers although he had previously indicated the IRA's interest in the area. A taxi driver, Noel Thompson, who picked Harrison up at Belfast airport and informed the IRA was later jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to murder.
In 1991, McGartland provided information about an attack planned on a Bangor, County Down
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
, 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...
pub where English soldiers frequently drank after what was generally a football match between the prison wardens. The RUC intercepted the courier delivering the gun to be used and McGartland was exposed as an informer. He was abducted by the IRA but escaped execution by jumping from a third floor window and was rescued by passers-by before being hospitalised.
England
He moved to England and received nearly £100,000 to buy a house and establish a new life in Whitley BayWhitley Bay
Whitley Bay is a town in North Tyneside, in Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the North Sea coast and has a fine stretch of golden sandy beach forming a bay stretching from St. Mary's Island in the north to Cullercoats in the south...
, Tyne & Wear, going by the name Martin Ashe. He failed in his attempt to receive compensation for his injuries.
In 1997, his identity was revealed publicly by the Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in North East England. The service is the sixth largest police force in England and Wales. The current Chief Constable is Sue Sim who was appointed by Northumbria Police...
in court when he was caught breaking the speed limit and subsequently prosecuted for holding driving licences in different names, which he explained as a means of avoiding IRA detection. He was cleared of perverting the course of justice. In June 1997, the BBC broadcast a television documentary on his story.
Shooting
In 1999, he was shot six times at his home by two men but recovered from serious injuries after being in intensive care. The IRA was blamed. He was relocated immediately, protected by 12 armed officers and given a specially armoured car. Total costs, including the investigation, amounted to £1,500,000. In 2000, Lord Vivian asked in the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
whether the government intended to remove police protection from McGartland and was told by Lord Bassam of Brighton that "Individual protection arrangements are a matter for the chief constable of the police force concerned and are not discussed for security reasons."
The day after he was shot, the incident, along with the murders of Eamon Collins
Eamon Collins
Eamon Collins was a Provisional Irish Republican Army activist in the late 1970s and 1980s. He turned his back on the organisation in the late 1980s and later co-authored a book called Killing Rage telling of his experiences in the IRA...
, Brendan Fegan and Paul Downey, was cited by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
in an interview with reporters in Belfast, to question whether the IRA ceasefire was being maintained. He reminded Mo Mowlam
Mo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
, 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...
, that this was a condition of the early release of paramilitaries under the Good Friday Agreement. A week later, it was mentioned in the Northern Ireland Grand Committee
Northern Ireland Grand Committee
The Northern Ireland Grand Committee is one of three such grand committees in the United Kingdom Parliament. The other two are for Scotland and Wales...
as evidence that IRA arms decommissioning had not taken place, and in January 2000 by Robert McCartney
Robert McCartney (politician)
Robert Law McCartney QC is a Northern Ireland barrister and former leader of the UK Unionist Party.He was initially a member of the Ulster Unionist Party but was expelled in June 1987 when he refused to withdraw from the general election of that year...
in the Northern Ireland Assembly
Northern Ireland Assembly
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and to appoint the Northern Ireland Executive...
.
In 1999 McGartland published a book about his life, Fifty Dead Men Walking. The title indicates the number of lives he considers he saved through his activities. The following year he won his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers is a large national newspaper publisher in the UK, which is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust. The group was established in 1905 and is currently based at Northcliffe House in Kensington...
, publishers of The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard and This is London web site, which had published an article alleging the shooting might be related to connections with local criminal gangs.
In 2003, IRA member Scott Monaghan sued Northumbria Police for £150,000 for alleged ill-treatment when he was arrested (but not charged) over McGartland's shooting. McGartland had frequently criticised the police for inadequate protection but offered to testify on their behalf, saying: "There are people who have been the victims of terrorist attacks, who've lost loved ones, and some of them haven't been compensated. It's a scandal. I am the victim of an attack and I got around £50,000 in compensation, which is not a big amount considering my injuries. I'm not complaining. At the end of the day I was grateful to be alive. The reason I will help Northumbria Police is that this is an injustice." Monaghan's main claims were for false imprisonment, assault and wrongful interference with goods. They were rejected by the High Court in January 2006. However, he was awarded £100 for a delay in returning items of property. As of September 2008, no one was ever charged with the shooting.
Recent
After the 1994 ceasefire, McGartland appealed to be allowed to return home to West BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. When he asked 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...
president, 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...
, when he would be able to, he was informed that it was a matter between him and the IRA. McGartland has said that his relatives have received harassment from Republicans. In August 2006 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...
told Peter Hain
Peter Hain
Peter Gerald Hain is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Neath since 1991, and has served in the Cabinets of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, firstly as Leader of the House of Commons under Blair and both Secretary of State for...
, 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...
, "We have also heard how the sister of IRA informer Martin McGartland was told by police that his safety was under threat. This news broke immediately after the Secretary of State's comments that he believed the IRA had ended all of its illegal activity."
Film
A film Fifty Dead Men WalkingFifty Dead Men Walking
Fifty Dead Men Walking is a 2008 English-language crime thriller film written and directed by Kari Skogland. It is a loose adaptation of Martin McGartland's 1997 autobiography of the same name...
(the number of lives he is believed to have saved) inspired by his book went on general release in April 2009; the film was directed by Kari Skogland and stars Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
and Jim Sturgess
Jim Sturgess
James Anthony "Jim" Sturgess is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His breakthrough role was appearing as Jude in the musical romance drama film Across the Universe .-Early life:...
.
Books by Martin McGartland
- Fifty Dead Men Walking: The Terrifying True Story of a Secret Agent Inside the IRA, 1997, ISBN 1-85782-178-5
- Dead Man Running, 1999 ISBN 0-8038-2005-4
External links
- Northumbria Police site copy on the Wayback Machine (the original page has been removed), with drawings and audio relating to the 1999 shooting
- "Informer fights for his life after shooting", Irish Examiner, includes details on his 1991 escape