Thomas Begley
Encyclopedia
Thomas Begley (10 November 1970 – 23 October 1993), was a volunteer
in the Belfast Brigade
of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA). Begley was killed when a bomb he was planting on the Shankill Road, West Belfast
, Northern Ireland
intending to kill Johnny Adair
and senior members of the Ulster Defence Association
(UDA) exploded prematurely, killing him and nine Protestant civilians.
Ardoyne
area of north Belfast
. Begley not only believed in Irish republicanism
but also in republicanism
and non-sectarianism
. In January 1993 Begley joined the Provisional IRA and was noted by his commanders for his eagerness and determination in comprehending the techniques and methods used by more senior members of his brigade.
stated that a meeting was scheduled to take place between senior members of various loyalist faction leaders, including several senior members of the UDA and Johnny Adair
, one of the leaders of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) on 23 October 1993 in a flat above Frizzell's Fish Shop on the Shankill Road.
Three IRA volunteers from the Ardoyne area, including Begley, hijacked
a blue
Ford Escort and drove it to the fish shop. When they arrived, Begley and Sean Kelly, wearing the white coats and caps of delivery men, entered the shop carrying the bomb. Begley was killed when the bomb exploded prematurely killing him and nine civilians, including two children. Forensic evidence pointed to Begley holding the five pound bomb, which had an 11 second fuse, above the refrigerated serving counter at the fish shop when it exploded. Sean Kelly was convicted of murder for his part in the Shankill Road bombing
.
was shot and injured when a British Army
soldier fired 20 live rounds in a crowd of mourners who were attending Begley's wake in north Belfast. Private Andrew Clarke, 27 from Merseyside
, who fired the shots, was later jailed for ten years for attempted murder.
Begley's funeral
caused comment when the Sinn Féin
leader Gerry Adams
carried Begley's coffin.
, Gerry Adams and the nationalist electorate will pay a heavy, heavy price for today's atrocity." Within 12 hours of the Shankill bombing, a 22-year old male Catholic civilian was shot and killed, and within a week five others were also killed.
In 2001, loyalist and unionist
residents from the Glenbryn area in Belfast displayed a banner, on the eighth anniversary of Begley's bombing, with the words "Walk of Shame" and photographs of those killed by the bomb attached, as riot police escorted schoolgirls and their parents along Ardoyne Road to Holy Cross primary school
.
A mural dedicated to deceased IRA volunteers, including Begley ,was painted in Ardoyne Avenue, near the Begley family home.
Volunteer (Irish republican)
Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
in the Belfast Brigade
Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade
The Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA was the largest of the organisation's command areas, based in the city of Belfast. Founded in 1969, along with the formation of the Provisional IRA, it was historically organised into three battalions; the First Battalion based in the...
of 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...
(IRA). Begley was killed when a bomb he was planting on the Shankill Road, West Belfast
Belfast
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...
, 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...
intending to kill Johnny Adair
Johnny Adair
Jonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" . This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association , an Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation...
and senior members of 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) exploded prematurely, killing him and nine Protestant civilians.
Background
Begley was born in the nationalistIrish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
Ardoyne
Ardoyne
Ardoyne is an Irish nationalist, working class and mainly Catholic district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It gained notoriety due to the large number of incidents during "The Troubles". It is home to approximately 20,000 inhabitants...
area of north Belfast
Belfast
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...
. Begley not only believed in Irish republicanism
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...
but also in republicanism
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
and non-sectarianism
Sectarianism
Sectarianism, according to one definition, is bigotry, discrimination or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion, class, regional or factions of a political movement.The ideological...
. In January 1993 Begley joined the Provisional IRA and was noted by his commanders for his eagerness and determination in comprehending the techniques and methods used by more senior members of his brigade.
Paramilitary activities
Intelligence given to Begley and fellow members of his ASUASU
ASU may refer to:* ASU-57, Soviet airborne support gun* ASU-85, Soviet airborne support gun* Aikido Schools of Ueshiba* Air separation unit* Airport Security Unit...
stated that a meeting was scheduled to take place between senior members of various loyalist faction leaders, including several senior members of the UDA and Johnny Adair
Johnny Adair
Jonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" . This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association , an Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation...
, one of the leaders of the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) on 23 October 1993 in a flat above Frizzell's Fish Shop on the Shankill Road.
Three IRA volunteers from the Ardoyne area, including Begley, hijacked
Carjacking
Carjacking is a form of hijacking, where the crime is of stealing a motor vehicle and so also armed assault when the vehicle is occupied. Historically, such as in the rash of semi-trailer truck hijackings during the 1960s, the general term hijacking was used for that type of vehicle abduction,...
a blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
Ford Escort and drove it to the fish shop. When they arrived, Begley and Sean Kelly, wearing the white coats and caps of delivery men, entered the shop carrying the bomb. Begley was killed when the bomb exploded prematurely killing him and nine civilians, including two children. Forensic evidence pointed to Begley holding the five pound bomb, which had an 11 second fuse, above the refrigerated serving counter at the fish shop when it exploded. Sean Kelly was convicted of murder for his part in the Shankill Road bombing
Shankill Road bombing
The Shankill Road bombing was carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on 23 October 1993 and is one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The Provisional IRA's intended target was a meeting of loyalist paramilitary leaders, which was to take place above...
.
Funeral
IRA member Eddie CopelandEddie Copeland
Eddie Copeland is a prominent Irish republican from Belfast, Northern Ireland.Copeland joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army after the fatal shooting of his father by the British Army. John Copeland died on 31 October 1971, two days after being shot near his home in Strathroy Park in Ardoyne...
was shot and injured when 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...
soldier fired 20 live rounds in a crowd of mourners who were attending Begley's wake in north Belfast. Private Andrew Clarke, 27 from Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
, who fired the shots, was later jailed for ten years for attempted murder.
Begley's funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
caused comment when the 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...
leader 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...
carried Begley's coffin.
Aftermath
Violence erupted in Northern Ireland in the weeks after Begley's death. The UFF stated that they would obtain revenge for the attack and claimed "John HumeJohn 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....
, Gerry Adams and the nationalist electorate will pay a heavy, heavy price for today's atrocity." Within 12 hours of the Shankill bombing, a 22-year old male Catholic civilian was shot and killed, and within a week five others were also killed.
In 2001, loyalist and unionist
Unionism in Ireland
Unionism in Ireland is an ideology that favours the continuation of some form of political union between the islands of Ireland and Great Britain...
residents from the Glenbryn area in Belfast displayed a banner, on the eighth anniversary of Begley's bombing, with the words "Walk of Shame" and photographs of those killed by the bomb attached, as riot police escorted schoolgirls and their parents along Ardoyne Road to Holy Cross primary school
Holy Cross dispute
The Holy Cross dispute occurred in 2001 and 2002 in the Ardoyne area of Belfast, Northern Ireland, and involved an escalating dispute between on the one hand the pupils and parents of Holy Cross R.C. Primary School and on the other the residents of a loyalist area that lay on the route to the front...
.
A mural dedicated to deceased IRA volunteers, including Begley ,was painted in Ardoyne Avenue, near the Begley family home.