He described the scene as having "just the smell of utterly death about the place burning blood, burning tyres". [36] Dillon opined that another reason the UVF decided to target the Miami Showband was because Irish nationalists held them in high regard; to attack the band was to strike the nationalists indirectly. Survivors Stephen Travers and Des McAlea were both present at the unveiling, as was the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, who made a tribute. Lightly built and standing less than 5ft 7in, he wasn't a stereotypical loyalist killer. Video: Netflix. Miami Showband massacre survivors and relatives to get 1.5m in damages 'I wake up to these murders every day of my life,' band member Des McAlea tells court Expand The Miami Showband (from. But it went nowhere when a senior RUC officer advised the UVF leader to lie low for a while. His leadership was endorsed by the UVF's leader Gusty Spence. The attack was carried out by loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and took place while the group, a popular cabaret band, were travelling home to Dublin after a performance. UVF killer Wesley Somerville who died in the attack. 8 in the Irish charts. [53] The three convicted UVF men, although admitting to having been at the scene, denied having shot anyone. Twenty minutes before - in what was clearly a co-ordinated operation - another loyalist killer gang made up of police officers and UDR soldiers launched a murder attack on the Reavey family home in Whitecross. Other photographs in the set show similar injuries to all four limbs, his buttocks and face. Days before the Miami attack, Robin Jackson murdered William Hanna, the UVF commander in mid-Ulster. ", And he insisted: "The Lord has forgiven me.". Following the explosion pandemonium broke out among the remaining gunmen; shouting obscenities, they started shooting the dazed band members, who had all been blown down into the field below the level of the road from the force of the blast. Concerned they might be damaged, McAlea first approached the two gunmen and asked if he could remove his saxophone. [68] During the trial, Des McAlea had received death threats which made him fear for the safety of his family; this caused him to eventually leave Northern Ireland. Griffin goes on to add that the bogus checkpoint was set up not only to plant the bomb on board the van but to ensure the presence of McCoy which would have been confirmed when he handed over his driving licence to the gunmen. Updated / Monday, 13 Dec 2021 22:28. [100] He did, however, express his concern over the fact that nobody was ever charged with his attempted murder. [22][91] It was revealed in Peter Taylor's book Loyalists that "the Craftsman" had been instrumental in bringing about the 1994 Combined Loyalist Military Command (CLMC) ceasefire. [clarification needed] James McDowell lives in Lurgan, and John James Somerville became an evangelical minister in Belfast. [50], The stolen Ford Escort belonged to a man from Portadown, who according to Captain Fred Holroyd, had links with one of the UVF bombers and David Alexander Mulholland the driver of the bomb car which had been left to explode in Parnell Street, Dublin, on 17 May 1974. [34] Afterward, as Travers recovered in hospital, the other survivor Des McAlea gave the police a description of McDowell as the gunman with a moustache and wearing dark glasses who appeared to have been the leader of the patrol. [2], The UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade operated mainly around the Portadown and Lurgan areas. [37] They had hoped to embarrass the Government of Ireland, as well as to draw attention to its level of control of the border. Three band members were shot dead by loyalist gunmen. [12] Journalist Joe Tiernan suggested that Hanna was shot for refusing to participate in the Miami Showband attack and that he had become an informer for the Garda in exchange for immunity from prosecution for the Dublin bombings. Brian McCoy was the first to die, having been hit in the back and neck by nine rounds from a 9mm Luger pistol in the initial volley of gunfire. As Maguire continued ahead, up the by-pass toward Newry, he noticed a blue Triumph 2000 pulling-out from where it had been parked in a lay-by. [4][21], The jocular mood of the gunmen abruptly ceased. O'Toole was noted for his good looks and popularity with female fans,[20] and was described by the Miami Showband's former bass guitarist, Paul Ashford, as having been the "greatest soul singer" in Ireland. The dead bombers were named by the UVF, in a statement issued within 12 hours of the attack. The scene of the Miami Showband killings in County Down, Northern Ireland, on 31 July 1975. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Chris Hudson, a former intermediary between the government of Ireland and the UVF, whose role was crucial to the Northern Ireland peace process. He was unimpressed by the UVF men he met in the loyalist stronghold. The Miami Showband massacre in 1975, had a devastating effect on the showband and live music scene. It was released under the heading Ulster Central Intelligence Agency Miami Showband Incident Report:[20][48][42]. The Miami Showband was a popular Dublin-based Irish showband, enjoying fame and, according to journalist Peter Taylor, "Beatle-like devotion" from fans on both sides of the Irish border. [44] None of the men ever named their accomplices, and the other UVF gunmen were never caught. I only came into it because of my UDR connection and the fact that I had a uniform. The RUC suggested the IRA had meant to attack a police minibus in revenge for the Miami killings, but had mistakenly attacked a civilian minibus instead. Travers was not able to positively identify Nairac, from his photograph, as having been the man at Buskhill. I was given a sub-machine gun but I had never fired it. [93], A monument dedicated to the dead Miami Showband members was unveiled at a ceremony at Parnell Square North, Dublin, on 10 December 2007. [6] The existence of these talks led unionists to believe that they were about to be abandoned by the British government and forced into a united Ireland; as a result, the loyalist paramilitary groups reacted with a violence that, combined with the tit-for-tat retaliations from the IRA (despite their ceasefire), made 1975 one of the "bloodiest years of the conflict". [6], In early 1975, Merlyn Rees set up elections for the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention at which all of Northern Ireland's politicians would plan their way forward. [30] Travers, the band's new bass player, assumed he was a British Army officer, an opinion shared by McCoy. [51] An independent panel of inquiry commissioned by the Pat Finucane Centre has established that among the weapons actually used in the killings were two Sterling submachine guns and a 9mm Luger pistol serial no. After meeting a new woman, Somerville settled on the Shankill and for a while he worked in the Harland and Wolff shipyard. Findings in a report carried out by the PSNI's Historic Enquiries Team into the Miami atrocity stated that there was fingerprint evidence linking Robin Jackson to the attack. "[54] In May 1976, Robin Jackson's fingerprints were discovered on the metal barrel of a home-made silencer constructed for a Luger. The UVF maintains regular border patrols due to the continued activity of the Provisional IRA. They Cloned Tyrone. Two days before, Jackson and Somerville had carried out a bomb and gun attack at McGleenan's pub in Armagh, killing its owner Jack McGleenan and customers Patrick Hughes and Thomas Morris. And nearer home, they carried out five operations in one day in the Moy and Stewartstown. The latest from Netflix's ReMastered series focusses on the Miami Showband massacre, which took place at Banbridge, Co. Down on July 31, 1975. [36], Des McAlea and Stephen Travers heard two of the gunmen rummaging in the back of the minibus, where they both kept their respective instruments. A report by the police's Historical Enquiries Team (HET) also suggests this. [90] The encounter took place inside Hudson's church, All Souls Belfast. Multiple jurors also cried, covered their mouths and turned away as the graphic. [21][22], Their music was described as "contemporary and trans-Atlantic", with no reference to the Northern Ireland conflict. A UVF patrol led by Major Boyle was suspicious of two vehicles, a minibus and a car parked near the border. [18][22] Meanwhile, two other gunmen at the front of the minibus were placing the briefcase containing the bomb under the driver's seat. [88], Travers travelled to Belfast in 2006 for a secret meeting with the second-in-command of the UVF's Brigade Staff, in an attempt to come to terms with the killing of his former colleagues and friends. But as the death toll mounted, so did Somerville's drinking. He subsequently stated they refused to accept his description of the different-coloured beret worn by the soldier with the English accent. What little that remained intact of their bodies was burnt beyond recognition; one of the limbless torsos was completely charred.[20]. A child of Northern Ireland's Troubles recalls that fateful night when The Miami Showband was ambushed by the Ulster Volunteer Force on this day in 1975. [19] The Irish Times reported that on the night following the attack, the British ambassador Sir Arthur Galsworthy was summoned to hear the Government of Ireland's strong feelings regarding the murder of the three band members. [77] However, Ministry of Defence documents released in 2020 contain suggestions that Nairac acquired equipment and uniforms for the Miami Showband killers, and that he was responsible for the planning and execution of the attack itself. In late 1974, the Miami Showband's song "Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet" (featuring O'Toole on lead vocals) reached no. 10th December, 2014. [7] At the time of the attack the Mid-Ulster Brigade was commanded by Robin Jackson, also known as "The Jackal". 2023 Getty Images. In 2005, Somerville attended a ceremony in Portadown honouring his dead brother Wesley. [78], The band's road manager, Brian Maguire stated that when he drove away from Banbridge in the lead, a few minutes ahead of the band's minibus, he passed through security barriers manned by the RUC. The RUC were led to him through his glasses which had been found at the murder scene. The Gruesome Death Scene Launch Gallery. (Part of the Independent Newspapers Ireland/NLI Collection) (Photo by Independent News and Media/Getty Images), 3928x2594px (33,26 x 21,96 cm) - 300 dpi - 5 MB. [97] Irish Times diarist, Frank McNally, summed up the massacre as "an incident that encapsulated all the madness of the time". Three band members were taken from their tour bus and shot . "ReMastered: The Miami Showband . RM G4PYFC - Miami Showband massacre RM EC8F8C - London, UK. [100] According to the report, Jackson had claimed during police interrogations that after the shootings, a senior RUC officer had advised him to "lie low". Crime Scene Photos The Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office released graphics images this week, taken in the aftermath of 27-year-old Christian Obumseli's death. Their name comes from a farm in Glenanne, County Armagh, which was owned by RUC reservist James Mitchell; according to ex-RUC Special Patrol Group officer John Weir, it was used as a UVF arms dump and bomb-making site. Martin Dillon suggested in The Dirty War that at least five serving UDR soldiers were present at the checkpoint. The Luger was destroyed by the RUC on 28 August 1978. The following year, Fran O'Toole became the band's lead vocalist after Mick Roche (Billy Mac's replacement) was sacked. [70] Crozier, McDowell, and Somerville were released after 1998 under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. The six-strong group were one of the biggest acts on the Irish music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. "They also hoped he would one day take over the leadership of the organisation in mid-Ulster when Robin 'The Jackal' Jackson either stood down or was executed.". A Sunday World investigation into the Miami Showband atrocity has revealed the now deceased killer's assertion was true. Somerville would never have gone to prison if he'd agreed to work for the RUC. The incident had an adverse effect on the Irish showband scene, with many of the bands afraid to play in Northern Ireland. [58], Following the post-mortems, funerals were held for the three slain musicians; they received televised news coverage by RT, Ireland's public service broadcaster. A musician who survived the Miami showband massacre has, 40 years on, made an appeal to trace a young couple who helped him at the time. They were: lead vocalist and keyboard player Fran O'Toole, 28, Catholic; guitarist Anthony (Tony) Geraghty, 24, Catholic, from Dublin; trumpeter Brian McCoy, 32, Protestant, from Caledon, County Tyrone; saxophonist Des McAlea (a.k.a. About 10 gunmen were at the checkpoint, according to author and journalist Martin Dillon. OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney, who's accused of killing her boyfriend, Obumseli, remains behind bars on second-degree murder charges. Major Boyle ordered his patrol to apprehend the occupants for questioning. O'Toole and McCoy were both married; each had two children. [35] Dillon also opined in God and the Gun: The Church and Irish Terrorism that the dead bombers, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, had actually led the UVF gang at Buskhill. He lay hidden in thick undergrowth, face down, undetected by the gunmen. It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. [22] Near the junction with Buskhill Road they were flagged down by armed men dressed in British Army uniforms waving a red torch in a circular motion. [40] Three of the musicians were killed: lead singer Fran O'Toole, trumpeter Brian McCoy, and guitarist Tony Geraghty. And despite being married with a family, he immersed himself in loyalist terrorism. [18][27] The unsuspecting band members got out and were politely told to line up facing the ditch at the rear of the minibus with their hands on their heads. [34], Thomas Crozier recounted that on the night of the killings, he had driven to the grounds of a school in Lurgan where he had picked up two men. As they began to enter the vehicle, a bomb was detonated and both men were killed outright. The attack was carried out by loyalist paramilitary group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and took place while the group, a popular cabaret band, were travelling home to Dublin after a performance. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DISC 2 REPLACEMENT ONLY CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Miami 7th Season DVD 2008 at the best online prices at eBay! He was charged with the Miami Showband murders, the attempted murder of Stephen Travers, and the murder of Patrick Falls in 1974. The IRA said it killed him because of an alleged association with British Army officer and member of 14th Intelligence Company, Captain Robert Nairac, and claimed it was in possession of his diary, which had been stolen in Portadown.[61]. [22] He presently resides near Craigavon. However, the officers suspected that the checkpoint was fake. Please check your inbox to verify your details, Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. According to Martin Dillon, the order to shoot was given by the patrol's apparent leader, James McDowell,[36] to eliminate witnesses to the bogus checkpoint and subsequent bombing. [67][clarification needed], A number of suspects were arrested by the RUC in early August 1975. In his flat - which few people visited - Somerville kept a large photograph of Robin Jackson on the wall of his living room. The Miami Showband were an Irish showband in the 1960s and 1970s led firstly in 1962 by singer Jimmy Harte, followed by Dickie Rock and later by Fran O'Toole. [76] Retired diplomat Alistair Kerr wrote a biography of Nairac entitled "Betrayal: the Murder of Robert Nairac" published in 2015, which offers documentary evidence that clears Nairac of having been at Buskhill overseeing the attack. Weir's affidavit implicating Robin Jackson in a number of attacks including the 1974 Dublin bombings was published in the 2003 Barron Report; the findings of an official investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings commissioned by Irish Supreme Court Judge Henry Barron. When three young musicians lost their lives on 31 July 1975, the heart was torn out of Ireland's showband community. Five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, who were one of Ireland's most popular cabaret bands. But he quit when the Troubles erupted on the streets of Belfast and Derry in the autumn of 1969. [43], Ballistic evidence indicates that the 10-member gang took at least six guns with them on the attack. Using self-loading rifles and sub-machine guns, the patrol shot back, killing three of their attackers and wounding another. Optimieren Sie Ihren Workflow mit unserem erstklassigen Digitalen Asset Management System. They subsequently set up a roadblock with "all the trappings of a regular military checkpoint". The conflict in Northern Ireland, known as "the Troubles", began in the late 1960s. [21] He was replaced by Johnny Brown, who in turn was replaced by Dave Monks until Stephen Travers eventually became the band's permanent bass player. Assuming it was a legitimate checkpoint, McCoy informed the others inside the minibus of a military checkpoint up ahead and pulled in at the lay-by as directed by the armed men. On October 23, 1975, Somerville and Jackson led a UVF team in the savage murders of Peter McKearney (63) and his wife Jane (58) at their home near the Moy. Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention, Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions, "Sunningdale pushed hardliners into fatal outrages in 1974", "Events: Dublin and Monaghan Bombs Chronology of Events", "Collusion in the South Armagh / Mid Ulster Area in the mid-1970s", "All About the Miami Showband (19611996)", "The Miami Band Lined Up Against the Van.
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