15 December 2005 :

LETTER TO THE IRISH TIMES

(Published 23 December 2007)

Dear Madam,

Who does Kevin Myers think he is fooling when he quotes the official statistics of persons murdered by the British security forces during the Troubles? As he is well aware, when members of the security forces were charged with crimes they were forced to resign immediately so that they could then be described simply as members of a Loyalist paramilitary organisation.

For example, he states that only eight UDR members killed civilians over a thirty-year period. However, while this is the official figure, it does not reflect reality, as Mr. Myers knows very well. The official statistics for 1975 and 1976 show no member of the UDR as being responsible for murders in those years. However, a gang was operating throughout this period in the area that became known as the 'Murder Triangle' comprising serving members of the UDR, RUC, British Intelligence and Loyalist paramilitaries.

Three members of the Miami Showband were murdered on 31st July 1975 by at least five serving members of the UDR wearing their UDR uniforms and berets and after they had operated a bogus checkpoint. Two of the UDR men blew themselves up while planting a bomb in the Showband's minibus. (Of course they intended to murder all five musicians but, unfortunately for them, two survived). One of the guns used in their murders, a Luger pistol, was linked forensically to one of the two guns used in the murder of IRA member, John Francis Green, who was killed on 10th January 1975 close to the border in Co. Monaghan.

Three weeks after the Miami Showband murders, the same modus operandi was employed by members of the same gang when two G.A.A. fans, Sean Farmer and Colin McCartney, were stopped at a bogus checkpoint and shot dead in south Armagh, as they were returning from the All-Ireland Football semi-final in Croke Park. They were both shot dead by men wearing UDR uniforms. On this occasion the gang comprised members of the UDR, RUC and Loyalist paramilitaries.

On 19th December 1975, the gang carried out a 'double whammy'. A pub in Dundalk was blown up, killing two men and three hours later a gun and bomb attack was perpetrated on a bar in Silverbridge, Co. Armagh, killing three more, including the 14-year-old son of the owner. The Silverbridge attack was carried out from the home of an RUC Reservist and the gang included at least one serving UDR and one RUC member. The Dundalk attack was carried out by another section of the gang.

These attacks were followed by another 'double whammy' on 4th January 1976 when three members of the Reavey family of Whitecross, Co. Armagh and four members of the O'Dowd family of Gilford, Co. Down, were shot dead. A fourth member of the Reavey family died some weeks later.

The gang carried out a bomb attack in Main Street, Castleblayney on 7th March 1976, killing one man. However, they missed their target of the Derry-Dublin Ulsterbus, which was running slightly late. Had the bus been on time that evening as it usually was, countless deaths could have resulted.

If we examine 1974, members of this very same gang carried out the worst atrocity in the history of the Troubles - the Dublin and Monaghan bombings - on 17th May 1974, in which 34 people lost their lives.

In July 1974, Patrick Kelly, a councillor on Omagh District Council was murdered by UDR members unrelated to this gang, at Trillick, Co. Fermanagh.

On 2nd May 1976, an entirely different gang, comprising two serving members of the UDR and two Loyalist paramilitaries shot Seamus Ludlow dead near Dundalk, Co. Louth. This gang was named by Judge Barron in his report published in November 2005.

The sample I have taken shows that at least 56 murders were carried out by gangs that included serving members of the UDR during the years 1974-76.

Kevin Myers should take a closer look at the reality behind the statistics.

Yours sincerely,

Margaret Urwin
Campaign Secretary
JUSTICE FOR THE FORGOTTEN