[69] Stephen Travers decried: "We believe the only conclusion possible arising from the HET report is that one of the most prolific loyalist murderers of the conflict was an RUC Special Branch agent and was involved in the Miami Showband attack". However, later forensics established that Boyle and Somerville were putting the bomb under the driver's seat and as it tilted on its side it detonated. Asked whether he had anything valuable inside the case, Travers replied no. The scene of the Miami Showband massacre Somerville would never. [9] According to authors Paul Larkin and Martin Dillon, Jackson was accompanied by Harris Boyle when he killed Hanna. And nearer home, they carried out five operations in one day in the Moy and Stewartstown. Forensic photography, or the practice of taking photos at the scene of a crime, has been around for over a century. Originally called the Downbeats Quartet, the Miami Showband was reformed in 1962 by rock promoter Tom Doherty, who gave them their new name. [43], Ballistic evidence indicates that the 10-member gang took at least six guns with them on the attack. At least four of the gunmen were soldiers from the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), and all were members of the UVF. Griffin based her theory on the nine bullets that were fired from a Luger into McCoy's body and that Jackson's fingerprints were found on the silencer used for a Luger. And despite being married with a family, he immersed himself in loyalist terrorism. 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. The ruthless UVF killer fell into a deep depression fuelled by alcohol. The Miami Showband's surviving members Des Lee, Ray Miller and Stephen Travers Credit . A Sunday World investigation into the Miami Showband atrocity has revealed the now deceased killer's assertion was true. The HET said the killings raised "disturbing questions about collusive and corrupt behaviour". The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. In a police statement made following his arrest for possession of the silencer and Luger on 31 May 1976, Jackson maintained that a week before he was taken into custody, two RUC officers had tipped him off about the discovery of his fingerprints on the silencer; he also claimed they had forewarned him: "I should clear as there was a wee job up the country that I would be done for and there was no way out of it for me". [4], In May 1974, unionists called a general strike to protest against the Sunningdale Agreement an attempt at power-sharing, setting up a Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland, which would have given the Government of Ireland a voice in running Northern Ireland. Jackson had assumed command of the Mid-Ulster UVF just a few days before the Miami Showband attack, after allegedly shooting Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan on 27 July 1975. 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. Three band members were shot dead by loyalist gunmen. [92], Travers also visited the home of Thomas Crozier, hoping to meet with him but the latter did not come to the door. Fortnight Magazine reported that on 1 June 1982, John James Somerville began a hunger strike at the Maze to obtain special category status. When asked to comment about the report, Des McAlea replied: "It's been a long time but we've got justice at last". [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. "Kevin Myers: The Miami Showband massacre was one of the most depraved massacres of the Troubles". Jackson informed Frazer that John Somerville was due for release. The government held the view that the British Government had not done enough to stop sectarian assassinations in Northern Ireland. More than 100 killings have been attributed to him by the Pat Finucane Centre, the Derry-based civil rights group.[15][17]. It is fronted by McAlea, who returned to Northern Ireland the same year after living in South Africa since about 1982. [5] Their fears were slightly grounded in fact, as the MI6 officer Michael Oatley was involved in negotiations with a member of the IRA Army Council, during which "structures of disengagement" from Ireland were discussed. But along with his friend Jackson, he helped build the UVF in mid-Ulster. December 29, 2022 by Corinne Sullivan. In a report published in the Sunday Mirror in 1999, Colin Wills called the Miami Showband attack "one of the worst atrocities in the 30-year history of the Troubles". [85], The Pat Finucane Centre has named the Miami Showband killings as one of the 87 violent attacks perpetrated by the Glenanne gang against the Irish nationalist community in the 1970s. The Historical Enquiries Team (HET), which was set up to investigate the more controversial Troubles-related deaths, released its report on the Miami Showband killings to the victims' families in December 2011. The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband massacre)[1] was an attack on 31 July 1975 by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group. Date: 12th November 1941 Means: Assassinated. In the ensuing confusion the UVF men opened fire on the band, killing three and wounding two. Just after the arrival of this mysterious soldier, McCoy nudged Travers, who was standing beside him, and reassured him by saying "Don't worry Stephen, this is British Army". It was a forgiveness that few of the relatives of his victims were willing to give. [23], According to the Irish Times, at the height of Irish showbands' popularity (from the 1950s to the 1970s), up to as many as 700 bands travelled to venues all over Ireland on a nightly basis.[24]. Although not a member of any loyalist paramilitary group,[26] he was a close friend of Harris Boyle and the two were often seen together. Among the large crowd he spotted Billy McCaughey, a former police sergeant and convicted killer who had named his UVF accomplices to investigating detectives. [clarification needed] James McDowell lives in Lurgan, and John James Somerville became an evangelical minister in Belfast. Robin Jackson died of cancer in May 1998 aged 49. Irish Times diarist Frank McNally summed up the massacre as "an incident that encapsulated all the madness of the time". "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.". [46][49] In 1993, Boyle was named by The Hidden Hand programme as one of the Dublin car bombers. [4][22][74] In his book The Dirty War, Martin Dillon adamantly dismissed the allegation that Nairac had been present. Free shipping for many products! Crozier told police, and later a court, that he had not played a large part in the attack. Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville were given UVF paramilitary funerals conducted by Free Presbyterian minister William McCrea, a Democratic Unionist Party politician. He also added that "that bomb was definitely placed there with a view to killing all in that band".[22]. He wore a uniform and beret noticeably different from the others. It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. [7] At the time of the attack the Mid-Ulster Brigade was commanded by Robin Jackson, also known as "The Jackal". This meant that both it and the UDA were legal organisations. The six-strong group were one of the biggest acts on the Irish music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. "ReMastered: The Miami Showband . 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. It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. They were prepared to travel anywhere in Ireland to perform for their fans. Photograph: Independent News and Media/Getty Images Sometimes the showbands played traditional Irish music at their performances. He was also one of the prime suspects in the sectarian killing of Dorothy Traynor on 1 April 1975 in Portadown. It was released under the heading Ulster Central Intelligence Agency Miami Showband Incident Report:[20][48][42]. He also survived by remaining silent, pretending he was dead. The Historical Enquiries Team investigated the killings and released their report to the victims' families in December 2011. 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. [41] Fran O'Toole attempted to run away, but was quickly chased down by the gunmen who had immediately jumped down into the field in pursuit. Organiseer, beheer, distribueer en meet al uw digitale content. As they were being questioned, Major Boyle and Lieutenant Somerville began to search the minibus. Tony Geraghty also attempted to escape; but he was caught by the gunmen and shot twice in the back of his head and a number of times in the back. The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. Somerville would never have gone to prison if he'd agreed to work for the RUC. "After the explosion, the red mist came down and I went mad with a machine-gun," he once told a fellow loyalist prisoner. Tests done on the glasses, which were eventually traced back to McDowell, revealed that the lenses were of a prescription worn by just 1 in 500,000 of the population. By the mid-1980s, the showbands had lost their appeal for the Irish public; although The Miami Showband, albeit with a series of different line-ups, did not disband until 1986. [22][44], One of the first RUC men who arrived at Buskhill in the wake of the killings was scenes of crime officer James O'Neill. "Billy Mac") took over as the group's frontman when the Simon brothers quit the band. 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 had seven number one records on the Irish singles chart . [100] He did, however, express his concern over the fact that nobody was ever charged with his attempted murder. He believed it was based on the erroneous linkage of Nairac to the earlier murder of IRA man John Francis Green in County Monaghan the same pistol was used in both attacks. The Miami Showband reformed in 2008, with Stephen Travers, Des McAlea, and Ray Millar, plus new members. Millionen hochwertiger Bilder, Videos und Musiktracks warten auf Sie. Died from several gunshot wounds. But as the death toll mounted, so did Somerville's drinking. The dead bombers were named by the UVF, in a statement issued within 12 hours of the attack. [101], A Netflix documentary titled ReMastered: The Miami Showband Massacre was released 22 March 2019, highlighting the efforts of Steve Travers to track down who authorized the attack, for what purposes, and to get an admission of culpability.[102][103]. [94][95], A mural and memorial plaque to Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville is in the Killycomain Estate in Portadown, where Boyle had lived. [68] McDowell had pleaded guilty. "John said the cops told him there was no need for him to go to prison. The latest from Netflix's ReMastered series focusses on the Miami Showband massacre, which took place at Banbridge, Co. Down on July 31, 1975. 2023 Getty Images. [22], At least four of the gunmen were soldiers from the UDR. it is to say the least highly dubious, if not absurd to conclude from such superficial factors that Nairac was present at the Miami murders. The band was . When they agreed he placed it on the ground, opened its case and then went back into line; however this time he stood first in the line-up closest to the minibus when previously he had been third. [83] Journalists Kevin Dowling and Liam Collins in the Irish Independent however, suggested in their respective articles that Jackson had been the leader of the unit. From left: Steve Travers, Tony Geraghty, Ray Millar, Brian McCoy, Fran O'Toole, Des Lee. Although this information was passed on to RUC headquarters, nothing was done about it. ", And he insisted: "The Lord has forgiven me.". [98] In 2011, Journalist Kevin Myers denounced the attack with the following statement: "in its diabolical inventiveness against such a group of harmless and nave young men, it is easily one of the most depraved [of the Troubles]". . Lightly built and standing less than 5ft 7in, he wasn't a stereotypical loyalist killer. [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. [5], UK Home Secretary Roy Jenkins introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which gave the government unprecedented powers against the liberty of individuals in the United Kingdom in peacetime. Abe Reles, 1941 Place: Half Moon Hotel, Coney Island Date: 25th October 1957 Means: Pushed out of the window Angelo Bruno, 1980 Place: Intersection of 10th Street and Snyder Avenue, South Philadelphia Date: 21st March 1980 Means: Shotgun blast to the back of the head The fledgling loyalist terror group didn't operate in established command areas and Somerville and Jackson were able to kill at will over a wide geographical area. It is obvious, therefore, that the UVF patrol was justified in taking the action it did and that the killing of the three Showband members should be regarded as justifiable homicide. Pat Finucane Centre. They were driving home from a Gaelic football match in Dublin. 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. However, the officers suspected that the checkpoint was fake. No one coerced me. The band is remembered in the song "The Miami" by English folk singer-songwriter Jez Lowe on his album Jack Commons Anthem. [35], On 22 January 1976, a second UDR soldier, Sergeant James Roderick Shane McDowell (aged 29, an optical worker, also from Lurgan) was arrested and charged with the Miami killings. Her brothers Seamus and Michael also died in the attack, which was later claimed by the Protestant Action Force, a cover name for the Mid-Ulster UVF. [53] In a letter to the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the Bombing of Kay's Tavern dated 22 February 2004, the Northern Ireland Office stated that: "The PSNI have confirmed that a 9mm Luger pistol was ballistically traced both to the murder of John Francis Green and to the Miami Showband murders. [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. 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. Three band members were taken from their tour bus and shot . But it went nowhere when a senior RUC officer advised the UVF leader to lie low for a while. A Sunday World investigation into the Miami Showband atrocity has revealed the now deceased killer's assertion was true. Before adjourning the Alex Murdaugh case today, Judge Clifford Newman warned against sharing graphic autopsy photos of Maggie and Paul's bodies that were accidentally shown during the trial.. [55] Robin Jackson died of cancer on 30 May 1998, aged 49. [4], A continued allegation in the case has been the presence of Captain Robert Nairac at the scene. The mother of the late singer-rapper Aaron Carter released photos of the scene of his death Wednesday, calling for a "real . The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband Massacre) was an attack by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, on 31 July 1975. [81] Neill's car was one of those allegedly used in the Buskhill attack. [30] The UVF's plan was that the bomb would explode once the minibus had reached Newry, killing all on board. The UVF man, who identified himself only as "the Craftsman", apologised to Travers for the attack, and explained that the UVF gunmen shot the band because they "had panicked" that night.
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