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. Miami 1975 - The Massacre In early 1975, bassist Steve Travers replaced Dave Monks. But the Sunday World has also learned that on January 4 1976, Jackson was accompanied by John Somerville when he burst into the home of the O'Dowd family at Ballyduggan, near Gilford, shooting three of them dead. 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. No one forced me. Among the large crowd he spotted Billy McCaughey, a former police sergeant and convicted killer who had named his UVF accomplices to investigating detectives. Originally called the Downbeats Quartet, the Miami Showband was reformed in 1962 by rock promoter Tom Doherty, who gave them their new name. He was one of the men taken in by the RUC in August 1975 and questioned as a suspect in the killings, but was released without charge. 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". Griffin suggests that McCoy, who originally came from Caledon, County Tyrone, and had strong UDR and Orange Order family connections, was possibly approached at some stage by Jackson with a view of securing his help in carrying out UVF attacks in the Irish Republic. . Photograph: Independent News and Media/Getty Images It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. Travers later recalled hearing one of the departing gunmen tell his comrade who had kicked McCoy's body to make sure he was not alive: "Come on, those bastards are dead. With Dublin-born singer [Jimmy Harte] as frontman followed by Dickie Rock as frontman, the Miami Showband underwent many personnel changes over the years. December 29, 2022 by Corinne Sullivan. [18] More uniformed men appeared from out of the darkness, their guns pointed at the minibus. It had been travelling from Banbridge to Bleary with nine people on board; all were Catholics and most had been returning from a regular bingo session. The only identifiable body part from the bombers to survive the blast (which had been heard up to 4 miles (6.4km) away) was a severed arm belonging to Wesley Somerville. She also thinks that had everything gone to plan once the bomb was planted in the van McCoy would have been instructed to drive through Newry where the bomb would have gone off and the UVF could then afterwards portray the Miami Showband as IRA members on a mission to blow up the local RUC barracks. [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. [96], In a report on Nairac's alleged involvement in the massacre, published in the Sunday Mirror newspaper on 16 May 1999, Colin Wills called the ambush "one of the worst atrocities in the 30-year history of the Troubles". [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". [19] In early 1973, Billy MacDonald (a.k.a. McCoy's words, therefore, were taken seriously by the other band members, and anything he said was considered to be accurate. While the Miami is synonymous, for many, with the atrocity, the musical tells the whole story of the band, Lynch says, from when it re-formed in 1967, and Fran O'Toole and Des Lee first joined . They Cloned Tyrone. The plaque describes them as having been "killed in action". Organiseer, beheer, distribueer en meet al uw digitale content. 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. A UVF patrol led by Major Boyle was suspicious of two vehicles, a minibus and a car parked near the border. The attack was carried out by. Despite his conversion to Christianity, Somerville remained virulently anti-Catholic and he strongly opposed the Good Friday Agreement. He . [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. It was . Gaelic footballer brothers John Martin Reavey (24) and Brian (22) died at the scene, while 17-year-old Anthony died three weeks later. The band was . I was given a sub-machine gun but I had never fired it. Some wounds are a deep red, with blood vessels clearly visible; others expose underlying tissue. "After the explosion, the red mist came down and I went mad with a machine-gun," he once told a fellow loyalist prisoner. However, the officers suspected that the checkpoint was fake. 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. [92], Travers also visited the home of Thomas Crozier, hoping to meet with him but the latter did not come to the door. Then They Were Coldly Murdered", "An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1975", "Sub-Committee on the Barron Report 26September 2006 Public Hearings on the Barron Report". It has been suggested that the bomb was meant to explode en route, so that the victim band members would appear to be Irish Republican Army (IRA) bomb-smugglers and stricter security measures would be established at the border. What little that remained intact of their bodies was burnt beyond recognition; one of the limbless torsos was completely charred.[20]. [53] The three convicted UVF men, although admitting to having been at the scene, denied having shot anyone. Jane Carter says late son received many threats prior to his death. I did what I did. Everybody was respectful to Brian". Somerville told other paramilitary prisoners how detectives repeatedly tried to persuade him to become a Special Branch tout operating inside the UVF. The Miami Showband minibus with five members in all was stopped at a bogus army checkpoint in Northern Ireland and three were killed and two, including Travers, badly injured in July 1975. [62][64], On 24 August 1975, Catholic civilians Colm McCartney and Sean Farmer were stopped in their car at what is believed to have been another fake checkpoint at Altnamackin (near Newtownhamilton). Five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, who were one of Ireland's most popular cabaret bands. But it went nowhere when a senior RUC officer advised the UVF leader to lie low for a while. Journalist Emily O'Reilly noted in the Sunday Tribune that none of the three men convicted of the massacre ever implicated Nairac in the attack or accused him of causing Boyle's death. [4][18][28][29] As Crozier took down the information, a car pulled up and another uniformed man appeared on the scene. Miami showband massacre Stock Photos and Images (9) See miami showband massacre stock video clips RF TTNAG4 - A plaque in Parnell Square, Dublin, Ireland to those who died in what became known as the Miami Showband Massacre in 1975 at Buskhill, Newry. Bei kommerzieller Verwendung sowie fr verkaufsfrdernde Zwecke kontaktieren Sie bitte Ihr. Agent Elvis. The massacre dealt a blow to Northern Ireland's live music scene, which had brought young Catholics and Protestants together. 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. [47] The UVF gunmen had worn green UDR berets, whereas the other man's had been lighter in colour. Halfway to Newry, their minibus was stopped at what appeared to be a military checkpoint where gunmen in British Army uniforms ordered them to line up by the roadside. How are things? Three photos, which have been cropped slightly and published below, show the extent of the injuries to Rainey's chest, back, arms and legs. [55] Both the silencer and pistol which was later established to have been the same one used in the Miami Showband killings were found by the security forces at the home of Edward Sinclair. Four Protestant civilians (two men and two women) and UVF member Hugh Harris were killed in the attack. 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. Notorious loyalist serial killer Robin Jackson. Major Boyle ordered his patrol to apprehend the occupants for questioning. [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. 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Unlike Jackson, Somerville was arrested in the wake of the Miami atrocity, but he refused to make a statement and was released without charge. Our source also claimed John Somerville told him that in an attempt to break him, a police officer entered the interrogation room carrying a severed human arm in a plastic bag. In photographs of the Miami Showband in the 1970s he is a slim and beautiful young man in blue denim , bright-eyed and brimming with fun and music and confidence in himself and in the future.. [21][22][31] Travers thought that McCoy, a Protestant from Northern Ireland, was familiar with security checkpoints and had reckoned the regular British Army would be more efficient than the Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR), who had a reputation for unprofessional and unpredictable behaviour, especially toward people from the Republic. The Miami Showband (1962-1996 and 2008-present) Photo Gallery - Band Lineups - Discography - Audio samples - Where Are They Now? 3/2/2023 1:00 AM PT. [100] He did, however, express his concern over the fact that nobody was ever charged with his attempted murder. "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.". He also added that "that bomb was definitely placed there with a view to killing all in that band".[22]. According to former Intelligence Corps agent Captain Fred Holroyd, the killings were organised by British intelligence officer Robert Nairac, together with the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade and its commander Robin "the Jackal" Jackson. [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". His cell was kept immaculately clean and visitors were required to remove their shoes before entering. At least four of the gunmen were soldiers from the British Army's Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR), and all were members of the UVF. By this time the gunmen had left the scene, assuming everyone else had been killed. The Glenanne gang was a loose alliance of loyalist extremists allegedly operating under the command of British Military Intelligence and/or RUC Special Branch. Pat Finucane Centre. The gunman turned him round, punched him hard in the back and pushed him on the shoulder back into the line-up. Survivors and relatives of those murdered in the Miami Showband massacre are to receive nearly 1.5m (1.75m) in total damages to settle claims over . When McCoy refused, Jackson then hatched his plan to murder McCoy and his bandmates in retaliation for what he viewed as having betrayed the loyalist cause, even macabrely choosing Buskhill as the ambush site due to its similarity to Bus-kill. "Special Branch Agent colluded in Miami killings". Laat uw merk op authentieke wijze groeien door uw merkcontent te delen met de makers van het internet. UVF serial killer John Somerville shot Miami Showband singer Fran O'Toole 22 times in the face. According to RT, "Their families were in deep mourning and Ireland mourned with them". [40] Three of the musicians were killed: lead singer Fran O'Toole, trumpeter Brian McCoy, and guitarist Tony Geraghty. [68] McDowell had pleaded guilty. It also devastated the burgeoning live music scene in Northern Ireland.. 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. [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. [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. [22] He presently resides near Craigavon. [81] Neill's car was one of those allegedly used in the Buskhill attack. The Miami Showband reformed in 2008, with Stephen Travers, Des McAlea, and Ray Millar, plus new members. The three men were sent to serve their sentence in the Maze Prison, on the outskirts of Lisburn. Somerville said: "I'm not going to make excuses for my past. Three band members were taken from their tour bus and shot . 50 True-Crime Documentaries on Netflix | 2023 . RM G4PYFC - Miami Showband massacre RM EC8F8C - London, UK. Crozier told police, and later a court, that he had not played a large part in the attack. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Can you step out of the van for a few minutes and we'll just do a check". Days before the Miami attack, Robin Jackson murdered William Hanna, the UVF commander in mid-Ulster. The band was travelling home to Dublin late at night after a performance in Banbridge. 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. 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. [35] Regarding the soldier with the English accent, Dillon wrote:[75]. [63] The IRA has denied responsibility. The six-strong group were one of the biggest acts on the Irish music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. It allows for commemoration and leaving of flowers at the location itself. [28][45] The RUC's investigative unit, the Assassination or "A" Squad of detectives, was set up to investigate the crime and to discover the identities of the UVF gunmen who perpetrated the killings. Two serving UDR soldiers and one former UDR soldier were found guilty of the murders and received life sentences; they were released in 1998. [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. 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". The Miami Showband Massacre, the latest in Netflix's ReMastered music documentary series, may feature a band unfamiliar to Americans but the horrendous violence on display puts most American true . There was very little planning. [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]. [9] According to authors Paul Larkin and Martin Dillon, Jackson was accompanied by Harris Boyle when he killed Hanna.