February 1979: Shankill Butchers Sentenced
American publishing heiress Patty Hearst was released from prison for bank robbery in February 1979. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, others were just finding out their fate during their sentencing…
Political Developments in February 1979
February began with a meeting between Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Roy Mason and Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs M. O'Kennedy in London. During the meeting, some of what was discussed was as follows;
It was still the aim of the United Kingdom Government to introduce devolution in Northern Ireland.
The Government had no plan to introduce a new level of local government.
After his recent broadcast, Gerry Fitt had gone off on a tangent without having listened to the full broadcast. He had never described the SDLP as extremist. But he had met Gerry Fitt at the House of Commons at the end of last week. They had spent an hour or so together over a cup of tea, and there had been no animosity. He had advised him not to personalise the difference over policy.
In the past 12 months, he had tried to help the minority community on subjects such as PR(STV) for the European Assembly elections, Poleglass, De Lorean and the financing despite Rule 15.
On Irish unity, nothing was to aid the ''agreement to disagree" between Mr Callaghan and Mr Lynch. Even a hint from Her Majesty's Government supporting Irish unity would destroy any prospect of devolution in Northern Ireland.
He recognised that there had been concern amongst the minority about the Seats Bill. The reasons for the Bill were well-known. It was a matter of fair representation once it had been settled that, despite devolution, there would be no reduction in the number of seats in Wales and Scotland.
On the 20th of February, a group of 11 Loyalists known as the 'Shankill butchers' were sentenced to life imprisonment for 112 offences, including 19 murders. The 11 men were given 42 life sentences and received 2,000 years imprisonment, in total, in the form of concurrent sentences. The Shankill Butchers had begun killing Catholics in July 1972 and were not arrested until May 1977. The Loyalist gang operated out of several UVF drinking dens in the Shankill Road area of Belfast. The gang was initially led by Lenny Murphy, but it continued to operate following his imprisonment in 1976. The Shankill Butchers got their name because not only did they kill Catholics, but they first abducted many of their victims, tortured them, mutilated them with butcher knives and axes, and then finally killed them.
Shootings in February 1979
04/02/79 - Former prison officer Patrick Mackin (60) and his wife Violet (58) were shot dead by the IRA at their home in Oldpark Road, Belfast. This was part of an escalating campaign against prison officers, coinciding with the Dirty Protest and Blanket Protest in the Maze Prison.
12/02/79 - IRA member Patrick Sills (27) from County Donegal was found shot in a field, Laghtfoggy, near Castlederg, County Tyrone. It’s believed his death was part of an Internal IRA dispute.
14/02/79 - British soldier Steven Kirby (22) was shot dead by an IRA sniper on the Abercorn road in Derry.
16/02/79 - The INLA fired shots at British soldiers on the Falls Road, Belfast.
17/02/79 - The INLA fired nearly fifty shots at a joint RUC-British Army mobile patrol in an ambush on the Andersonstown Road, Belfast. The leading RUC Land-Rover received fourteen rounds, bursting two tyres and nearly causing the driver to lose control. Seven shots hit a parked civilian car, but the occupants were uninjured.
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Bombings in February 1979
17/02/79 - The UVF bombed two pubs frequented by Irish republicans in Glasgow, Scotland. The three pubs (Clelland, Derry Trainers, Old Barns) were wrecked, and several people were wounded. It was claimed that the pubs were used for republican fundraising. In June, nine UVF members were convicted of the attacks.
24/02/79 - Two Catholic teenagers, Martin McGuigan (16) and James Keenan (16) were killed by the IRA in a remote-controlled bomb explosion at Darkley, near Keady, County Armagh. It is believed that the two teenagers were mistaken in the dark for a British Army foot patrol.
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I’ve also recently released Tales of The Troubles: Volume 1. The Early Years - 1960s. Check it out. It would be a great addition to your library or a gift for someone for Christmas. Stay tuned for Volume 2, covering the 1970s.
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Some recommended reading based on research for this instalment.
