June 1978: Priest Is Kidnapped
June 1978 saw US Vice President Walter Mondale begin his trip to the Middle East. Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, Margaret Thatcher was paying a visit. I wonder if she had any idea what lay ahead in the years to comeā¦
Political Developments in June 1978
On the 1st of June, Alliance Party member David Cook became the first non-Unionist Lord Mayor of Belfast. Cook secured this post because of a dispute between Unionist councillors. It was not until 1997 that a Catholic became Lord Mayor of Belfast. On the same day, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Roy Mason held talks with Irish ministers in Dublin.
Four days later, Mason asked Amnesty International to delay the publication of a report it had written into alleged ill-treatment of detainees at Castlereagh detention centre.
Mason made a statement in the House of Commons, Westminster, on the 8th of June, about the Amnesty International Report the British government received on the 2nd of May. While the report called for a public Inquiry, Mason stated that an 'independent committee of inquiry' would consider police practice and procedures when interrogating people suspected of scheduled offences.
In their report, released on the 13th of June, Amnesty International claimed that people held at Castlereagh RUC detention centre on the outskirts of Belfast had been ill-treated. Chief Constable of the RUC Kenneth Newman rejected the claims.
On the 19th of June, Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher visited Northern Ireland.
Shootings, Kidnappings & Beatings in June 1978
03/06/78 - An alleged criminal, Daniel McErlean (25) was shot dead by the IRA near Jonesborough, County Armagh.
10/06/78 - IRA volunteer Denis Heaney (21) was shot dead by undercover British soldiers while hijacking a car in the Bogside area of Derry City.
16/06/78 - RUC officer Robert Struthers (19) was shot dead by the IRA in the Foyle Street area of Derry.
17/06/78 - Kevin Dyer (26), a Catholic civilian, was found beaten to death on a rubbish tip at Glencairn Road, Belfast. He had been killed by Loyalists.
17/06/78 - The IRA carried out a gun attack on an RUC patrol car near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. One officer, Hugh McConnell (32), was killed at the scene and a second officer, William Turbitt (42), was kidnapped. On the 10th of July, the body of Officer Turbitt was discovered.
18/06/78 - Catholic priest Hugh Murphy was kidnapped in retaliation for the abduction of a RUC officer the day before. The kidnappers issued a statement saying that they would return the priest in the same condition as the RUC officer is returned. Several Protestant ministers appealed for the priest to be released, and he was subsequently returned unharmed. On the 10th of July, the body of Officer Turbitt was discovered. In December 1978, three RUC officers were charged with kidnapping the Catholic priest. The same officers were also charged, along with two additional officers, with killing a Catholic shopkeeper in Ahoghill on 19 April 1977.
20/06/78 - IRA members William Mailey (30), Denis Brown (28) and James Mulvenna (28), and passing Protestant civilian William Hanna (28) were shot dead by undercover members of the British Army during an attempted bomb attack on a Post Office depot, Ballysillan Road, Belfast.
25/06/78 - UDR soldier Alan Ferguson (23) was shot dead during a bomb and sniper ambush of a British military convoy near Belcoo, County Fermanagh.
25/06/78 - Civilian Patrick McEntee (54) was found shot, at Ballsmill, near Forkhill, County Armagh. It was alleged that he was an informer.
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Bombings in June 1978
There were no bombing incidents to report on in June 1978.
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Iāve 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.