March 1973 saw the birth of popular American actor Jim Parsons. Parsons is most famous for his role as Sheldon in the hit show ‘The Big Bang Theory’. In Northern Ireland, The Republic of Ireland and England, paramilitaries had seemed to have their own theories on Big Bangs…
Political developments in March 1973
On the 1st of March, there was a general election in the Republic of Ireland. As a result of the election, there was a change of government. Fine Gael / Labour coalition government took over from Fianna Fáil which had been in power for 16 years. Liam Cosgrave succeeded Jack Lynch as Irish Prime Minister.
The 29th meeting of the Northern Ireland Commission occurred on the 5th of March at Stormont Castle, with the Secretary of State chairing the meeting. During the meeting, five key areas were addressed.
The current situation
The Secretary of State expressed his deep concern at the recent spate of sectarian murders. He had always felt that something like this might happen in the run-up to the Border Poll and the publication of the White Paper, but he had not expected it so soon. It was particularly difficult to catch assassins who fired from cars, and he would consider any new suggestions. He appreciated. the importance of being seen to act impartially against all terrorists and, in this respect, his actions would speak louder than words.
In a discussion of the New Lodge Road shootings, the Secretary of State outlined the explanation which had been given to him and which, on the basis of the available evidence, he felt had the ring of truth about it. One member suggested that an alternative explanation of the incident, from a reliable source, cast doubt upon the version supplied to the Secretary of State. Another member, without taking sides between the two versions, said that it was disastrous that the Army should have killed so many, just after there had been a wave of assassinations of Catholics.
UDA
There was discussion on the advisability of detaining leading members of the UDA at this time. It was suggested that recent statements by the UDA Vice-chairman appeared able to regulate the number of sectarian killings and were an admission that the UDA was importing illegal arms into the country. But it was recognised that many other factors could account for the recent increase in murders and that the consequences of acting against the UDA leadership were likely to be serious.
Some members felt that, at this time, there would be no purpose in proscribing the UDA since its members would simply re-form in alternative organisations. Other members considered that the important point was that the security forces should be used equally and impartially against extremists in both sections of the community. The recent demonstration by loyalist extremists outside RUC headquarters was cited as one example of the UDA behaving as though they were beyond the law.
There were suggestions that the Secretary of State should make regulations under the Special Powers Act to revoke gun licences held by prominent UDA leaders, prosecute UDA men when they organised parades or usurped the functions of the police and order the security forces to return fire when they were fired on by Protestant snipers.
The Secretary of State said that in addition to the illegal UVF and the UDA, there were other loyalist organisations such as the Red Hand of Ulster Commandos and the Vanguard Service Volunteers. If the UDA was proscribed its membership could transfer to these or to new organisations. The present prime objective was to identify those people who were responsible for taking part in, or organising the assassinations and to act against them.
Concern was expressed about the lack of protection available for Catholic families threatened by the UDA in the Loughview and Redburn Estates in Holywood. Catholic families had already been driven out of the Knocknagoney Estate by the UDA which was now extending its activities into the Redburn and Loughview Estates. But local residents were convinced that the UDA could be resisted if the security forces provided the minimum amount of support. The Secretary of State said that he would look into this matter and see what could be done.
Security Measures
The possibility of imposing further security measures was considered and it was generally agreed that those who advocated martial law had little conception of its implications. The Secretary of State said that martial law was meaningless in the sense that it would confer no powers on the Government that it did not have the ability to exercise already if it so decided.
It was suggested that stiffer and firmer penalties should be imposed on those convicted of serious crimes. There were also suggestions that a curfew should be placed on the movement of cars in selected areas, that licensed weapons should be called in and that the security forces should prevent shots from being fired at IRA and UDA funerals. Though it was difficult for laymen to assess military needs, it was felt that an increase in the number of troops might prevent a further spate of sectarian assassinations.
The Secretary of State indicated that severe penalties were now being imposed and he pointed out that since the beginning of January, 60 people had been convicted of serious crimes and sentenced to a total of 292 years. Curfews were generally ineffective because so many exceptions had to be granted. They were also prodigal of manpower and they could involve the exposure of troops as sitting targets in difficult areas. The Secretary of State indicated that he could require licensed weapons to be tested ballistically and that he could take powers to revoke licences. But the basic problem was the number of unlicensed, rather than licensed, weapons and he did not want to unduly alarm those people who lived in isolated areas and who needed licensed weapons for their protection.
Referring to UDA and IRA funerals the Secretary of State explained that because of the emotional nature of these events, they were not regarded as occasions on which the troops should interfere.
There was a suggestion that a survey of Belfast should be undertaken to see if any roads that were not in frequent use could be permanently closed to traffic. This could reduce the arteries of escape open to sectarian murderers operating from cars. The Secretary of State indicated that this suggestion would be given further consideration.
The Visit to Maze Prison
The four members of the deputation indicated their intention to submit papers on their visit to the Maze Prison and it was agreed that the papers should be circulated and discussed at the next meeting of the Commission.
The Secretary of State expressed gratitude for an indication that since the authorities had made some changes in their search procedures it had been possible to initiate a move towards the resumption of visits. He said that urgent parole cases would be considered by himself or one of his Ministers and that if they erred it was usually on the side of leniency.
Other Matters
The possibility of increasing the number of Catholics in the UDR was discussed. It was pointed out that every effort was being made to achieve this but a doubt was expressed about the utility of the exercise. The Secretary of State said that, in general, it was important that Catholics should be given, and should accept every chance of playing an active role in the life of the community.
A referendum was held on the 8th of March on whether or not the people of Northern Ireland wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom. This referendum became known as the 'Border Poll'. However, Nationalists boycotted the referendum and only 57% of the electorate took part in the poll. It was not surprising therefore that, of those who took part, 98% were in favour of maintaining the Union with Britain.
On the 20th of March, a government White Paper entitled 'Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals' was published which proposed a devolved power-sharing 78-member assembly in Northern Ireland and a Council of Ireland. The election would take place under Proportional Representation and Westminster would retain the powers relating to law and order matters. These proposals followed on from a discussion paper that had been issued on the 30th of October 1972 entitled 'The Future of Northern Ireland'. There was an element in Unionist political opinion which was opposed to the idea of power-sharing and still favoured majority rule as the only basis for government. However, the idea of close links with the Republic of Ireland through the proposed Council of Ireland would prove problematic to many Unionists.
Following the publication of the White Paper, the governing body of the Ulster Unionist Party, the Ulster Unionist Council, held a meeting on the 27th of March to decide its position. The council voted by 381 to 231 votes to accept the White Paper. Nevertheless, there remained strong opposition to the proposals even among those who decided to support Brian Faulkner. Following the vote, several members of the UUP left to form a new political grouping on the 30th of March 1973.
An interesting development occurred on the 28th of March when a ship (the 'Claudia') was intercepted off the Waterford coast in the Republic of Ireland. It was found to contain 5 tonnes of weapons which were en route to the IRA.
The last political development came on the 30th of March when William Craig, and some other former members of the Ulster Unionist Party, formed a new political party, the Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party. The VUPP was formed with the support of the UDA. In addition to having close links with Loyalist paramilitary groups the VUPP also was prepared to accept an independent Northern Ireland because of the inevitable Unionist domination of any new government. Indeed the VUPP had one Loyalist paramilitary grouping, the Vanguard Service Corps directly linked with the party.
Shootings in March 1973
01/03/73 - The UVF shot dead a Catholic taxi driver, Stephen Kernan (54), in his car on Mansfield Street, Belfast.
02/03/73 - The UVF shot dead a Catholic bus driver, Patrick Crossan (34), as he stopped at a bus stop on Woodvale Road, Belfast.
03/03/73 - Off-duty UDR soldier David Deacon (39), was shot dead by the IRA in Mullennan, County Derry/Londonderry.
04/03/73 - British soldier Gary Barlow (19), was tortured and later shot dead after being abducted by the IRA while his Army unit was raiding homes on Albert Street, Lower Falls, Belfast.
04/03/73 - British Army soldier Raymond Hall (22), died four weeks after being shot by the UVF during a riot on Newtownards Road/Welland Street, Belfast.
06/03/73 - British soldier Anton Brown (22), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while patrolling Whitecliff Crescent, Ballymurphy, Belfast.
08/03/73 - British soldier John Green (21), was shot dead by the IRA while guarding a polling station, Slate Street School, Lower Falls, Belfast.
08/03/73 - Catholic civilian David Glennon (45), was found shot dead in a car on Summer Street, Belfast. The UDA was believed responsible.
16/03/73 - Off-duty UDR soldier William Kenny (28) was kidnapped by the IRA at Halliday's Road, New Lodge, Belfast. Found shot dead a short time later in entry off Edlingham Street, New Lodge.
20/03/73 - The UDA killed Catholic civilian Bernard McErlean (16), and wounded another, in a drive-by shooting on Grosvenor Road, Belfast. Locals claimed a British Army Saracen APC smashed through a nationalist barricade minutes before the shooting, allowing the gunmen's car to drive through. They accused the British Army of "facilitating Protestant extremist murder gangs". The victims had apparently gathered after hearing the barricade being smashed. You can see a news report on the incident and preventative measures applied afterwards here.
23/03/73 - Three British soldiers, Barrington Foster (28), Michael Muldoon (25), and Thomas Penrose (28), were shot dead by the IRA in a house on Antrim Road, Belfast, to which the soldiers had been lured.
23/03/73 - The UDA shot dead a Catholic civilian and wounded another in a drive-by shooting on a house at Durham Street, Belfast.
27/03/73 - Patrick McCabe (16), a member of the Irish Republican Army Youth Section, was shot dead by a British Army sniper while walking along Etna Drive, Ardoyne, Belfast.
29/03/73 - British soldier Michael Marr (33), was shot dead by an IRA sniper while on foot patrol in Andersonstown, Belfast.
Bombings and rocket attacks in March 1973
05/03/73 - A UDA volunteer died when the bomb he was handling exploded prematurely on Woodstock Road, Belfast.
06/03/73 - British soldier Joseph Leahy (31), was wounded by an IRA booby-trap bomb planted in a derelict house in Mullaghbawn, near Forkill, County Armagh. He died two days later, on 8 March 1973.
08/03/73 - The IRA exploded two car bombs in London and injured over 200 people. One person in the vicinity died a sudden death due to a heart problem. One of the bombs had been planted at the 'Old Bailey' court in London injuring 180 people, whilst the other explosion happened at the Ministry of Agriculture in Westminster injuring around a further 30 people. Two other car bombs were diffused. Nine people were found guilty of the bombings on the 14th of November 1973. Ten members of the PIRA, including Gerry Kelly, Dolours Price and Marian Price, were arrested at Heathrow Airport while trying to leave the country. Kelly was later to become a leading member of Sinn Féin and played a role in the negotiations that led to the Goody Friday Agreement on the 10th of April 1998.
13/03/73 - British soldier John King (22), was killed by an IRA booby trap bomb while on foot patrol, Coolderry, near Crossmaglen, County Armagh.
15/03/73 - Catholic civilian Larry McMahon (42), was killed when the UVF exploded a bomb at his house in Jordanstown.
17/03/73 - British soldier Michael Gay (21), was killed in an IRA landmine attack on his armoured patrol, Parkanaur, near Dungannon, County Tyrone.
17/03/73 - IRA bomb exploded in the Spar Supermarket, William Street, Lurgan.
17/03/73 - UDA volunteer Lindsay Mooney (19), died when the car bomb he was transporting exploded prematurely as he parked outside Kirk's Bar, Cloughfin, County Donegal. 15 people were injured in the explosion.
26/03/73 - The IRA fired four rockets at British Army and RUC targets. One was fired at a British Saracen APC near the border, one at an RUC landrover near the border and another at a British Army patrol in Belfast.
27/03/73 - British soldier Andrew Somerville (20), was killed in an IRA landmine attack on a British mobile patrol in Ballymacilroy, near Ballygawley, County Tyrone.
As always, thanks very much for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it enough to come back on Tuesday to read the next instalment. Don’t forget to click on the share button below to send it to any of your family or friends who you think would enjoy reading it.
Some recommended reading based on research for this instalment our my newsletter.
Northern Ireland: The Troubles by Charles Messenger.
The Provisional IRA in England: The Bombing Campaign 1973-1997 by Gary McGladdery.