October 1979: The "Pigs" will fight for 20 years
October 1979 saw Mother Teresa of Calcutta awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The people of Northern Ireland, on the other hand, continued to pray for peace.
Political Developments in October 1979
October began with a statement by the IRA rejecting Pope John Paul II's call for an end to the violence in Northern Ireland. The IRA declared that it had widespread support and that Britain would only withdraw from Northern Ireland if forced to do so: "Force is by far the only means of removing the evil of the British presence in Ireland ... we know also that upon victory the Church would have no difficulty in recognising us".
On the 2nd, Maurice Oldfield, the former head of MI6, was appointed to the new post of security coordinator for Northern Ireland. This is seen as an attempt to improve relations between the RUC and the British Army.
The British and Irish governments agreed to strengthen the drive against paramilitary groups on the 5th. The British Labour Party conference voted against a resolution calling for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland.
On the 15th, the Economic and Social Research Institute, based in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, published the results of an opinion poll conducted between July and September 1978. One finding of the poll was that 21% of people in the Republic expressed some level of support for the IRA.
On the 18th, there were further developments on the ongoing hunger strikes. Independent MP for Fermanagh, Frank Maguire, sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Humphrey Atkins;
Sir,
The men in H Blocks 3,4,5 are not getting the proper food either in quantity or quality, according to reports I am receiving, and the appearance of the men to their visitors certainly bears this out. The Taxpayers are paying for quantities of food, which apparently the men are not getting.
The food is usually cold. Cutlery and everything on the plate is stuck together with cold grease as the plates are left until the food gets cold.
The men are not getting the 3/4 pint of milk that they are entitled to. Cornflakes are given out without milk; little salt or sugar is obtainable. Only half of the rations of cake sent from the kitchen reaches the men.
If these things are true, they are petty and vindictive, and I hope they will be stopped; otherwise, the men may go on hunger strike, and this would have very serious consequences on both sides of the Irish Sea. To borrow a royal phrase, men should not be left in conditions fit for pigs unless they are fed like pigs. It is reported that on October 9th, Eugene MacCormack, H5, was beaten up with punches to the face and kicks to the legs during a wing shift. Tony Reasy of Short Strand was beaten up on 13/10/79 in H4. Also in H4, Roberts of Riverdale, Belfast, was ill-treated on 06/10/79 by punches and kicks coming from a visit. Martin Livingstone of H4 got a punch in the jaw coming to Mass on 14/10/79. I want these allegations investigated.
The only hope for peace after the Pope's Speech lies in a concession on the H Blocks; give them their clothes and whatever they want; stop the excessive and inhuman punishments; you cannot win this one as the whole situation here is political and you have a chance now in the climate of grace after the Pope's visit. In a few weeks that will be gone and the "Pigs" will fight for 20 years.
Frank Maguire MP.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Humphrey Atkins announced on the 25th that he was going to invite the four main parties (UUP, DUP, SDLP and Alliance Party) to a conference held at Stormont to discuss potential political settlements. The UUP rejected the invitation and called on the government to introduce a system of two-tier local government. At the time of the Atkins initiative, there was little support for another round of talks, and some commentators believed the initiative was a response to try to ease growing American pressure for action.
Shootings & Crashes in October 1979
October 3rd.
The UVF shot dead Catholic civilian Sadie Larmour (44) at her home on Rodney Drive, Belfast.
October 5th.
The UVF shot dead Catholic civilian Martin Rowland (26) near his home in Camlough.
Former UDR soldier George Hawthorn (37) was shot dead while driving his car into a car park in Newry, County Down.
October 8th.
The UVF shot dead Catholic civilian Mark McGrann (24) at the junction of Laganbank Road and Albertbridge Road, Belfast.
Undercover British soldier Paul Wright (21) was shot dead when his car was ambushed by an IRA unit on the Falls Road, Belfast.
October 12th.
The IRA shot dead solicitor John Donaldson (24) as he left Andersonstown British Army/RUC base in Belfast.
October 15th.
UDR soldier Herbert Kernaghan (36) was shot dead by the IRA in Roslea, County Fermanagh.
October 16th.
INLA volunteer Anthony McClelland died after the car he was travelling in crashed while being chased by armed Gardaí in County Monaghan. Dessie O'Hare, the driver, was arrested, having sustained several injuries. Two other passengers were also injured. The group were transporting arms and ammunition when they encountered a Garda checkpoint.
October 17th.
An IRA unit armed with M60 machine guns and RPG-7 rocket launchers occupied the border village of Carrickmore, County Tyrone for three hours. The incident was filmed by a BBC Panorama crew leading to friction between the BBC and Margaret Thatcher's government.
October 19th.
Off-duty UDR soldier James Robinson (20) was shot dead by the IRA in Fintona, County Tyrone.
October 20th.
Two INLA gunmen shot and wounded a man in Belfast City Hospital in the early hours of the morning. He was in hospital following a gun attack at his home in the Market area of Belfast the evening prior.
October 24th.
Protestant civilian Walter Moore (50) was shot dead outside his home in Lyndhurst Parade, off Ballygomartin Road, Belfast.
October 28th.
British Army soldier David Bellamy (31) and Royal Ulster Constabulary officer Gerry Davidson (26) died as a result of an IRA gun attack on a joint British Army and RUC mobile patrol at Springfield Road, Belfast.
October 29th.
Off-duty UDR soldier Fred Irwin (33) was shot dead by the IRA in Dungannon, County Tyrone.
If you’d like to support the newsletter, why not buy me a ☕️ ?
Bombings in October 1979
For the second month running, there were no bombings to report during October.
Thanks very much for reading. I hope you found it interesting and will come back on Sunday!
I appreciate everyone who recently clicked the heart icon ❤️ at the bottom. It makes it easier for others to find this newsletter.
Thanks for the support!
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.
If you’d like to let me know what you think of today’s instalment, please comment below.
Some recommended reading based on research for this instalment.
Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children Who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles by David McKittrick, Chris Thornton, Seamus Kelters and Brian Feeney.
