September 1976: The Beginning of the Blanket Protest
In September 1976, the "The Muppet Show" premiered on television with Mia Farrow as the guest star. In Northern Ireland, the political “Muppet Show” had been going on for quite some time…
Political Developments in September 1976
September began with the Irish government declaring that a state of emergency exists. This allows the Irish police to hold people for seven days without having to bring a charge against them.
On the 2nd of September, the European Commission on Human Rights decided that Britain had to answer a case of ill-treatment of internees in 1971 before the European Court of Human Rights. The Commission found that the interrogation techniques did involve a breach of the Convention on Human Rights because they involved not only inhuman and degrading treatment but also torture. The case had been initially referred to the Commission by the Irish government on the 10th of March 1976. The European Court of Human Rights ruled on the 18th of January 1978.
There was another Peace People's rally in Derry on the 4th of September which approximately 2500 people attended. During the following weeks, there were several rallies throughout Ireland and Britain. Ciaran McKeown directed the movement. The Peace People were criticised by both Republicans and Loyalists and some of those taking part suffered intimidation.
The leaders of the main churches in Ireland issued a statement on the 9th of September supporting the Women's Peace Movement.
On Friday, the 10th of September, Roy Mason succeeded Merlyn Rees as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Mason was to oversee a period involving a much more severe security regime in the region.
Following the resignation of Brian Faulkner, the Unionist Party of Northern Ireland elected Anne Dickson as its new leader on the 13th of September. Dickson became the first woman to lead a political party in Ireland.
Kieran Nugent was the first prisoner to be sentenced on the 14th of September under the new prison regime introduced on the 1st of March 1976, which meant that he would not receive special category status. Nugent was sent to the new 'H-Blocks' of the Maze Prison, where he refused to wear prison clothes, choosing instead to wrap a blanket around himself. This marked the beginning of the 'Blanket Protest'. This protest was to culminate in the hunger strikes of 1981 when 10 Republican prisoners died. Eventually, many of the elements of special category status such as no uniforms, free association and no prison work were conceded to paramilitary prisoners.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Roy Mason gave his first press conference since his appointment on the 27th of September. In a statement he stressed the importance of trying to improve the Northern Ireland economy and in trying to reduce unemployment.
Shootings in September 1976
10/09/76 - The UDA shot Catholic civilian Seamus Muldoon (29) on Donard Drive, Lisburn. He was cycling to work when he was shot in the back with a shotgun. He died on the 20th of September. A detective said the motive was sectarian.
11/09/76 - The UDA shot dead Victor Moody (18), one of its members, on Disraeli Street, Belfast in an internal dispute.
17/09/76 - The UDA shot dead Catholic civilian Peter Johnston (28) at his home in Cooldarragh Park, Belfast.
18/09/76 - 2 RUC officers were shot by the IRA during a gun attack in Portadown, County Armagh. Sergeant Albert Craig (33) was pronounced dead on arrival at Craigavon Hospital.
24/09/76 - The UDA shot dead 17-year-old Catholic civilian Pauline Doherty in her home on Oldpark Avenue, Belfast. She had been babysitting three children at the time. An RUC detective said her home was the first Catholic home the gunmen came across and that the motive was sectarian.
24/09/76 - UDA members robbed a grocery shop on Manor Street, Belfast. They shot 15-year-old Catholic civilian Anne Magee who worked there. She died on the 11th of October 1976. Another woman, who was active in the Peace Movement, was badly wounded and lost an eye as a result.
24/09/76 - Protestant civilians Frederick McLoughlin (27) and George Rankin (50) were shot dead by Republican paramilitaries during an attack on Crangle's Bar, Cavehill Road, Belfast.
25/09/76 - The INLA launched a gun attack at a house in Ormonde Park, Finaghy, Belfast. Gunmen opened fire in the hallway, killing James Kyle (61) and his daughter Rosaleen Kyle (19), both Protestant civilians. A detective said that it was thought to be a case of mistaken identity. In the Belfast Street Directory, James Kyle was described as a "chief inspector" and it was assumed the gunmen thought he was an RUC officer, but Kyle had been a bank inspector until two months before his death, on the 28th of October 1976.
25/09/76 - Catholic civilian Michael Boothman (32) was shot dead by Loyalists in Belfast.
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Bombings & Fires in September 1976
01/09/76 - A British Army post in Crossmaglen was hit by 10 mortars. It caused extensive damage and some soldiers were hurt.
04/09/76 - The "West Tyrone Battalion" of the UDA claimed responsibility for an attack on a pub in Castlefin, County Donegal. A UDA spokesman claimed the pub was a meeting place for IRA members and that they had set fire to the building with a new homemade flamethrower. The UDA gang responsible also robbed customers in the bar.
10/09/76 - An INLA bomb destroyed a confectioner's shop in Portadown, County Armagh.
19/09/76 - Civilian Joseph Paton (64) died four days after being injured in a bomb attack the Belfast Telegraph building, Belfast. An inadequate warning was given.
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Some recommended reading based on research for this instalment.