They were: lead vocalist and keyboard player Fran O'Toole, 28, Catholic; guitarist Anthony (Tony) Geraghty, 24, Catholic, from Dublin; trumpeter Brian McCoy, 32, Protestant, from Caledon, County Tyrone; saxophonist Des McAlea (a.k.a. Updated / Monday, 13 Dec 2021 22:28. [56], Within 12 hours of the attack, the UVF's Brigade Staff (Belfast leadership based on the Shankill Road) issued a statement. Tony Geraghty also attempted to escape; but he was caught by the gunmen and shot twice in the back of his head and a number of times in the back. O'Toole and McCoy were both married; each had two children. Tests done on the glasses, which were eventually traced back to McDowell, revealed that the lenses were of a prescription worn by just 1 in 500,000 of the population. [63] The IRA has denied responsibility. But as the death toll mounted, so did Somerville's drinking. [70] Crozier, McDowell, and Somerville were released after 1998 under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. He was charged with the Miami Showband murders and the attempted murder of bass player Stephen Travers, as well as the murder of Patrick Falls in 1974. [9] According to authors Paul Larkin and Martin Dillon, Jackson was accompanied by Harris Boyle when he killed Hanna. [53] It was believed he had been betrayed to the RUC by a member of the gang. In January 2015, he was found dead in his Shankill Road flat. Aged 70, he died of cancer of the kidney. [67][clarification needed], A number of suspects were arrested by the RUC in early August 1975. [47] The RT programme Today Tonight aired a documentary in 1987 in which it claimed that former UVF associates of Harris Boyle revealed to the programme's researchers that Nairac had deliberately detonated the bomb to eliminate Boyle, with whom he had carried out the Green killing. It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. Although this information was passed on to RUC headquarters, nothing was done about it. Griffin goes on to add that the bogus checkpoint was set up not only to plant the bomb on board the van but to ensure the presence of McCoy which would have been confirmed when he handed over his driving licence to the gunmen. [68] McDowell had pleaded guilty. However, later forensics established that Boyle and Somerville were putting the bomb under the driver's seat and as it tilted on its side it detonated. Journalist Emily O'Reilly noted in the Sunday Tribune that none of the three men convicted of the massacre ever implicated Nairac in the attack or accused him of causing Boyle's death. The Provisional IRA carried out the bombing of two pubs in the English city of Birmingham the following November, resulting in 21 deaths. [37][38] This might have resulted in the Irish authorities enforcing tighter controls over the border, thus restricting IRA operations. There are also allegations that British military intelligence agents were involved. ;UVF killer Harris Boyle who died in the attack. [35], On 22 January 1976, a second UDR soldier, Sergeant James Roderick Shane McDowell (aged 29, an optical worker, also from Lurgan) was arrested and charged with the Miami killings. At about 2:30am, when the band was seven miles (11km) north of Newry on the main A1 road, their Volkswagen minibus (driven by trumpeter Brian McCoy with bassist Stephen Travers in the front seat beside him) reached the townland of Buskhill. He was one of the men taken in by the RUC in August 1975 and questioned as a suspect in the killings, but was released without charge. [6] The existence of these talks led unionists to believe that they were about to be abandoned by the British government and forced into a united Ireland; as a result, the loyalist paramilitary groups reacted with a violence that, combined with the tit-for-tat retaliations from the IRA (despite their ceasefire), made 1975 one of the "bloodiest years of the conflict". He then drove to a lay-by on the Newry-Banbridge dual carriageway and met up with another five men, who were all wearing British Army uniforms. [77] However, Ministry of Defence documents released in 2020 contain suggestions that Nairac acquired equipment and uniforms for the Miami Showband killers, and that he was responsible for the planning and execution of the attack itself. Notorious loyalist serial killer Robin Jackson. The music ranged from rock and country and western to Dixieland jazz. His leadership was endorsed by the UVF's leader Gusty Spence. Travers later recalled hearing one of the departing gunmen tell his comrade who had kicked McCoy's body to make sure he was not alive: "Come on, those bastards are dead. The following year, Fran O'Toole became the band's lead vocalist after Mick Roche (Billy Mac's replacement) was sacked. By this time the gunmen had left the scene, assuming everyone else had been killed. It was released under the heading Ulster Central Intelligence Agency Miami Showband Incident Report:[20][48][42]. Hier knnen Sie Inhalte sammeln, auswhlen und Anmerkungen zu Ihren Dateien hinterlegen. It had been travelling from Banbridge to Bleary with nine people on board; all were Catholics and most had been returning from a regular bingo session. According to former Intelligence Corps agent Captain Fred Holroyd, the killings were organised by British intelligence officer Robert Nairac, together with the UVF Mid-Ulster Brigade and its commander Robin "the Jackal" Jackson. The Miami Showband's surviving members Des Lee, Ray Miller and Stephen Travers Credit . The RUC suggested the IRA had meant to attack a police minibus in revenge for the Miami killings, but had mistakenly attacked a civilian minibus instead. Laat uw merk op authentieke wijze groeien door uw merkcontent te delen met de makers van het internet. He believed it was based on the erroneous linkage of Nairac to the earlier murder of IRA man John Francis Green in County Monaghan the same pistol was used in both attacks. A musician who survived the Miami showband massacre has, 40 years on, made an appeal to trace a young couple who helped him at the time. Some wounds are a deep red, with blood vessels clearly visible; others expose underlying tissue. The Miami Showband minibus with five members in all was stopped at a bogus army checkpoint in Northern Ireland and three were killed and two, including Travers, badly injured in July 1975. And despite being married with a family, he immersed himself in loyalist terrorism. As they began to enter the vehicle, a bomb was detonated and both men were killed outright. He also added that "that bomb was definitely placed there with a view to killing all in that band".[22]. The scene of the Miami Showband Killings on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland, 31st July 1975. Former serving Secret Intelligence Service agent Captain Fred Holroyd, and others, suggested that Nairac had organised the attack in co-operation with Robin Jackson and the Mid-Ulster UVF. [4][22][74] In his book The Dirty War, Martin Dillon adamantly dismissed the allegation that Nairac had been present. Using self-loading rifles and sub-machine guns, the patrol shot back, killing three of their attackers and wounding another. Ray Millar, the band's drummer, was not with them as he had chosen to go to his home town of Antrim to spend the night with his parents. In the ensuing confusion the UVF men opened fire on the band, killing three and wounding two. It was . [27], After McCoy told them they were the Miami Showband, Thomas Crozier (who had a notebook) asked the band members for their names and addresses, while the others bantered with them about the success of their performance that night and playfully asking which one was Dickie Rock. [94][95], A mural and memorial plaque to Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville is in the Killycomain Estate in Portadown, where Boyle had lived. [37] They had hoped to embarrass the Government of Ireland, as well as to draw attention to its level of control of the border. [51] An independent panel of inquiry commissioned by the Pat Finucane Centre has established that among the weapons actually used in the killings were two Sterling submachine guns and a 9mm Luger pistol serial no. He added that had the death penalty not been abolished, it would have been imposed in this case. Mit unserem einfachen Abonnement erhalten Sie Zugriff auf die besten Inhalte von Getty Images. View On One Page Photo 22 of 51 ADVERTISEMENT () Start Slideshow . Note: Initially it was believed that the bomb had been placed in the rear of the minibus and that the closure of the door had triggered the blast. . It is obvious, therefore, that the UVF patrol was justified in taking the action it did and that the killing of the three Showband members should be regarded as justifiable homicide. In 2005, Somerville attended a ceremony in Portadown honouring his dead brother Wesley. Five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, who were then one of Ireland's most popular cabaret bands. Concerned they might be damaged, McAlea first approached the two gunmen and asked if he could remove his saxophone. Organisieren, kontrollieren, verteilen und messen Sie alle Ihre digitalen Inhalte. Five members of the Dublin-based band were travelling home after a performance at the Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, County Down, on Thursday 31 July 1975. On 15 October 1976, Crozier and McDowell both received life sentences for the Miami Showband murders. The mother of the late singer-rapper Aaron Carter released photos of the scene of his death Wednesday, calling for a "real . [22], According to Peter Taylor, the Provisional IRA's gun and bomb attack on the loyalist Bayardo Bar in Belfast's Shankill Road on 13 August was in retaliation for the Miami Showband ambush. And after stopping GAA fans 22-year-old Colm McCartney and 32-year-old John Farmer, they shot them dead. Viewing autopsy photographs of her battered body in court on Tuesday, she became teary and asked to take a break. Browse 22 the miami showband stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. [44] None of the men ever named their accomplices, and the other UVF gunmen were never caught. The government held the view that the British Government had not done enough to stop sectarian assassinations in Northern Ireland. As a teenager with strongly held anti-Catholic views, Somerville joined the B Specials, but he later went to sea as a member of the Merchant Navy. [92], Travers also visited the home of Thomas Crozier, hoping to meet with him but the latter did not come to the door. [79], Another persistent allegation is the direct involvement of Mid-Ulster UVF leader Robin Jackson, a native of Donaghmore, County Down, 1.5 miles (2.4km) away from Buskhill. [58], Following the post-mortems, funerals were held for the three slain musicians; they received televised news coverage by RT, Ireland's public service broadcaster. The six-strong group were one of the biggest acts on the Irish music scene throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Jackson was charged with possession of the silencer but not convicted, the trial judge having reportedly said: "At the end of the day I find that the accused somehow touched the silencer, but the Crown evidence has left me completely in the dark as to whether he did that wittingly or unwittingly, willingly or unwillingly". [18][27] The unsuspecting band members got out and were politely told to line up facing the ditch at the rear of the minibus with their hands on their heads. After receiving radio confirmation that there were no authorised checkpoints in the area that night, they reported the incident and requested help from the British Army to investigate it, but no action was taken. From left: Steve Travers, Tony Geraghty, Ray Millar, Brian McCoy, Fran O'Toole, Des Lee. He subsequently stated they refused to accept his description of the different-coloured beret worn by the soldier with the English accent. Then They Were Coldly Murdered", "An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland: 1975", "Sub-Committee on the Barron Report 26September 2006 Public Hearings on the Barron Report". [4] The UVF had cut all ties with Somerville after he had opposed the 1994 ceasefire. I passed out when the explosion happened and that was when I lost the gun, the glasses, and a UDR beret. Date: 12th November 1941 Means: Assassinated. [81] Neill's car was one of those allegedly used in the Buskhill attack. U 4. [55] Although ballistic testing had linked the Luger (for which the silencer had been specifically made) to the Miami Showband attack, Jackson was never questioned about the killings after his fingerprints had been discovered on the silencer, and the Miami inquiry team were never informed about these developments. "John said the cops told him there was no need for him to go to prison. And nearer home, they carried out five operations in one day in the Moy and Stewartstown. UVF serial killer John Somerville told how detectives repeatedly tried to persuade him to become Special Branch tout and avoid jail, No remorse: Miami Showband killer John Somerville. 50 True-Crime Documentaries on Netflix | 2023 . The band's road manager, Brian Maguire, had already gone ahead a few minutes earlier in the equipment van. The Miami Showband Massacre, the latest in Netflix's ReMastered music documentary series, may feature a band unfamiliar to Americans but the horrendous violence on display puts most American true . "The cops showed John a bag containing a human arm with a Mid-Ulster UVF tattoo on it. [62][64], On 24 August 1975, Catholic civilians Colm McCartney and Sean Farmer were stopped in their car at what is believed to have been another fake checkpoint at Altnamackin (near Newtownhamilton). [6], In early 1975, Merlyn Rees set up elections for the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention at which all of Northern Ireland's politicians would plan their way forward. It was one of a series of four stamps issued by An Post, celebrating the "golden age of the Irish showband era from the 1950s to the 1970s".[24]. [50], The stolen Ford Escort belonged to a man from Portadown, who according to Captain Fred Holroyd, had links with one of the UVF bombers and David Alexander Mulholland the driver of the bomb car which had been left to explode in Parnell Street, Dublin, on 17 May 1974. Two of the gunmen were attempting to plant a time bomb on the vehicle, when it prematurely exploded and killed them. Can you step out of the van for a few minutes and we'll just do a check". The plaque describes them as having been "killed in action". [65] Earlier that night, three RUC officers in an unmarked car had been stopped at a checkpoint but allowed through. [19] The Irish Times reported that on the night following the attack, the British ambassador Sir Arthur Galsworthy was summoned to hear the Government of Ireland's strong feelings regarding the murder of the three band members. [4][18][28][29] As Crozier took down the information, a car pulled up and another uniformed man appeared on the scene. About 10 gunmen were at the checkpoint, according to author and journalist Martin Dillon. Findings in a report carried out by the PSNI's Historic Enquiries Team into the Miami atrocity stated that there was fingerprint evidence linking Robin Jackson to the attack. Crozier told police, and later a court, that he had not played a large part in the attack. Jackson had assumed command of the Mid-Ulster UVF just a few days before the Miami Showband attack, after allegedly shooting Hanna dead outside his home in Lurgan on 27 July 1975. [69], A third person, former UDR soldier John James Somerville (aged 37, a lorry-helper and the brother of Wesley), was arrested following an RUC raid in Dungannon on 26 September 1980. Gaelic footballer brothers John Martin Reavey (24) and Brian (22) died at the scene, while 17-year-old Anthony died three weeks later. I got them with dum-dums". [42], When the RUC arrived at the site they found five dead bodies, a seriously injured Stephen Travers, body parts, the smoldering remains of the destroyed minibus, debris from the bomb blast, bullets, spent cartridges and the band members' personal possessions, including clothing, shoes and a photograph of the group, strewn across the area. [35] Dillon also opined in God and the Gun: The Church and Irish Terrorism that the dead bombers, Harris Boyle and Wesley Somerville, had actually led the UVF gang at Buskhill. The conflict in Northern Ireland, known as "the Troubles", began in the late 1960s. UVF serial killer John Somerville shot Miami Showband singer Fran O'Toole 22 times in the face. I was given a sub-machine gun but I had never fired it. After meeting a new woman, Somerville settled on the Shankill and for a while he worked in the Harland and Wolff shipyard. He described the scene as having "just the smell of utterly death about the place burning blood, burning tyres". The murder of singer Fran O'Toole . Two of the gunmen, both soldiers, died when a time bomb they were hiding on the minibus exploded prematurely. It was his brother Wesley's arm," said the source. Those responsible for the attack belonged to the Glenanne gang, a secret alliance of loyalist militants, Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) police officers and UDR soldiers. The latest from Netflix's ReMastered series focusses on the Miami Showband massacre, which took place at Banbridge, Co. Down on July 31, 1975. [23], According to the Irish Times, at the height of Irish showbands' popularity (from the 1950s to the 1970s), up to as many as 700 bands travelled to venues all over Ireland on a nightly basis.[24]. Assuming it was a legitimate checkpoint, McCoy informed the others inside the minibus of a military checkpoint up ahead and pulled in at the lay-by as directed by the armed men. [10][11] Hanna was named by former British Intelligence Corps operative Colin Wallace as having organised and led the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, along with Jackson. A report by the police's Historical Enquiries Team (HET) also suggests this. They received the blessing of jailed UVF leader Gusty Spence, who was serving life for the Malvern Street murder and shootings in 1966. [4] He spoke with an educated English accent and immediately took charge, ordering a man who appeared to have been the leader of the patrol to tell Crozier to obtain their names and dates of birth instead of addresses. John Somerville was born in 1940 into a respectable small farming family from outside Moygashel, Co Tyrone. But along with his friend Jackson, he helped build the UVF in mid-Ulster. [20], Bassist Stephen Travers was seriously wounded by a dum-dum bullet which had struck him when the gunmen had first begun shooting. [44] The independent panel of inquiry commissioned by the Pat Finucane Centre concluded that there was "credible evidence that the principal perpetrator [of the Miami Showband attack] was a man who was not prosecuted alleged RUC Special Branch agent Robin Jackson". This is one of the last photographs taken of the band before the massacre on 31st July 1975. According to RT, "Their families were in deep mourning and Ireland mourned with them". [98] In 2011, Journalist Kevin Myers denounced the attack with the following statement: "in its diabolical inventiveness against such a group of harmless and nave young men, it is easily one of the most depraved [of the Troubles]". And two years later when he was scooped in an RUC raid in Dungannon on September 26, 1980, he made a detailed confession outlining his involvement in numerous UVF murders. Everybody was respectful to Brian". [14], Jackson was an alleged RUC Special Branch agent who was said by Yorkshire Television's The Hidden Hand: The Forgotten Massacre programme to have had links to both the Intelligence Corps and Captain Robert Nairac. These were held on 1 May 1975 and the United Ulster Unionist Council (UUUC), which had won 11 out of 12 Northern Irish seats in the February 1974 general election, won a majority again. They had killed many Catholics together and they trusted each other implicitly," said our source. Jackson was convinced Hanna was a Special Branch informer and he feared he may spill details of the imminent Miami attack to his RUC handler. The year 1975 was marked by an escalation in sectarian attacks and a vicious feud between the two main loyalist paramilitary groups, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). Optimieren Sie Ihren Workflow mit unserem erstklassigen Digitalen Asset Management System. [5], UK Home Secretary Roy Jenkins introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which gave the government unprecedented powers against the liberty of individuals in the United Kingdom in peacetime. Travers was not able to positively identify Nairac, from his photograph, as having been the man at Buskhill. It had been blown off his torso when the bomb prematurely exploded as a result of static electricity. Touts aren't welcome here.". But it went nowhere when a senior RUC officer advised the UVF leader to lie low for a while. [31] Travers described McCoy as a "sophisticated, father-type figure. [83] Journalists Kevin Dowling and Liam Collins in the Irish Independent however, suggested in their respective articles that Jackson had been the leader of the unit. The Miami Showband toured throughout 1970s Ireland before the attack The musicians were ordered to line up at the roadside outside Newry while the gang loaded a bomb on to their bus. [53] The judge, by sentencing McDowell and Crozier to 35 years imprisonment each, had handed down the longest life sentences in the history of Northern Ireland; he commented that "killings like the Miami Showband must be stopped". 5 languages The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband massacre) [1] was an attack on 31 July 1975 by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group. Among the large crowd he spotted Billy McCaughey, a former police sergeant and convicted killer who had named his UVF accomplices to investigating detectives. Although not a member of any loyalist paramilitary group,[26] he was a close friend of Harris Boyle and the two were often seen together. The Historical Enquiries Team investigated the killings and released their report to the victims' families in December 2011. [47] The UVF gunmen had worn green UDR berets, whereas the other man's had been lighter in colour. In a police statement made following his arrest for possession of the silencer and Luger on 31 May 1976, Jackson maintained that a week before he was taken into custody, two RUC officers had tipped him off about the discovery of his fingerprints on the silencer; he also claimed they had forewarned him: "I should clear as there was a wee job up the country that I would be done for and there was no way out of it for me". it is to say the least highly dubious, if not absurd to conclude from such superficial factors that Nairac was present at the Miami murders. 3/2/2023 1:00 AM PT. Video: Netflix. The three men were sent to serve their sentence in the Maze Prison, on the outskirts of Lisburn. [41] Fran O'Toole attempted to run away, but was quickly chased down by the gunmen who had immediately jumped down into the field in pursuit. Crozier had pleaded not guilty. The scene of the Miami Showband massacre Somerville would never. [2] On 4 April 1974, the proscription against the UVF had been lifted by Merlyn Rees, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. [30] Travers, the band's new bass player, assumed he was a British Army officer, an opinion shared by McCoy. Free shipping for many products! His cell was kept immaculately clean and visitors were required to remove their shoes before entering. Three band members were taken from their tour bus and shot . Its basic repertoire included cover versions of pop songs that were currently in the charts, and standard dance numbers. Browse 25,406 crime scene photos stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. [21][84], Former British soldier and writer Ken Wharton published in his book Wasted Years, Wasted Lives, Volume 1, an alternative theory that was suggested to him by loyalist paramilitarism researcher Jeanne Griffin; this was that the ambush was planned by Robin Jackson as an elaborate means of eliminating trumpet player Brian McCoy. The scene of the Miami Showband killings in County Down, Northern Ireland, on 31 July 1975. Miami 1975 - The Massacre In early 1975, bassist Steve Travers replaced Dave Monks. But the Sunday World has also learned that on January 4 1976, Jackson was accompanied by John Somerville when he burst into the home of the O'Dowd family at Ballyduggan, near Gilford, shooting three of them dead. The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband Massacre) was an attack by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, on 31 July 1975. [34] All the gunmen were members of the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade and had been lying in wait to ambush the band, having set up the checkpoint just minutes before. The Miami Showband massacre in 1975, had a devastating effect on the showband and live music scene. . Three band members were shot dead by loyalist gunmen. It was found 100 yards (91m) from the site with a "UVF Portadown" tattoo on it. The meeting was arranged by Rev. "Kevin Myers: The Miami Showband massacre was one of the most depraved massacres of the Troubles". 2023 Getty Images. 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He also took part in fatal bomb attacks at Kay's Tavern in Dundalk and Donnelly's Bar at Silverbridge, south Armagh. According to Martin Dillon, the order to shoot was given by the patrol's apparent leader, James McDowell,[36] to eliminate witnesses to the bogus checkpoint and subsequent bombing. When McCoy refused, Jackson then hatched his plan to murder McCoy and his bandmates in retaliation for what he viewed as having betrayed the loyalist cause, even macabrely choosing Buskhill as the ambush site due to its similarity to Bus-kill. And six years later - seconds before he was handed four life sentences - his voice boomed across the courtroom: "I'm being sent to prison because I wouldn't become an informer like the rest of them," he yelled at the trial judge.