Shankill Road bombing

Infobox terrorist attack
title=Shankhill Road bombing
location=Shankhill Road, Belfast,
Northern Ireland
target=Loyalist paramilitary leaders
date=October 23 1993
type=Time bomb
fatalities=10 (incl. bomber)
injuries=Unknown
perps=Provisional Irish Republican Army The Shankill Road bombing in Belfast, sometimes referred to as the Shankill bomb, was one of the most notorious incidents of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The Shankill Road had been the location of several other bomb and gun attacks, but the 1993 bombing had the largest loss of life and resulted in numerous revenge attacks. [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch93.htm CAIN] ]

The bombing

On October 23, 1993, a meeting between senior loyalist faction leaders, including several senior members of the Ulster Defence Association and Johnny Adair, one of the leaders of the Ulster Freedom Fighters, had been scheduled to take place in a flat above Frizzell's Fish Shop on the Shankill Road in the afternoon. [A Secret History of the IRA", Ed Moloney, 2002. 9PB) ISBN 0-393-32502-4 (HB) ISBN 0-71-399665-X p.415] p.415] For an unknown reason, the details were changed. Some sources claim that the location was moved, others suggest that it was rescheduled for another time or day.

The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) had heard about the original time, location and date of the meeting, and saw an opportunity to remove several of their most senior enemies in one blow. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/821698.stm BBC News] , 'Johnny Adair: Feared Loyalist Leader', 6 July 2000, Retrieved on 27 February 2007 ] To this end, Thomas Begley and Sean Kelly, two relatively junior IRA operatives, entered the fish shop dressed as deliverymen with a large bomb hidden under a cover on a plastic tray. They intended to leave the time bomb in the shop, where it would detonate once they had made their getaway. It was late afternoon on a Saturday so the shop was crowded and, as the two men made their way through the people inside, the bomb detonated prematurely. However the bomb only had an 11 second fuse, with Kelly since claiming that they would have given a warning to the shop's customers as the fuse was activated, giving them this short period of time to escape. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,350605,00.html "Guardian"] ] Thomas Begley and nine other people, including two children and the owner John Frizzell, with his daughter Sharon McBride, were killed in the subsequent explosion. [ [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1993.html CAIN] ]

The building collapsed, crushing many of the survivors under the rubble, where they remained until rescued some hours later by volunteers and emergency services. Many people were seriously injured in the explosion. Also at the scene during the rescue operation were several senior loyalist paramilitaries, including Adair.

Begley funeral

Begley was afforded a well attended republican funeral in West Belfast. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/294812.stm BBC News] ] [ [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,162636,00.html Time] ] Gerry Adams, president of Sinn Féin, was criticised in some quarters for acting as a pallbearer at the funeral. [ [http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0435/D.0435.199310270136.html Oireactas debate] . Retrieved 9th August 2007.] [ [http://www.preventgenocide.org/prevent/news-monitor/2001oct.htm] Retrieved: 9th August 2007] [ [http://www.communitydialogue.org/Peace_Comes_Dropping_Slow_HTML.htm] Retrieved: 9th August 2007] [ [http://irelandsown.net/News44.html] Retrieved: 9th August 2007] [ [http://www.earlham.edu/~pols/17Fall96/donovle/homepage4.html] Retrieved 10th August 2007.] However, others, including Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, commented that it was a role he had to fulfill. [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19991117/ai_n14262413] Retrieved 10th August 2007.] [ [http://www.phoblacht.net/lastsupper.html] Retrieved 10th August 2007.]

The aftermath prompted more bloodshed, as nineteen people were killed by the Ulster Volunteer Force and Ulster Freedom Fighters in the next two months, mostly at random, including seven in the Greysteel massacre on October 30.

Seán Kelly, the surviving IRA activist, was badly wounded in the explosion, but on his release from hospital was arrested and convicted of nine counts of murder, each with a corresponding life sentence. In July 2000, he was released under the Belfast Agreement.

ee also

*Directory of the Northern Ireland Troubles
*Chronology of Provisional IRA Actions
*Provisional IRA campaign 1969-1997

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4726915.stm BBC interview with victim of the attack]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/821698.stm BBC on Johnny Adair]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4722893.stm BBC on Sean Kelly]
* [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/index.html CAIN:Sutton Index: Information on previous attacks]