Provisional IRA North Antrim Brigade

The Provisional IRA North Antrim Brigade was a Provisional Irish Republican Army brigade organised in the North Antrim area of Northern Ireland. The brigade seems to have been relatively inactive. Following the 1972 incident below, no further members appeared on same roll of honour for a further twelve years, until 1984.The villages and towns of Dunloy,Carnlough,Ballycastle,Rasharkin,Loughguile and Cushendall provided support for that brigade

Actions:

1972
*5 February 1972 - Phelim Grant and Charles McCann, both Catholic members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, were killed in a premature explosion while placing a bomb (50lb of gelignite) on a barge, Lough Neagh, near Crumlin, County Antrim. It was apparently intended to sink several sand barges moored at Ballyginniff, near Crumlin. The IRA said they were volunteers and they are listed on the republican roll of honour as members of the Provisional IRA North Antrim Brigade. 1984
*21 February 1984 - Declan Martin (18) and Henry Hogan (21), both Catholic members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, were killed in a gun battle between undercover British Army members and Provisional Irish Republican Army members in Dunloy, County Antrim. Sergeant Paul Oram (26), a member of the British Army (14 Intelligence Company, parent regiment 9th/12th Royal Lancers), was also killed in the same incident. According to some sources the IRA discovered the 14 Intelligence Company in place keeping a house in Dunloy under surveillance. Three IRA men attempted an ambush in which Sergeant Oram was killed and another soldier wounded, although one of the soldiers had radioed for help. Two unmarked cars arrived, and Martin and Hogan were shot dead, while another IRA man escaped. Local people reported one IRA man calling for help before being "finished off". Martin and Hogan were members of the Provisional IRA North Antrim Brigade.

1989
*4 April 1989 - In October 1988 Gerard Casey's home in Rasharkin was raided by the RUC (Northern Ireland police). While there they removed a legally held shotgun and sketched an internal map of the home before taking him off to Castlereagh. On April 4th 1989 loyalists entered the home and shot dead Gerard Casey as he slept with his wife. Gerard Casey was a member of the IRA's North Antrim Brigade.

References

* [http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/ NI Conflict Archive on the Internet]
*McKittrick, D, Kelters, S, Feeney, B and Thornton, C. "Lost Lives". Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 1999, p150 and 151 (Crumlin) and 977 and 978 (Dunloy)