Mountainview Tavern attack
54°36′14″N 5°56′53″W / 54.604008°N 5.948119°W / 54.604008; -5.948119
18:00 GMT
Time bomb
On 5 April 1975 Irish republican paramilitary members killed a UDA volunteer and four Protestant civilians in a gun and bomb attack at the Mountainview Tavern on the Shankill Road, Belfast. The attack was claimed by the Republican Action Force believed to be a covername used by Provisional IRA (IRA) volunteers.
Background and events leading up to the attack
By 1975, the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles was more than six years old. On 10 February 1975, the Provisional IRA and British government entered into a truce and restarted negotiations. The IRA agreed to halt attacks on the British security forces, and the security forces mostly ended its raids and searches.[1] However, there were dissenters on both sides. Some Provisionals wanted no part of the truce, while British commanders resented being told to stop their operations against the IRA just when—they claimed—they had the Provisionals on the run.[1] The security forces boosted their intelligence offensive during the truce and thoroughly infiltrated the IRA.[1]
There was a rise in sectarian killings during the truce, which 'officially' lasted until early 1976. Ulster loyalists, fearing they were about to be forsaken by the British government and forced into a united Ireland,[2] increased their attacks on the Irish Catholic and nationalist community. They hoped to force the IRA to retaliate and thus hasten an end to the truce.[3] Under orders not to engage the security forces, some IRA units concentrated on tackling the loyalists. The fall-off of regular operations had caused serious problems of internal discipline and some IRA members, with or without permission from higher up the command chain, engaged in tit-for-tat killings.[1]
The Mountainview Tavern had been attacked before when, on the night of 23 May 1971 the IRA bombed the building with 18-20 lbs of high explosives, the blast injured 18 people.[4]
The attack
The attack was carried out by a three-man active service unit. At around 6.00pm two members of the unit opened fire in the bar with handguns before the third member of the unit ran in with the bomb, placed it where it would do most damage near the doorway, lit the fuse and then the unit ran out of the pub and drove away.[5] The force of the explosion was massive and brought the roof crashing in on the customers. The bar was packed with people waiting to watch the Grand National horse race when the attack happened. The getaway car used in the attack was found abandoned in the Springfield Road area:[citation needed] a stronghold for the IRA. It took rescue services hours to free people from the rubble.[citation needed]
See also
- Miami Showband killings
- Bayardo Bar attack
- Kingsmill massacre
- Hillcrest Bar bombing
- Shankill road bombing
Sources
- CAIN project
References
- v
- t
- e
- Battle of the Bogside/1969 riots
- RTÉ bombing
- Battle of St Matthew's
- Falls Curfew
- Crossmaglen bombing
- Scottish soldiers' killings
- Operation Demetrius
- Ballymurphy massacre
- Newry killings
- Red Lion Pub bombing
- McGurk's Bar bombing
- Balmoral showroom bombing
- Bloody Sunday
- Abercorn Restaurant bombing
- Donegall St bombing
- Battle at Springmartin
- Dungiven ambush
- Battle of Lenadoon
- Springhill massacre
- Bloody Friday
- Operation Motorman
- Claudy bombing
- Newry customs bombing
- Benny's Bar bombing
- Annie's Bar massacre
- Belturbet bombing
- Dublin bombings
- New Lodge Six shooting
- Coleraine bombings
- Rose & Crown Bar bombing
- Clogher barracks attack
- Dublin & Monaghan bombings
- Mountainview Tavern attack
- Bleary Darts Club shooting
- Strand Bar bombing
- Forkhill beer keg bomb
- Miami Showband killings
- Bayardo Bar attack
- Tullyvallen massacre
- October 1975 attacks
- Drummuckavall ambush
- Dublin Airport bombing
- Dundalk & Silverbridge attacks
- Central Bar bombing
- Reavey and O'Dowd killings
- Kingsmill massacre
- Castleblayney bombing
- Hillcrest Bar bombing
- Flagstaff Hill incident
- Charlemont pub attacks
- Store Bar shooting
- Chlorane Bar attack
- Ramble Inn attack
- Stag Inn attack
- Andersonstown incident
- Garryhinch ambush
- Jonesborough Gazelle shootdown
- La Mon restaurant bombing
- Warrenpoint ambush
- Dungannon land mine attack
1980s
- Dunmurry train bombing
- Lough Foyle attacks
- Altnaveigh landmine attack
- Glasdrumman ambush
- Divis Flats bombing
- Droppin Well bombing
- Ballygawley land mine attack
- Darkley killings
- Kesh ambush
- Strabane ambush
- Newry mortar attack
- Ballygawley barracks attack
- Birches barracks attack
- Clontibret invasion
- Loughgall ambush
- Remembrance Day bombing
- Milltown Cemetery attack
- Corporals killings
- Avenue Bar shooting
- Lisburn van bombing
- Aughanduff Lynx shootdown
- Ballygawley bus bombing
- Drumnakilly ambush
- Jonesborough ambush
- Derryard checkpoint attack
1990s
- Derrygorry Gazelle shootdown
- Downpatrick landmine attack
- Operation Conservation
- Armagh City roadside bombing
- Fort Victoria
- Proxy bombings
- Lough Neagh ambush
- Silverbridge Lynx shootdown
- Mullacreevie ambush
- Cappagh killings
- Craigavon mobile shop killings
- Glenanne barracks bombing
- Coagh ambush
- Musgrave Park Hospital bombing
- Craigavon Hyster killings
- Teebane bombing
- Sinn Féin Headquarters shooting
- Sean Graham bookmakers' shooting
- Clonoe ambush
- Cloghoge checkpoint attack
- Coalisland riots
- South Armagh sniper campaign
- Forensic Lab bombing
- James Murray's bookmakers attack
- Castlerock killings
- Cullaville occupation
- Battle of Newry Road
- Shankill Road bombing
- Greysteel massacre
- Fivemiletown ambush
- Crossmaglen Lynx shootdown
- 1994 Shankill Road killings
- Loughinisland massacre
- Killeeshil ambush
- Drumcree conflict
- Thiepval barracks bombing
- Coalisland attack
- 1997 riots
- Quinn brothers' killings
- Banbridge bombing
- Omagh bombing
- ^ a b c d Extracts from The Longest War: Northern Ireland and the IRA by Kevin J. Kelley. Zed Books Ltd, 1988. Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN)
- ^ Taylor, Peter (1999). Loyalists. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p.142
- ^ Taylor, Peter. Brits: The War Against the IRA. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001. p.182
- ^ "Northern Ireland - Hansard - UK Parliament".
- ^ "Man arrested over 1975 Shankill bar bombing". BBC News. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2017.