Belfast Magazine 74

BELFASTBELFASTMAGAZINEMAGAZINE

£2.50ISSN 1470-0417

HILLSIDE PLANE CRASH

Mellifont Abbey

OLD BELFAST

PHOTOGRAPHS

A mystery never

to be solvedWoman’s

terrible fate

ISSUE 74

Page 2 Belfast Magazine

Belfast Magazine Page 3

Highway robberies, a determined violator

and one of our youngest offenders

In July 1857 a rather rare occurrence in Ireland

took place not once but twice in one week. A

woman was stopped on the road near Kanturk,

Co Cork and robbed of 3s by a young man aged

around 20 who was carrying a pistol which he

pointed at her. The next day another woman was

stopped near Buttevant and was robbed of 7s as she

was passing through a deep glen on a very lonely

part of the road, a place that was once celebrated

for the number of robberies which took place there

in times past. The second woman was with her

servant and was travelling in a car when the robber

presented a pistol, and ordered her to deliver; he

had another pistol in the hand with which he seized

the horse. The police barrack in Buttevant was

informed and a patrol was immediately dispatched

and at daylight the acting constable came upon the

robber hiding a glen, not far from where the robbery

had taken place, and he was changing in to a set of

different clothes to make his escape. The robber

pointed a pistol at the policeman, but the constable

raised his weapon, a carbine, and summoned the

robber to surrender or die. The highwayman chose

the former and laid down his pistols. The remainder

of the patrol then caught up and the man was arrested

and taken to the police station where he admitted to

be Daniel Joseph of Dublin, self-described as a

retired convict.

Back in Belfast there was an incident when children were acting like highway robbers. A lady of the

highest respect was enjoying a walk along the banks of the River Lagan near Molly Wards with her two

children. The two young boys were engaged with playing along the riverbanks and were slowly making

their way along the path after their mother. There was at one time a considerable distance, which had

built up between the mother and her children, and five young mischief-makers took advantage of the two

little ones on their own. The five youths, aged between 10 and 14 tried to make friends with the little

boys and then by force they rifled their pockets of what they contained, which was not very much. The

rascals got away with only a penny and a little ornament anchor.

In August 1857 Peter

Slavin made yet

another appearance at

the Belfast police court.

It was his nineteenth

appearance and his third

in just one week. This

time Peter Slavin was

charged with a series of

disorderly acts and

assaults at the quay in

Belfast. Constable

Carruthers gave

evidence to the court

that he had seen Slavin

at the quay and heard

his cursing and

swearing in a loud and

offensive manner.

Slavin was observed

taking cake out of an old

woman’s basket, and

having broken it, threw

half of it into the street,

and the other half back

into the basket.

A gentleman who came

out of the Fleetwood

boat, happened

accidentally to brush up

against Slavin in the

crowd, was

immediately struck a

violent blow on to his

breast. Slavin then

turned to his own father

who was close by and

caught him by his neck

scarf and choked him

until he became black in

the face.

The policeman then

intervened and arrested

Slavin, but Slavin

caught the policeman by

the neck and tried to

choke him also, and

would have assaulted

him further had he not

been stopped by a

passer-by. Slavin could

say nothing in his

defence, as he could not

remember anything.

The magistrate called

him a ‘determined

violator’ of the peace.

He told him he abhorred

the way in which he

assaulted his own

parents and imprisoned

him to one month at

hard labour.


Robert Wolf was an acquaintance of the tea merchant Dickson and was arrested and charged with theft

from his friend and business associate. The main witness was a young boy who worked at the merchants

and he told the police that Mr Wolf was on a visit to Mr Dickson from Glasgow and that when Mr

Dickson was out of the shop for a short time Mr Wolf persuaded the boy to run an errand for him. When

the boy returned he saw Mr Wolf put some tea in his pockets and boxes of handkerchiefs under his coat.

He watched Mr Wolf then take out the counter brush and sweep away any evidence that he had spilt tea.

The little fellow alerted the police and Wolf was arrested with the articles in his possession. Mr Wolf said

nothing in his defence other than he was drunk at the time and was unconscious of what he was doing;

and the young boy and Mr Dickson both confirmed that Wolf had been drinking. The judge sentenced

him to two months imprisonment.

J ames Twedie, one of the

youngest offenders to appear

at the Belfast police courts in

September 1857 was charged with

the theft of a £1 note from the

counter of the Public Bakery in

Church Street. The young boy was

with his friend in the bakery when

the £1 note was set on the counter

and when the two youngsters left,

the note was also gone.

The police were alerted and they

arrested young Twedie but the

money was not found. This was

the fourth time that the young boy

had appeared in the police court.

The magistrate Mr W J C Allen

stated that ‘if there were a juvenile

reformatory in town he would

send the boy to it as long as there

was any chance of effecting a

reformation in him’. He then sent

the boy to prison for two months.

Donegall Square North around 1920


Hillside Plane Crash

O n August 19th 1949 a

B.E.A. Dakota plane,

flying from Belfast to Manchester

crashed on a remote hillside at

Kindersintake, Greenfield, near

Oldham in Lancashire. There

were only 32 people on the plane

and 24 were killed. Of 16 women

on board the plane, 14 were killed

and of six children on board only

two survived. All eight survivors

were seriously injured and were

treated at Oldham Royal

Infirmary, mostly for severe burns

and broken limbs.

The plane left Nutts Corner at

11.57 am and was due at Ringway

Airport near Manchester just one

hour later. At 12.58 the last

contact with the plane was made

when it contacted Ringway as it

turned to make its approach

towards the airport. All seemed

normal and the pilot did not report

any problems. Contact was then

lost and the plane crashed a few

mintues later in thick mist. The

plane expldoed on contact and

was burned out. At the time of

the crash visibility in the area was

down to just one and a half miles

and there was slight drizzle and

low clouds. The pilot of the

Dakota was in effect flying blind

in the mist and tried to descend to

discover where he was as he

became disorientated on his

approach. He crashed in desolate

and almost inaccessible moorland

on the Lancashire/Yorkshire

border at a local beauty spot

known as Winberry Stones which

is around 1300 feet high. If he

had been flying just 50 ft higher

he would have cleared the hill.

Locals from the town of

Greenfield heard the plane and

thought that it was flyign a bit low

but they could not see it, and

assumed that the cloud and mist

was affecting the sound coming

from the plane, but they heard the

crash clearly. The lcoal paper mill

sounded an alarm and the siren

could be heard for miles around,

calling the communities in the

area to help. Locals left their

work and homes to rush to the

scene to see if they could assist in

any way.

CONTINUED PAGE 7


5 Churchill Street,Belfast BT15 2BP

Tel: 9031 0859 Fax 9035 1326E-Mail:

[email protected] Page:

www.glenravel.com

The Belfast Magazine is a monthly publication

compiled by the Glenravel Local History Project. It

is just one of several Glenravel titles which aims to

promote an interest in the subject of local history. It

has always been claimed that history belongs of the

higher classes and looking at the way it has been

presented for decades then this would seem to be the

case. Glenravel are not interested in the history of

lords and earls, their estates and titles, instead we

are interested in the history of working class life.

We are not interested in politics either and we must

stress that if an article appears in the magazine which

appears to be a bit one sided then this is due to the

simple fact that it is taken from a Nationalist or

Unionist newspaper. We use both to try and

balance things out.

The Glenravel Local History Project is a local

historical scheme based in the North Belfast area.

It’s activities are centred around the educational

promotion and restoration of the areas historic

burying ground at Clifton Street and is named after

the nearby Glenravel Street which was destroyed to

make way for the disastrous Westlink road system.

The Belfast Magazine is not funded by any grant

making body and is entirely funded by you - the

reader. It’s profits are not used for personal gain but

for the continuing work of the overall scheme. If

you would like to support our work and advertise

your business at the same time then feel free to

contact our team at the above.

BELFAST MAGAZINE COVER PICTURE

BELFAST MAGAZINEOn sale every month in all leading

newsagents throughout the city

Looking down Castle Junction towards High Street

around the turn of the last century.

BELOW - The same view today

There is perhaps no more fruitful form of

education than to arouse the interest of a

people in their own surroundings


The first on the scene were two

farmers, who found the airplane

burning firecely, bodies strewn

across a ravine and luggage,

jewellery, valuables and debris

scatttered over a wide area.

Despite the fierce heat coming

from the burning plane the two

men tried to pull people from the

wreckage and managed to pull

eight people to safety.

Meanwhile workers from the

paper mill and hurriedly

organised rescue parties,

including eight doctors who

summoned ambulances and fire

brigades from Oldham, Ashton

under Lyme and West Ridings,

made their way a quickly as they

could up the hill. 30 RAF

mountain rescue officers from

Buxton, 45 miles away, rushed by

car to the scene carrying

stretchers and walkie talkie

equipment.

Hundreds of people wathched

from vantage points up to four

miles away as relays of

ambualnces carried away the

dead and injured. For over five

hours the rescuers worked at the

scene, hampered by the fact there

were no roads or paths and

rescuers had to walk for 30

minutes from the crash scene

before reaching the nearest roads.

It took 12 men to carry each

stretcher on the journeys down

from the hill to the road.

The last body recovered was that

of the pilot, his watch had

stopped at two minutes past one.

There was tremendous interest in

the crash from Ireland as many

people had relatives and friends

on the flight. One woman, Miss

Kitty McMahon, aged 31 and

from Cullentra, Fivemiltown, Co

Tyrone, was seriously injured in

the crash. She was returning to

her job in England after a short

holiday with her parents in

Tyrone.

The dead included a family party

returning home after a holiday in

Co Down and the group were

almost wiped out. Mr and Mrs

Prestwich, their daughters Anne,

aged 10, and Jane, aged 8, were

killed but their 2 year old son

Michael survived. The family

had been visiting Mrs

Prestwiches mother who lived in

Killinchy. Another family party

was also involved in the crash.

Mr and Mrs Evans and their son

Roger, aged 2, were injured but

their other son, Stephen, aged 5,

was killed. Mrs Evans had come

to Ireland with her children to

spend a five week holiday with

her parents and her husband had

jointed her to help with the

children on the return journey.

Also killed was Mrs Sarah Baird

who had come to Belfast for the

funeral of her father Mr Samuel

Wilson of Hampton Park. The

dead also included Miss

Bromilow and Miss O’Farrell,

nieces of Miss Hudson, matron

of the Childrens Hospital on the

Falls Road. They were returning

home after a short holiday in

Belfast with their aunt.

It took several days to identify all

the bodies, many of which were

only identified by clothing or

jewellery. Services of

remembrance were held

throughout Ireland and England

as inquests were held to confirm

the cause of death and allow for

funerals to be held.


Queen’s Quay Railway Station around 1890

Lower North Street in 1926


1919

1919

1919

1919

Dublin Road shop in 1919

Shipyard workers pictured on the Queen’s

Quay on their way to work in 1919


The following is an independent review of our city centre tour which was written by Andrew

Johnston for the Culture Northern Ireland website. For tour details see back cover.

TOURS REVIEWThe Darker Side of Belfast’s History

Nazis, body snatchers,

drunkards, lunatics,

hangings, beheadings,

slums, brothels, men

killing rats with their

bare teeth… No, it’s not

a night on the town with

Colin Farrell, but some

of the horrors you will

hear about on the

Glenravel Local

History Project’s

walking tour The

Darker Side of Old

Belfast.

The tour takes in the

streets in and around

the Cathedral Quarter,

or to give it its original

name, 'the Half Bap'.

Long before the

Troubles, this place had

its fair share of misery,

and guides Joe Baker

and Michael Liggett are

dying to tell us about it.

We begin on the corner

of Academy Street and

Exchange Street West,

behind St Anne’s

Cathedral. None of the

old buildings remain,

thanks to the sterling

efforts of the Luftwaffe

and the paramilitaries,

so Baker and Liggett

encourage us to use our

imaginations.

This area was home to

the dirt-poor of

Victorian Belfast, who

lived – if you can call it

'living' – in

overcrowded tenement

blocks. Baker’s tales of

disease, degradation

and untimely death are

disturbing, even to

someone who has

watched all seven Saw

movies.

Also resident here were

Belfast’s body

snatchers. The

'resurrection men', as

they were known, dug

up corpses from Clifton

Street Cemetery and

shipped them out to

medical schools in

Edinburgh. When

Baker explains that a

single cadaver could

earn the criminals the

equivalent of three

years’ wages, you can

kind of understand why

they did it.

(Before you get all

moral, consider how

much modern medical

science owes to Burke

and Hare and their ilk

– we’d be 100 years

behind if it weren’t for

the grave robbers,

reckons Baker).

Moving along through

the cobbled streets, we

stop in an alleyway

behind the Duke of

York bar and restaurant.

Amidst the pigeon

droppings and

overflowing bins,

Baker spills his guts on

the dubious

e n t e r t a i n m e n t

Victorian-era drinkers

could enjoy in the

shebeens around these

parts. The story about

the 'lunatics' (i.e.,

alcoholics) who would

tear rats apart with their

teeth for a wager will

stay with me for some

time.

As we head out onto

Waring Street, Liggett

takes over, relating

strange incidents from

Belfast’s past, such as

the Mafia-style

shooting in the 1930s of

a Turkish circus giant,

whose body was found

naked save a pink

bathing cap, and the

Belfast News-Letter’s

world exclusive

publication in 1776 of

news of the American

Declaration of


Independence.

To underline that the

darker side wasn’t the

only side old Belfast

had, Liggett dispenses

locally relevant

factoids concerning

Madame Tussaud and

Jonathan Swift.

The tour ends outside

Primark on Castle

Place, near the scene of

many of Belfast’s

public hangings. We

can’t get to the exact

spot because a group of

teenagers are drinking

across from

McDonald’s, but we’re

close enough. ‘All our

g r e a t - g r e a t -

grandparents were

probably standing right

here, watching,’ grins

Liggett. ‘That’s

probably why we’re so

wired-up today. It’s in

our genes.’

The Darker Side of Old

Belfast is a hugely

enjoyable two and a

half hours, delivered

with trademark

blacker- than-black

Ulster humour by the

e n d l e s s l y

knowledgeable Baker

and Liggett. It’s not a

ghost tour, more a

macabre history lesson,

though the guides do

throw in a few

supernatural titbits.

Being an atheist, I’m

duty-bound not to

believe in the likes of

Galloper Thompson,

Haddock’s Ghost or the

Five Mary’s. But you

never know: after all,

the first draft of this

review came to 666

words…

The Darker Side of Old

Belfast walking tour

(suitable for adults

only) departs on the last

Sunday of each month

at 6.30pm from St

Anne’s Cathedral. For

more information, visit

www.toursofbelfast.com.

At Belfast Crimes Court James Steenson, no address given,

and Albert Kennedy of Hunter Street in the Sandy Row

area, were charged with assaulting Constable Albert

Johnston, with damaging his uniform and with damaging

a door in the licensed premises of Michael Caulfield in

Albion Street on Tuesday evening, August 6th 1935.

In court evidence was given by Constable Johnston and

also by the publican Michael Caulfield on behalf of the

prosecution. Michael Caulfield recalled that on the day

of the assault the two accused walked into his pub, the

worse for drink and with another man ordered three glasses

of water. He gave them the water and one of the men left.

The two accused remained in the pub, standing at the bar

counter and asked Caulfield if he would stand them a drink.

Caulfield told them to go home and to come back when

they could "stand". The men were not well pleased but

they ordered a glass of beer and as Caulfield was afraid of

any trouble erupting he served the beer and asked his

assistant to get the police. When Constable Johnston

arrived the trouble started.

Constable Johnston arrived at the bar and saw the two

accused at the counter. Caulfield again asked them to leave

but they refused and then the policeman asked to leave,

and put them out of the bar. They came back in and both

the accused assaulted the policeman. Steenson tried to

get the policeman’s revolver from its holster and Kennedy

took his baton. Constable Johnston managed to get his

baton back and hit Steenson with it to prevent him from

taking his gun. Kennedy attacked the policeman again,

tearing at his belt, and during the fracas the Constable had

one of his fingers injured. Constable Johnston shouted to

Caulfield to get more police as he managed to hold the

prisoners until more police arrived.

Caulfield told the court that he knew Kennedy and

Steenson well, they often came to his pub for a drink and

he had never had any trouble with them before. He

submitted to court a receipt for £4 for the damage caused

to his premises. The accused gave no evidence in their

defence and both men were sent to prison for two months

with hard labour and ordered to pay all costs incurred.

Hard Labour and Jail for Two Men


Death from Gunshot WoundOn September 11th 1954 an inquest was held on

two year old Owen Samuel James Allen from the

Hillhall Road in Lisburn. Owen Allen died on

September 9th after he had been admitted to the

Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn suffering from a

gusnhot wound in his chest.

The main evidence at the inquest came from the

childs father, Harold Allen from 103 Hillhall Road.

He told the coroner that his wife had put their son

to bed around 8pm on the Wednesday evening, the

8th, as normal. When Harold Allen left for work

the next morning around 8 am his son was fast asleep

in bed and his wife was also still in bed. Around

10.20 am a message was relayed ot him at work to

return home immediately as something terrible had

taken place and he was taken to the hospital where

he identified the body of his son at 3.30 pm. Mr

Allen then explained that his wife, Mary aged only

25, was then arrested and charged with the murder

of their son, Owen.

Mary Allen appeared in court several times in the

September and October of 1954 but as she was

undergoing medical treatment she did not appear

on the charge of murder until the Winter Assizes in

December of 1954. On the 3rd December 1954

Mary Allens story was told in the Belfast courts.

On that fateful morning of the 9th September the

first anyone knew that something was wrong was

when Mary called at her neighbours house in an

hysterical state. Her neighbour Mrs Totten tried to

calm her down so that she could find out what had

happened to put her in such a terrible condition.

Mary eventually was able to explain that she had

shot Owen and that Mrs Totten should call for a

doctor quickley. Mrs Totten ran to another

neighbour to get help and Mary fled her neighbours

house and went back to Owen. While Mrs Totten

went for a doctor the adjoining neighbour Mrs

Anderson went to the the Allen household where

she found Mary again in an hysterical state, standing

over the cot where Owen lay bleeding, unmoving

and silent. Mary screamed at Mrs Anderson, "I have

shot Owen, is there anything you can do for him?".

Mrs Anderson looked into the cot and Owen was

bleeding profusely from his chest but was still

breathing. An ambulance arrived an took him to

Lagan Valley hospital but he died there shortly after

3 pm.

At Mary’s trial Mrs Anderson gave evidence that

Mary had been very fond of the child and that she

cared well for him but that since he had been born

Mary had not been quite the girl she had been. She

was always very nervous and agitated, she had lost

all her confidence and seemed unsure of herself.

Beside the cot, lying on the floor was a .22 BSA

rifle which belonged to Mr Allen and was always

kept in the house. Mary told Mrs Anderson that

she had used it to shoot Owen. Mary in her hysteria

explained that "something had told her to do it".

Dr Charles Robinson the mdiecal superintendent at

Purdysburn Hospital stated that while Owen was

fighting for his life in the hospital Mary Allen had

pleaded with him to save Owens life, she told him

that she did not want her son to die. After Mary

was arrested and sent to Armagh Prison, he visited

her there several times, trying to find out what had

happened to Mary and she told him that many times

before she shot Owen, and in particular in the weeks

leading up to the shooting she had tried to gas

herself. Marys own doctor told the court how two

months before she shot Owen she had come to visit

him. He had diagnosed depression and anxiety and

had prescribed her treament for her nervous state.

He had also arranged for her to see a psychiatrist.

When asked about Marys state of mind of the day

of the shooting her own doctor, Dr McClelland

repled: "I have no doubt that the cause of this awful


tragedy was a brainstorm of some description. At

the time, I don’t think she was capable fo

appreciating that what she was doing was wrong".

The medical superintendent concurred with this

opinion and the jury at the Belfast court took less

"I am done, father""I am done, father, my leg and arm are off". These were the last words spoken to his father by William

Smith, a 30 year old shunter of Islandbawn Street, Falls area in Belfast. William was being visited in

the Royal Victoria Hospital by his father after he was taken there after a shunting accident at Maysfield

Depot where he worked. The young man died from his injuries a few hours after his admission to the

hospital.

The circumstances of the accident were brought to light during the inquest into his death which returned

a verdict of accidental death when it sat in August 1926.

William J McKee of Ava Cottage at Clandeboye, who was the examiner for the railway company

where William Smith worked gave evidence. He told the coroner that he was making an examination

of the waggons of a Dublin special cattle train that had just arrived when he heard someone shout

"Billy". He went back and found Smith lying between the rails with his left foot caught in the check

rail. He was two waggons from the engine; it was William Smiths job to uncouple the waggons from

the engine.

James Gallagher, the engine driver, from Dundalk stated that before going into the siding Smith gave

him the signal to stop and when witness looked over the side of the engine the deceased was stooping

and going in between the engine and the first waggon. The train was in motion at this time, and the

witness did not see Smith come out again. The train was almost stopped but it ran over him all the

same. The driver assumed that Smith would wait until the train had completely stopped.

His father told the court that he had identified his son and had spoken only briefly to him in the

hospital. His son did not tell him what had happened and was in no fit state to be questioned about the

accident before he died.

Mr Lewis from the railway company extended his sympathies to the Smith family. He explained that

Smith had given the driver the signal to stop and going, he supposed to uncouple the wagons before

the train came to a standstill Smith stumbled or something, and that was how the accident happened.

It was contrary to regulations to go between the waggons unless the train was at a standstill. It was

pointed out to the coroner that Smith had caught his foot on the check rail and if the rail had not been

there, no accident would have occurred. The coroner praised the workers on the railway line and

stated his surprise that his court was not full of dead railway workers considering the risks that they

take every day. He believed that they must have good staffs at the various railway termini in the city.

than 10 minutes to find Mary Allen, aged only 25,

guilty, but insane, on the charge of murdering her

two year old son, Owen. She was sentenced to be

detained under the Mental Health Act at the pleasure

of the Governor of N. Ireland.


MORE TRUE CASES FROM THE OLD BELFAST COURTSFORTUNE TELLING

IN BELFAST

WIDOW’S AMUSING

EVIDENCE

In the Belfast Summons Courton

16th April 1908 before Mr F C

Johnstone and other magistrates,

Elizabeth Fisher of 50 Kenbaan

Street, was summoned for

professing to tell fortunes, "to

deceive and impose upon certain

of his Majesty’s subjects, contrary

to statute,"on April 11th.

Mr T A Lewis prosecuted and Mr

N Tughan appeared for the

defence.

Detective-Constable Stewart

stated that he had had defendant’s

house under observation for some

time and had frequently seen

young women and girls enter.

Elizabeth Crawford of 16 Perry

Street said she went with a friend

to defendant’s house on 11th April

having heard that she was "awful

good" at telling the future. In the

kitchen defendant shuffled a pack

of cards and asked witness to take

some from the top. Witness lifted

the cards as directed and

defendant then told her that a dark

man was dying about her.

(Laughter)

Defendant afterwards told her to

have a wish.

Mr Lewis - Did you take a wish?

- Oh that doesn’t matter; that is

my own. She was not able to tell

me that.

What did she say? - She said I

would get my wish, but I didn’t

get it.

Did she say anything to you about

how soon you would be married

to that man? - Very soon.

(Laughter)

How much did you pay for this

performance? - Threepence.

Mr Tughan - And when did you

take the notion of going round to

get the future read? - I just heard

about this woman and I thought I

would go and hear about getting

a good man. (Laughter)

You are lonely now? - Yes Sir,

certainly; we are all lonely

without a man. (Laughter) You

are no place without a man, Sir.

(More laughter)

You never got your fortune told

before? - Never, but I just heard

that much talk about this woman.

I never worked out before and I

was working in a place where they

told me about her.

Who sent you round there? -

Nobody.

When you went round the pack

of cards was produced? - I was

asked to sit down, as she was

talking to two women in the back

room.

Did she pull down the blind? - I

never took heed to the blind. The

candle was on the table and mind

you it was not very big.

(Laughter)

Did you tell her you were looking

for a man? - Oh no.

What did you say? - Well she

"knowed" what we wanted.

(Laughter)

Upon further cross-examination

the witness said that she wished

that she might hear from her

brother who was away from

home, but she had not yet heard

from him.

Minnie Hughes, 241

Newtownards Road, said she

accompanied the last witness to

defendant’s house. Witness lifted

some of the cards and defendant

told her she was going to meet

with a disappointment.

Afterwards the cards were cut,

and defendant said a dark man

wanted to keep the witness’s

company. (laughter)

Mr Tughan, for the defence, said

the witness had not been deceived

in any way by the defendant. He

was not going to say that the

practice of telling fortunes ought

to be observed, but the

prosecution was brought under a

criminal statute, which meant

absolute imprisonment or nothing

to the defendant.

Elizabeth Fisher was freed.

Elizabeth Fisher claimed she

could see into the future yet she

could not see the police

arriving to arrest her!


Tuesday February, 3rd, 1858

CURIOUS CHARGE

An old, withered looking

harridan, named Susan Magee,

was charged by a young woman,

very respectable in appearance,

named Eliza Jane Mc Connell,

with "calling her out of her name."

Mr. Seeds was concerned for the

prosecution, and Mr. Sheals

defended. Complainant

examined by Mr. Seeds - I know

the prisoner. We both reside in

Peter’s Hill. She came into my

house, and, without any

provocation, she used very

offensive expressions to me. She

said I had a child by my stepfather.

I put her out of my house, and

when she got to the street she

repeated the accusation. Cross-

examined by Mr. Sheals - I am

living with my mother. I was so

unfortunate as to have a child. My

stepfather was not the father of the

child. The prisoner came into the

kitchen. I put her out. She did

not state that she had heard it but

made the assertion herself. Maria

Wilson, examined by Mr. Seeds -

Heard the prisoner call the names

with which she is charged. Cross-

examined by Mr. Sheals - The last

time I was here was for a "simple

drop of drink." I could not tell

you how many times, perhaps a

hundred. I did not commence to

circulate the charge against the

young woman. Mr. Sheals

addressed the bench for the

defence, and acknowledged that

the defendant did make use of the

offending words, but that she was

told them by the witness Wilson,

and that, when using them, she

said she "heard" the story, and did

not originate it. Judge - It is most

unwomanly this attack upon this

young girl. She has been

unfortunate, but that is no reason

why an old harridan like you

should use such language towards

her, no matter whether you heard

it or not. You are to pay a fine of

5s, and 10s costs, or be

imprisoned for one month.

Monday, 15th February, 1858

A FEROCIOUS CUSTOMER

A woman in town named Anne

Malone, was charged with being

"drunk and disorderly, and using

obscene language." When locked up

in the cell, for her amusement she

caught hold of a sister in affliction by

the hand, and actually bit a finger off

her. She was fined in 10s, and costs,

or fourteen days’ imprisonment. She

walked off vowing vengeance.

Looking up High Street from the Albert Memorial Clock in 1897


A mystery never to be solvedS eptember 1933 brought to Carrickfergus a

mysterious and strange discovery on the quiet

foreshore at Kilroot. The skeleton of a man was

found embedded in clay by a local man while he

was out walking. This gruesome discovery was

made by Mr Donald Lockhart, a farmer, who was

out walking on his land, tracing the shore and

carrying out an examination of the battery wall

which protected his land from the sea. The

preceding days had brought stormy weather and

high tides and the walls which protected Mr

Lockhart’s property had been seriously damaged by

the heavy waves which thrashed it.

At a point near the battery wall Mr Lockhart turned

over a large boulder on the shore side of the battery

wall and he was shocked to discover a skull

embedded in the clay. He recognised immediately

that it was a human skull for although the skull was

partly buried, the teeth were still visible. He ran

straight away to get the police and stayed with them

until the remains were removed. As the police dug

into the clay they discovered bones of various sizes

and fragments of what at first appeared to be cloth.

All items were removed from the beach, as it was

at a point where the tide reached up to each day and

there was great concern that some items may be

lost in the next tide.

The remains were taken out of the clay on the beach

and transported by the police to Dr Killen at the

morgue at Carrickfergus for examination. When

the bones were sorted out the doctor found some

small pieces of grey cloth and also three small

wooden buttons which the police had mistaken for

small bones. A rusting and decayed iron bar was

also found at the spot where the remains were found

and they were also examined by the police and

medical examiner.

Throughout the local area there was a lot of

speculation as to who the remains belonged to and

how they had got there. Many in the area believed

that the bones had been washed up in the high tides

that had been experienced in recent weeks but the

police seemed more inclined to the theory that the

remains had been buried in the clay for a number of

years. They were concerned in trying to identify

the body and also to find out whether foul play was

involved in the demise of the remains. The rumours

around the town were of a local murder, a body

dumped after being killed, this mainly fuelled by

the reporting that the skull still had flesh attached

to it. The medical examiner was more inclined to

the body having been embedded for a number of

years, the flesh preserved in the clay.

The inquest was held at the courthouse in

Carrickfergus and was full to the brim with

interested spectators, determined to find out what

the real story behind the mysterious remains.

Constable Ernest Totten was the first witness called

at the inquest, he had been present when the body

had been dug up and he confirmed to the court that

the iron bar found had no connection to the remains,

it had been buried for at least 15 years and there

were no surface wounds on the remains that would

suggest an attack by an iron bar. The constable

confirmed that the cloth and buttons found with the

remains could possibly belong to a soldier’s uniform

but at this stage in the investigation this was merely

speculation.


Dr Samuel Killen was next to give evidence and he

told the coroner that he saw the remains being dug

up. When collected together they formed the

skeleton of a male person, but due to the condition

of the remains it was not possible for him to

comment on how long the skeleton had been lying

on the shore, nor how death occurred. A thigh bone

and most of the bones of the hands and feet were

missing. The remains were also partially wrapped

in an old army blanket but this only fuelled the

mystery of the affair and added to the general topic

of conversation in the district of the time, everyone

was discussing the mystery of the skeleton the on

the beach.

Further inquiries were made and as far as the police

could ascertain, all people reported missing in the

district over recent years had been accounted for,

this skeleton was not local.

After a short deliberation the jury found in

accordance with the statement of Dr Killen, cause

of death was unknown, as was the identity of the

man found.

Woman’s terrible fateI n July 1912 Mary Ann

McMullan, aged 35 years,

was found lying in Great

Patrick Street, Belfast in the

early hours of a Tuesday

morning. She was

unconscious and was taken to

the nearby Mater Hospital

where she died shortly after

being admitted. Due to the

nature of her injuries it was

decided by the authorities that

a post mortem be held by

Professor Symmers of Queens

University, Belfast along with

Dr Peter Clearkin of the Mater

Hospital.

Evidence showed that Mary

Ann McMullan who had no

permanent home,

employment or family had

succumbed from the effects of

blows to the head, probably

caused by a hammer.

Professor Symmers gave most

of the evidence at the inquiry

and stated that when he made

his examinations of her

remains he found no fewer

than twenty fresh bruises on

the body, but only two of these

were of any real importance,

and the important ones were

on the front of the right arm

and on the finger. Each of

these bruises was the size of

half a crown.

When he first examined her

head nothing could be seen

externally, but under the skin

he found an enormous

quantity of blood on the top

of the head in two places, each

being the size of ones hand.

In the middle of one of these

patches of blood he found that

the skin of the head had been

driven into the bone of the

skull, and immediately under

this there was a cut in the skin

of the bone, and the bone itself

was crushed in a V-shaped

manner-the shape in which

one would extend the first two

fingers of the hand. A portion

of the bone was driven in on

to the brain and the skull

bones were torn apart with

great violence and separated

by as much as a quarter of an

inch. The forehead bone was

completely broken in two

between the eyes, and the two

side bones of the head were

torn apart so that enormous

violence must have been used.

The whole skull was simply

crushed and broken.

The Professor told the inquiry

that the brain was very

seriously wounded and the

whole surface of it was torn


and mashed. A lot of blood

was spread over the face of the

brain and the cause of death

was the haemorrhage and

laceration of the brain. The

dead woman had most

probably received a blow from

some blunt instrument, such

as a club or a hammer. She

was struck on the back of the

skull where the bone was

crushed in, and the brain was

forced forward to the front

bone.

The Professor told the court

that although there were no

visible injuries it could

possible have been caused by

a fall but he did not think it

was probable. The twenty

bruises had occurred within 24

hours of her death and that

they could have been caused

in scuffling but the cause of

the bruises on the hand and

arm were definite blows. He

confirmed to the court that

after Mary Ann had been

struck on the head she would

have fallen unconscious and

would not have been able to

walk any distance.

The police admitted that they

had no evidence concerning

who may have attacked Mary

Ann nor any other clues as to

where she had been or whom

she had been with.

The coroner addressed the

jury and told them that they

could reach an open verdict in

case any further evidence

would be forthcoming. He

added that there was no doubt

that person or persons

unknown had murdered Mary

Ann McMullan. She could

not have walked a step after

she had been attacked and

therefore she had most

probably been murdered at a

house somewhere and then

carried to Great Patrick Street

and laid out where she was

subsequently found.

The jury then asked to speak

to the Professor again. They

asked him if there was any

possibility of Mary Ann

having fallen against a wall or

against a curbstone and the

Professor said that there was

of course some possibility but

from the position of the fatal

wound it was almost

impossible to get if by a fall.

The injury was exactly what

would be got with a blow from

a carpenters hammer.

The jury then found that the

woman came to her death

from haemorrhage and

lacerations of the brain

following a fracture of the

skull "the result of violence

inflicted by some person at

present unknown to the jury".

No one was ever charged with

the murder of poor Mary Ann

McMullan. The police

investigation came up against

a brick wall with no witnesses

and no friends or family of the

victim to interview they knew

so little about her. No one ever

came forward to say that they

had seen her the night she was

murdered and in the end she

became another statistic in the

violence of Belfast in the early

20th century.

Mary was taken to the Mater Hospital where she died


MILLIFONT

ABBEY

ROAMING IRELANDWe at the Glenravel Project regularly visit different sites of historical interest

throughout the country. For up to date information on all the latest trips

visit the Facebook page of the Glenravel Local History Project

Mellifont Abbey is a ruined 12th-

century Cistercian monastery near

Monasterboice in County Louth.

It is of considerable historical

significance, for it was the

Cistercians' first and most

important abbey in Ireland, and a

site of conflict between the Irish

and the Anglo-Normans.

Most of what remains of the great

Mellifont Abbey is only

foundations, but there is a fine

lavabo that is mostly intact, along

with the chapter house and a

section of the cloister. There are

also evocative ruins of a great

gateway and a small church

nearby.

History

By the mid-12th century, Irish

monastic life (as in many other

places) had become significantly

less austere and more corrupt than

in earlier days. So in 1140,

Malachy, Bishop of Down,

invited a group of severe

Cistercian monks from Clairvaux

to set up a monastery in Ireland

and act as a reforming influence.

Malachy had stopped by

Clairvaux in France during a

pilgrimage to Rome and had been

so impressed by St. Bernard

(founder of the Cistercian order)

and his monks that he converted

to the monastic life himself.

Malachy was canonized a saint

after his death.

A group of Irish and French

monks settled in this remote site


in 1142 and began construction in

the traditional Cistercian style.

This marked the first time that a

monastery was built in Ireland

with the formal layout used in the

Continent.

Within a couple decades, before

Mellifont's church was even

consecrated, nine more Cistercian

monasteries were established in

Ireland. At its height, Mellifont

was the mother house of 21

monasteries and as many as 400

monks made Mellifont Abbey

their home. In 1152, the abbey

hosted the Synod of Drogheda.

By this time, all the monks of

Mellifont were Irish, for an early

dispute between the native Irish

monks and the imported French

monks led to the departure of the

latter.

After the Dissolution of the

Monasteries under King Henry

VIII, Mellifont Abbey was

demolished and sold. A fortified

Tudor manor house was built on

the site in 1556 by Edward

Moore, using materials scavenged

from the monastic buildings.

This house was the site of a

turning point in Irish history. After

Hugh O'Neill, last of the great

Irish chieftains, was defeated in

the Battle of Kinsale (1603), he

was given shelter here by Sir

Garret Moore. O'Neill soon

surrendered to the English Lord

Deputy Mountjoy and was

pardoned, but he fled to the

Continent in 1607 with other Irish

leaders in the Flight of the Earls.

The site of Mellifont Abbey and

its manor house was abandoned

in 1727.

What to See

The first ruins visitors encounter

are those of the abbey church,

which has a typical cruciform plan

and some gravestones in its floor.

Beyond this, to the south, is the

cloister (with only a short section

of its colonnade remaining) and

the chapter house.

The chapter house remains mostly

intact and is partially paved with

medieval glazed tiles that

originally decorated the church.

Adjacent to this was the refectory,

kitchen and warming room. The

monks' sleeping quarters was in

the eastern range.

The most beautiful structure at

Mellifont is the lavabo, an

octagonal washing house. Built in

the early 13th century, it used lead

pipes to bring water from the

river.

Up the hill from Mellifont Abbey

and worth a quick look is a ruined

little church, of unknown (to us)

date but presumably used by the

lay employees of the monastery.

Getting There

Mellifont Abbey is about 1.5km

off the R168, which connects

Drogheda with Collon. A back

road connects Mellifont with

Monasterboice. There is no public

transportation to the abbey.

Belfast Magazine Page 21200 YEARS OF BELFAST HISTORY

Visit the most historic site in Belfast

CLIFTON STREET GRAVEYARDSEE THE OLD BELFAST POORHOUSE

Not a pleasant place to be in Victorian times!

VISIT THE GRAVES OF THE FOUNDERS OF IRISH REPUBLICANISM

Did you know that they were all Presbyterians and Freemasons!

THE CHOLERA PITS

Where the remains of thousands of victims of this horrific disease

lie buried inches beneath the soil

THE GRAVE ROBBERS

Discover why corpses were stolen from this very cemetery and sold

THE FAMINE GRAVE

See Belfast’s largest remaining grave from the period of the Great Hunger

And lots, lots more ranging from the founders of the worlds oldest newspaper

to the inventor of Christmas cards

200 YEARS OF BELFAST HISTORY

MEET OUTSIDE St ANNE’S CATHEDRAL

EVERY SUNDAY AT 11am

£7 (£10 tour includes local history booklet and DVD on cemetery)


Keep up to date with all our

publications and events by visiting

the Facebook page of the

Glenravel Local History Project

Never Let The Truth Get InThe Way Of A Good Story

If there is one thing that we

at the Glenravel Project are

very proud of it's the fact that

every single story we do is

extremely well researched. We

are well aware that all our material

goes straight into the local

libraries as well as the university

libraries throughout Britain and

Ireland so we are only going to

get one chance to get it right. This

being the case there are indeed

others throughout our city who

deliberately change our history to

suit their own needs. Now,

believe it our not, I'm not talking

about politicians here because

they have been doing it for years

but people such as developers

who have changed things a bit and

even local tour guides who really

should know better.

Take this 'Cathedral Quarter' for

example. One thing I enjoy

watching in this area is the tourists

who walk up and down Donegall

Street with their guide books open

looking everywhere for this

buzzing arts scene.

'Cathedral Quarter' is a name

given to the historic Half Bap area

by Laganside who wanted to copy

Dublin's Temple Bar forgetting

that Temple Bar is a total failure.

Anyway they then go on to

present the history of the area and

tell us the sanitised version

leaving out the fact that this was

Victorian Belfast's red light

district as well as one of our most

notorious slums where disease

and death were a regular

occurrence.

Another aspect of this sanitised

version of history are the

information boards which have

been placed in many parts of the

city by the City Council. Now let

me point out that I think these are

a great idea but it's whats on them

that I have a problem with. For

example going briefly back to

'Cathedral Quarter' these signs

inform us that the New Lodge and

old Sailortown areas are also part

of 'Cathedral Quarter' Tell that to

the residents! The history on them

is true but it what they don't say

that's the problem. Take the one

in Castle Place for example. It

informs us that Belfast's last

public hanging took place there.

No it didn't. The last public

hanging was the first hanging at

the Belfast Prison which was


carried out in full view of the

surrounding area and the massive

crowds who showed up to watch.

What this sign does not tell us is

that all the horrific executions

such as hung, drawn and

quartered took place here.

Another aspect that these signs

tend to leave out is the period

known as The Troubles. If you

read these signs that long, long

conflict never took place. Now

I'm not saying we should

glamourise this in any way but we

should certainly not pretend that

it never happened. I have spoken

to many tourists over the years

and Belfast is on the same par as

Beirut and most of these tourists

come to see the so called peace

walls as well as the murals in both

republican and loyalist areas. Lets

not pretend we are something we

are not.

Now most of the bus tours realise

that tourists wish to see these

things and take them to the one in

West Belfast which brings them

up the Falls and down the Shankill

but unfortunately some of these

tours just fill tourists heads full of

wee sweety white mice as we say

in these parts. One of the tours

which comes down the Shankill

had obviously nothing to talk

about in the section between

Agnes Street and Peter's Hill so

they focused in on the KFC outlet

and informed people that Colonel

Sanders who founded KFC gave

money to the UVF and yes you

read that right. But is it any

different to the bus tour which

states that the Titanic was the

greatest ship ever built. Am hello

- it sank on its maiden voyage!

Back to Laganside another

development they were involved

in was McHugh's Bar behind the

Albert Clock. Now I was invited

to the opening of this

establishment and was shocked to

discover that it was established in

1711. I instantly knew this was

wrong and asked around for

someone who could tell me more

about this. I was introduced to

one of the PR guys from

Laganside and he told me that

they had discovered bricks in the

basement which they were able to

date back to 1711. Now how they

done this is beyond me but

someone should tell Tony

Robinson and his Time Team guys

that Laganside had a device which

could date ancient items right

down to an exact year! leaving

that aside lets just say there were

bricks in their basement which

were placed there in 1711. If you

lift up the floorboards in my front

room you can see part of the

foundations of the old Duncairn

House which was formally known

as Fortfield House. Does that

mean that my house is 500 + years

old. McHugh's is an excellent bar

and restaurant and the staff are

second to none but it's a modern

development made to look very

old with materials out of

architectural salvage yards. On

the site of McHugh's was the

infamous DuBarry's, a Chinese

take away restaurant and Paddy

Reas bar. I remember the whole

lot being razed to the ground and

McHugh's being built and I can

assure you it wasn't in 1711.


Another local public house which

seems to have fallen for this false

history is Kelly's Cellars. A few

years ago they had a blue plaque

placed on their building by the

Ulster History Circle which states

that the Society of United

Irishmen met there. Could be true

but it's highly unlikely.

I have e-mailed the Ulster History

Circle several times asking for

their source material but all my

e-mails were ignored. There are

quite a few bars in Belfast

claiming to be the oldest ranging

from Kelly's Cellars through to

McHugh's with their amazing

Established in 1711 date for a

modern building. If I were to say

which was the oldest then it would

have to be White's Tavern in

Wineseller Entry. Where Kelly's

Cellars is situated was the

Catholic section of the old town

and the Belfast United Irishmen

were not only all Presbyterian but

also Freemasons. It could be

argued that they went to Kelly's

to meet with members of the

Defenders who were Catholic and

who sided with the United

Irishmen during their 1798

Rebellion. However the

Defenders were a rural

organisation and there was never

a branch in Belfast. The United

Irishmen set themselves up in a

small tavern just of High Street

but after that the meetings were

held in private as well as in

masonic rooms. There is no

evidence that the United Irishmen

ever went near Kelly's Cellars

never mind met in it but I'll

conclude with the words of Pieter

Geyl. Imagination plays too

important a role in the writing of

history.

Belfast Magazine Page 25JANUARY 1978


Tuesday 3rd January 1978 Wednesday 4th January 1978A device was carried

into the sub post office

at Jonesboro, South

Armagh by two men.

They told the

postmistress that it was

a bomb and the office

was cleared by the sub

post mistress who then

raised the alarm. One of

the men was seen

putting a light to the

box.

Three shops and a

garage in the Tyrone

border town of

Castlederg were blasted

by bombs. The bombs

were planted by a group

of four men and they

exploded within half a

mile of each other. The

first blast was at

Connor’s electrical shop

in William Street and

two minutes later a

bomb exploded at

Lyon’s Brothers garage

in Upper Strabane

Road. Fifteen minutes

later the third explosion

went off in Baskin’s

grocery shop in Upper

Strabane Road. The

fourth bomb went off in

Harpur Brothers’

furniture store in

Ferguson Crescent. The

bomb at Baskin’s was

left by two men who

also robbed the till.

While clearing the area

the bomb exploded in

the nearby garage and

police attending the

scene had to rush to

safety. No warning was

given of the device in

William Street, but a

pedestrian raised the

alarm after seeing the

men leaving a device at

Harpur Brothers’ store.

No one was hurt in the

blasts, but all four

premises received

extensive damage.

In Derry a number of

devices were planted

but they were all

defused by the army and

only slight damage was

caused in one case.

Three youths in a

hijacked car planted a

bomb at McLean’s

garage at Drumahoe. A

controlled explosion

was carried out and the

device was neutralised.

Damage was slight. In

the same area at

Altnagelvin, a shopping

bag containing

explosives and petrol

was spotted at an AA

box and was safely

defused. Two devices

were planted in Strand

Road, at McIvor’s

plastics, but both were

defused. Warnings

about the bombs were

given by the Provisional

IRA.

A 33 year old prison

officer had a lucky

escape when an

explosion wrecked his

car as he set off for work.

The man who had been

a prison officer for six

years was driving his car

out of his garage in

Belfast when the bomb

exploded. He escaped

with bruises and an

injury to his leg. The

officer’s wife and two

young sons were in the

house on the Saintfield

Road when the

explosion occurred. His

12 year old son heard the

bang and looked out of

the window and saw his

father coming towards

the house with a hole in

his leg. Only the

detonator of the bomb

went off.

A parcel bomb exploded

at the Four Winds

restaurant at

Knockbracken in

Belfast. The bomb

which caused the

explosion was tied to an

outside grille on the wall

of the bar. The bar was

destroyed but the off

licence and restaurant on

the other side of the

premises suffered only

smoke and water

damage. An anonymous

phone call warning of

the bombs in the

building was received

and the bomb exploded

ten minutes later. The

area was evacuated and

there were no injuries.

An incendiary device

exploded in a tea chest

in a Winetavern Street

shop in Belfast. A

mother and her three

children who lived

above the shop had a

lucky escape when the

incendiary exploded as

they were watching

television and were able

to drag the tea chest out

of the building. If they

had been asleep upstairs

they would have been

trapped in the building.

The Four Winds Inn after an IRA bomb attack


Five teenagers were

injured in Belfast when

soldiers opened fire on a

stolen car which

careered through a

roadblock in

A n d e r s o n s t o w n .

(Above) All the young

men escaped serious

injury but four were

detained in hospital.

Police stated that the car

failed to stop at a road

check at the junction of

Glen Road and Falls

Road. The soldiers fired

a number of shots at the

car which sped off, but

was recovered a short

time later, with several

bullet holes in it, at

Bingian Drive.

A 35 year old man was

injured in a shooting

incident in

Newtownabbey. He was

hit in the chest and

stomach during the

attack which happened

in the Doagh Road area.

Thursday 5th January 1978A 46 year old man

survived a booby trap

attack on his car as he

drove from his mother’s

house in Glengormley.

There was an explosion

at the front of his car as

he turned off the

Whitewell Road into the

Antrim Road. He

escaped without injury

but the front of the car

was badly damaged.

The man’s brother in law

was a prison officer and

it was thought it was a

case of mistaken

identity.

Four shops in Belfast

were attacked by

bombers. The first

explosion was at

Jennings electrical shop

in Great Victoria Street.

Three men, one of them

with a handgun, held

three members of staff

and three customers at

gunpoint before planting

a bomb. The men made

off and the area around

the shop was evacuated.

Ten minutes later the

bomb exploded, and

started a large fire. Army

green goddess’s fought

the blaze but the building

was badly damaged.

The next bombs were

planted on the grilles of

shops in Upper Donegall

Street. The police began

to clear the area but a

bomb went off in

Conlons furniture store.

And a few minutes later

there was a blast at

Kennedys florists and

then a third bomb went

off at Connolly estate

agents. A fire broke out

at Conlons which causes

extensive damage but

the other premises were

not badly damaged. Two

women were treated for

shock and four cars

parked outside Dick’s

garage were destroyed.

Army fire fighters at the scene of a firebomb

attack on shops in Gresham Street

IRA firebomb attack on a north Belfast store


Friday 6th January 1978

The army neutralised a

small device found in

Belfast. The bomb was

thrown out of Jennings

Electrical store in Great

Victoria Street and the

area was sealed off, and

traffic disrupted, while the

device was dealt with on

the footpath.

A mortar bomb and two

bags of explosives were

part of an arms haul found

in a Falls Road school,

during an army search.

They were discovered in

a roof space in St Louise’s

Secondary Intermediate

Girl’s School in St James

Road during an army

search of the area. Also

found at the school were

three imitation pistols, an

imitation Winchester rifle,

an empty armalite

magazine, two watches

and 25 ft of double strand

copperwire. No arrests

were made.

A warning was received

before a bomb destroyed

a pub in Newcastle, Co

Down. Three masked

men, one armed with a

handgun, entered the

Capstan Lounge in Main

Street and planted a bomb

and shouted a warning

before making their

getaway. Staff and

customers evacuated the

building before the bomb

went off a short time later.

The mortar type blast

bomb started a great fire,

but no one was injured.

The RUC and Guarda

searched for an armed

gang which hijacked three

vehicles in south Armagh

and held the drivers

captive for several hours.

The hijackings took place

near the village of

Cullaville and the drivers

were only released when

an army helicopter circled

over the disused

farmhouse where they

were held under guard for

more than three hours.

Saturday 7th January 1978The Provisional IRA

claimed that they had

captured a top secret

army intelligence file

which related to the

army undercover unit.

The claim was printed in

an article in Republican

News which described

how the file was taken

from an intelligence man

after he was shot dead in

Turf Lodge.

A clothes shop in Belfast

city centre was

destroyed in a bomb

attack. The target was

the Savemore ladies

store in Gresham Street

and four army fire teams

fought to prevent the

huge blaze from

spreading to adjoining

premises. The bomb

was planted by an armed

man who held up staff at

the shop. He ordered

staff to stand at the back

of the shop while a

second man planted the

bomb. The army were

about to move in to

defuse the bomb when it

exploded starting a fire.

Monday 9th January 1978An explosion at a flour

mill caused minor

damage near the centre

of Strabane. The bomb

at the premises in Canal

Basin went off soon after

two cans were spotted

and no one was injured.

A telephone warning to

police stated that six

bombs had been planted

but it was a hoax.

Tuesday 10th January 1978A Belfast city centre toy

store was badly damaged

in a double bomb attack.

Two bombs planted in

Frederick Thomas’

warehouse in Academy

Street started a fire

which swept through the

building. Two youths,

one of them armed,

planted two devices in

the premises. Staff

managed to get clear

before the first bomb

went off starting the fire.

The second explosion

happened as army fire-

fighters were preparing

to move in, caused a

massive blaze. The area

was sealed off while

army volunteers using

green goddesses tackled

the blaze.

The army defused two

bombs at the Irish

Bonding Company’s

premises in Pennyburn

Industrial Estate, Derry.

Three other bombs

exploded on the

premises causing

extensive damage. The


blasts started a small fire

which was tackled by

army firemen. The

bombs were planted by

three youths who held up

staff. The area was

cleared after they made

their getaway in a hi-

jacked car. The

Provisional IRA claimed

responsibility and gave a

warning of five bombs.

Two bombs, thought to

have been planted in

1976, were defused by

the army on the outskirts

of Newry. They were

found during a routine

search at Mulladuff

Bridge, on the Newry to

Newtownhamilton road.

Two bombs, one

containing a homemade

explosive mixture and

the other commercial

gelignite, were

discovered 25 yards

apart. The devices

contained 10lbs of

explosives each. A

packet containing

another 10lbs of

gelignite was found in an

embankment nearby.

Three high velocity

shots were heard in the

vicinity of Whiterock/

Springfield Road

junction. It was not

known what the target

was.

Six shots were fired at

the Springfield Road

army base.

Two high velocity shots

struck the Fort Monagh

army base. They were

fired from the direction

of Turf Lodge.

Wednesday 11th January 1978An incendiary device

was discovered in a bus

depot at the junction of

the Falls and Glen Road

in Belfast. It was made

safe by the army disposal

team.

A bomb exploded in a

building in Murray

Street, Belfast. Soldiers

watched the building

burn after a bomb

planted by two men

caused a huge blaze and

the fire fighting soldiers

were ordered back after

a car was spotted beside

the building. There were

no injuries.

The forecourt and petrol

pumps of a petrol station

in Dungannon were

damaged in an

explosion. No one was

injured in the bomb

attack at Moygashel

Road. A warning had

been telephoned to the

local RUC.

The Garda uncovered an

arms cache at

Dungooley, Co Louth.

They found seven

automatic rifles, 1000

rounds of ammunition

and combat jackets

hidden in a dug out

during a routine search.

All the weapons had

been well maintained.

The RUC found a cache

of incendiary devices

and bomb making

equipment in a

communal garage in

Burnside, Craigavon.

They were acting on a tip

off. The find included 36

cassette type

incendiaries, 25 cassette

cases, 63 gas igniters, 18

watches, electric cable

and insulating tape.

Soldiers found a clip

containing three bullets

in a derelict house at

Aughnagurgan, near

Keady. The ammunition

was in poor condition.

The remains of the Four Winds Inn after an IRA

bomb attack (see page 26)


Thursday 12th January 1978IRA firebomb attack on Gillespie and Robinson’s

Three bombs exploded

at McCormick’s and

Gillespie and Robinsons

wholesalers in King

Street, Belfast. The

bombs had been hung on

wire grills on the

buildings by a bomber

who arrived at the scene

in a black taxi. The

explosions started a

blaze which spread

Firebomb attack on Campbell’s Furniture Store,

Duncairn Gardens.

BELOW - Gribben’s furniture shop on

Duncairn Gardens following an IRA attack

throughout the adjoining

premises. The fire

destroyed the buildings.

Bombs exploded at

Browns hardware shop

in Finaghy and the

nearby Finicky Fashions

shop. The blasts were

followed by fires and the

blaze at Browns spread

to the post office next

door.

A bomb hung on a wire

grill at the Stagecoach

Inn, Derriaghy, exploded

as a police patrol arrived

to check the building.

Two bombs exploded

starting fires in Gribbens

and Campbell’s furniture

stores. The adjoining

buildings were

destroyed by the blazes.

People living nearby

were evacuated from

their homes while the

army tried to douse the

flames.

Four men planted two

bombs in a six storey

building in Murray

Street in the city centre.

The first device

exploded starting a big

fire which damaged the

building. Three people

were treated for shock.

A van left by the

bombers outside the


building was destroyed

by the army in a

controlled explosion.

A cassette type firebomb

exploded in a hardware

shop in William Street,

Cookstown. It had been

hidden in a vegetable

rack. Little damage was

caused.

A 3lb bomb attached to

a can of petrol was

thrown into the office of

the Tyrone Democrat

newspaper and was

defused by the army.

Only the detonator

exploded.

Two youths were spotted

throwing a small bomb

into the doorway of a

drapers shop in Upper

Square, Castlewellan.

The device was thrown

back into the street by a

passerby and later


Friday 13th January 1978The Guildhall in Derry

was extensively

damaged in a bomb

attack which was

preceded by a rioting

crowd who fought with

the RUC and army who

were trying to evacuate

the building after a

telephoned bomb

warning. 12 people were

injured in the riots during

which windows and

statues were smashed,

the toilets were wrecked.

The ceiling of the minor

hall and windows were

blasted by the bomb

explosion. A hole

blasted in the floor of the

hall brought down the

ceiling of the living

accommodating below.

No people were arrested

during the rioting.

The Provisional IRA

released a statement

claiming that they had

carried out 18 bombings

since 1st January 1978

and declaring that their

actions would continue

until British withdrawal

took place.

Mr Cecil Grills, a 56

year old corporal in the

UDR was shot dead in

Newry. He was

ambushed as he drove

home from work at a

builder’s providers firm

at Merchants Quay. He

was shot in the head as

he drove along Arthur

Street and died in

hospital. Mr Grills was

married with two young

children.

A soldier was injured by

flying glass when a

bomb exploded inside

Shackleton army camp

at Ballykelly. The bomb

had been thrown over

the perimeter fence from

a side road. The bomb

did not cause much

damage.

A bomb planted by two

youths in the doorway of

the Five Star petrol

station at Ballygawley

Road, Dungannon was

defused by the army. A

suspect parcel placed

near petrol pumps was

found to contain two

bricks.

A 26 year old man from

Norglen Parade in

Belfast was given a

suspended sentence for

having a Lewis machine

gun and 37 rounds of

ammunition at his home.

A 19 year old man of

Ruth Street was jailed

for five years for

possessing a Mauser

pistol and ammunition

with intent to endanger

life. Another 19 year old

man of Upper Mervue

Street was jointly

charged.

A teenage girl from the

Short Strand area was

charged with having a

gun and belonging to the

Woman’s IRA.

A 36 year old mother of

six of Glenalina Park

was given a two years

suspended sentence for

possessing four

revolvers, a rifle and

more than 100 rounds of

ammunition.


Saturday 14th January 1978Soldiers tackling a fire in

a derelict house in Derry

came under fire but none

of them was hit. The

shooting happened as

they were fighting a fire

at a house in William

Street on the fringe of the

Bogside. 10 shots were

fired during the attack

and fire was not

returned.

A suspect package in

Bedford Street, Belfast

caused traffic chaos for

over two hours. It was

later found to be a plastic

bag filled with

magazines.

Monday 16th January 1978

Shops in Gresham Street following an IRA bomb attack

Bombs destroyed two

shops and a garage on

the Ormeau Road in

Belfast. The first bomb

exploded at Northern

Ireland Audio and Visual

Aids in Rugby Avenue

and the blast started a

small fire which was put

out by local residents. A

short time later a bag

was spotted hanging

from a grill at the CSC

electrical store and

before it could be

examined a second

bomb exploded at

Browns sports shop

nearby. The blast was

quickly followed by an

explosion at CSC. The

explosions started fires

which spread to other

buildings. Both shops

and the garage were

destroyed.

IRA fire bomb attacks on shops in the

Ormeau Road area

Two devices were

spotted on a window sill

at Derry garages in

Strand Road in Derry.

Another was discovered

at Thompson McGeady

nearby.

Five shots were fired at

an army patrol in


Twinbrook and in a

follow up search a

handgun was found in a

dustbin. During the

search the army came

under fire but no one was

injured and fire was not

returned.

Tuesday 17th January 1978A 23 year old man from

New Barnsley was

charged with planting

hoax bombs on hi jacked

vehicles in Belfast.

Traffic was diverted

from the Antrim Road in

Belfast after a suspect

parcel was found close to

a post box near

Girdwood Army camp.

The parcel fitted with

wires but turned out to

be an elaborate hoax.

A 36 year old Protestant

man was hospitalised

after he was shot in the

groin, right leg and

cheek after two gunmen

climbed a ladder on to

the roof of a Co op store

on the Springfield Road

to shoot him and a

second man. The second

man threw himself off

the roof and broke both

wrists. The three

gunmen pulled up

outside the store where

the two men were

working on the roof and

crossed the road and two

of them climbed to the

roof. They then opened

fire. The police arrived

and the gunmen were

chased through The

Flush towards the

Beechmount district.

Shots were exchanged

and a revolver was

dropped through the

window of the getaway

car. The windscreen of

the police car and the

back window of the

gunmen’s car were

shattered by flying

bullets.

Wednesday 18th January 1978

IRA firebomb attack on the Brown Brothers

funiture store

Brough, Cox and Dunn,

printers and stationers,

and Abraham’s army

surplus store on Clifton

were targeted by bombs.

Both bombs had petrol

lines attached and were

hung on security grilles.

No warning was given

but passersby spotted the

devices and the RUC

were called. The area

was cleared just two

minutes before the bomb

at the clothing store went

off starting a fire.

Residents of Clifton

House had a narrow

escape as shrapnel from

the bomb crashed

through windows. The

old people’s home had

been evacuated just

seconds before the blast.

The second bomb ripped

through the printers and


part of the building was

engulfed by flames and

the Belfast firemen, just

returned to work after

the prolonged strike

tackled the flames.

While they tackled the

blaze the army dealt with

a suspect bomb at a

nearby petrol station.

The device was strapped

to a pillar of the canopy

but was an elaborate

hoax.

The army discovered a

bomb at the entrance to

an observation post in

Crossmaglen. The bomb

went off as the army

were moving in to deal

with it. Although the

blast caused slight

damage to the area, no

one was injured. The

Provisional IRA in

Crossmaglen claimed

responsibility for the

attack.

Thursday 19th January 1978Bombs were planted in

John Hand shop at

Lincoln Place, Great

Victoria Street, by three

armed youths. The

bombs exploded a short

time later starting a fire

but no one was hurt.

A Derry pub was

damaged in a three bomb

attack. The bombs went

off in a shopping complex

in the Great James Street

area. One blast damaged

the newly built Savoy Bar

and two other explosions

damaged two shops. The

bombs were planted by

armed men and a

telephone warning was

received.

A bomb exploded at

Smyth and McClure’s

supermarket on the

Lisburn Road in Belfast.

A fire started after the

blast and caused minor

damage. The second

device was later defused.

A 32 year old man was

shot in the leg in the

Whiterock area of Belfast.

Shots were fired at a

workers’ minibus at the

junction of Falls Road and

Broadway but no one was

hurt. One bullet hole was

found in a mudguard.

A bomb left hanging on a

security grille at a carpet

store in Belfast was dealt

with by the army and no

damage was caused. The

device was found at Rite

Price carpet store in

Duncairn Gardens in

north Belfast. A

controlled explosion was

carried out. Another

device was found on a

grille at Macklins

outfitters on the Antrim

Road but it turned out to

be a hoax.

Friday 20th January 1978

Forkhill Army Base after an IRA attack

The army sent in

helicopters after a gun

battle in south Armagh.

Two gunmen were

involved in the exchange

between them and the

army and over 200 shots

were fired in intermittent

firings. The battle lasted

for almost an hour until

the helicopters with

searchlights combed the

area for the gunmen who

escaped in the direction

of Cullaville. No hits

were claimed by the

army.

Car bombs were used to

attack premises in

Dungannon and

Cookstown. A car bomb

was left in James Street,

Cookstown and

exploded causing

structural damage to

business premises. It

was estimated to be

250lb and was described

as ‘old style, big car

bombs’. A hijacked car

which blew up Scotch

Street in Dungannon

contained over 150lb of

explosives.

Three policemen were

injured when two land

rovers were raked by

gunfire at the junction of

Letterkenny Road and

the Lone Moor Road in


Injured troops are rushed to military helicopters

following the attack on Forkhill Barracks

Derry. More than 20

shots from at least one

machinegun were fired

at the vehicles. Both

land rovers were hit, fire

was not returned.

Five policemen and

three civilians were

taken to hospital with

minor injuries after a car

bomb explosion in

James Street,

Cookstown. The police

were checking the Post

Office after a bomb

warning when the car

which had been hijacked

exploded. The bomb

exploded in Eaglesons

hardware store and the

Post Office.

Saturday 21st January 1978A policeman was injured

in a bomb blast at Wattle

Bridge, near

Newtownbutler on the

F e r m a n a g h / C a v a n

border.

A suspect milk churn

bomb caused disruption

and long evacuation at

Eskragh, Dungannon.

A 19 year old man from

Frere Street, Belfast, was

charged with possessing

a bomb with intent in

Belfast. He was also

charged with being a

member of the Fianna na

Eireann.

Two suspect devices left

hanging on security

grilles at the Regency

furniture store in York

Street, Belfast, were

found to be hoaxes. The

area had been cleared,

residents evacuated and

traffic diverted.

A device found outside

the Sirocco Works on the

Mountpottinger Road

turned out to be a hoax.

A 32 year old man of

Dunville Street in

Belfast was charged with

being a member of the

IRA.

Monday 23rd January 1978Six soldiers were

injured in a mortar

bomb attack at Forkhill,

south Armagh. The

attack caused extensive

damage to the post and

houses in the area were

damaged. Mortars were

fired from the back of a

lorry parked 100m from

the army base and

crashed into the

sleeping quarters and

toilets of the joint army

RUC base.

Rail services

throughout the NIR

network were disrupted

while the army and

UDR searched the lines

for bombs.

Two blast incendiaries

were found outside

Regent Furnishing

Company on York

Street, Belfast. A third

device was found at

McNeill’s and

McManus paint shop.

All five bombs were


In Derry two bombs

went off without

warning on the roof of

premises in the

Waterside area. A small

fire burned itself out

and damage to the

building was slight.


An incendiary device

exploded in the

Manhattan Restaurant,

Lurgan. The owner

heard the bomb go off

and he managed to put

out the small blaze.

Two blast bombs were

found outside the

Strathmore Inn on the

Cavehill Road in north

Belfast. The bombs

attached to the security

grill were defused by the

army.

Tuesday 24th January 1978A policeman escaped

injury when a shot was

fired at him as he locked

the gates of Cloughmills

RUC station in Co

Antrim. Fire was not

returned.

In Belfast the army

carried out controlled

explosions on three

suspect bombs, but none

contained explosives. A

caller warned that a

bomb had been left

outside the Irish News

office in Donegall Street.

The army blew up a

cardboard box.

A controlled explosion

was carried out on a car

left a short distance from

Andersonstown RUC

station on the Glen

Road. It contained a

cardboard box which

turned out to be full of

clothes.

Wednesday 25th January 1978The premises of

Expanite, builders’

suppliers on the

Antrim Road in

Belfast, were badly

damaged in a bomb

attack.

An armed man carried

the bomb into the

warehouse after

pushing the barrel of a

pistol through the

letterbox. The army

arrived to defuse the

device but it exploded

before they had a

chance.

The Sportsman Inn in

Derriaghy came under

attack from bombers.

Three policemen and a

woman constable had

a narrow escape as

they bomb exploded as

they were evacuating

the bar. An 88 year old

woman was treated for

shock. Both bombs

were fixed to the

windows of the pub

and fire swept through

the lounge but the rest

of the building was

saved.

Thursday 26th January 1978The army dealt with three

bomb scares in Belfast.

Two controlled explosions

were carried out on a stolen

car parked outside the Rite

price carpet store at

Duncairn Gardens but no

damage was caused. Shots

were fired at a suspect beer

keg outside the Knock

Golf Club and a suspicious

milk churn at Young’s Row

on the Newtownards Road

but both were hoaxes.

Two soldiers were injured

after a booby trap

explosion near

Crossmaglen. They were

airlifted to Musgrave park

hospital after the tack. The

incident happened when a

12 man patrol passed a

disused farmhouse and the

bomb was detonated. The

patrol came under gun

attack after the blast. Shots

were returned but no hits

claimed. Two hours later

an army helicopter in the

same area was shot at but

troops on the ground

returned the fire and there

were no causalities.


Friday 27th January 1978The army carried out a

controlled explosion on

a booby trap bomb found

inside a security barrier

in the Lower Falls area

of Belfast. The device

had been placed in a hole

of a concrete post which

was part of the barrier at

the junction of Divis

Street and Hamill Street.

The army neutralised

another device found in

a plastic shopping bag

outside J J Stafford’s

shoe premises in Union

Street. An anonymous

caller had earlier told

police that there were

three bombs planted in

the area, but nothing

further was found. The

blast caused little

damage to the door of

the premises and there

were no injuries.

Two shots were fired at

an army mobile patrol at

the junction of Linden

Gardens and Cliftonville

Road in Belfast. The

vehicle was not hit and

no one was injured. Fire

was not returned.

A controlled explosion

was carried out on a car

parked on the M1

motorway at the

Dunmurry Bridge.

Nothing was found in it.

Saturday 28th January 1978An 18 year old youth

from Stockman’s

Crescent was accused of

being a member of the

junior wing of the IRA.

Two bombs went off in

a shopping complex in

Derry. They caused

minor damage. Two

other devices planted in

the complex in the Great

James Street area were


After the first blasts the

area was sealed off due

to a warning received.

The army closed the

under deck of the

Craigavon Bridge after a

suspect parcel was

found. It turned out to

be harmless.

A bid to blow up a timber

yard at Coalisland was

foiled by the army. After

a telephone warning a

parcel was found

hanging on a wire grill

outside Stevenson’s

timber yard on the

Dungannon Road. The

bomb was defused.

A parcel left outside the

Abbey National

Building Society in

Donegall Square East

turned out to be a hoax.

Monday 30th January 1978A 29 year old man was

shot three times in the

legs in the Agnes Street

area of the Crumlin

Road.

Two soldiers were

injured when an army

patrol came under fire in

the Andersonstown area

of west Belfast. The

soldiers were members

of a foot patrol operating

in Stewartstown Avenue.

One was hit in the left

thigh and the other in the

right leg. A rifle was

found in the area after a

search.

Members of an army

patrol were caught in an

ambush when a

landmine exploded near

Kinawley, Co

Fermanagh. A claymore

type mine exploded as

the patrol passed but

police and soldiers in the

vehicle were not hurt in

the blast. Soldiers fired

more than 200 shots at a

man seen fleeing across

fields towards the border

after the explosion. The

area was sealed off while

the army dealt with

another device found in

a follow up search.

Andersonstown RUC

station was fired at on

three separate occasions

but no one was injured.

Fire was not returned.

Shots were fired at

Monagh army camp but

no one was hurt.

An RUC vehicle came

under attack as it

travelled along North

Queen Street but no one

was injured.

Buses, lorries and vans

were hijacked in the

Falls and Twinbrook

area by gangs of youths,

some of them armed.

Vehicles were set on fire

and left across roads.

The army and RUC dealt

with a large number of

hoax bombs in areas

throughout Belfast. A

telephone caller had

warned that two bombs

had been planted in

Clifton Street and

Donegall Street but they

turned out to be

harmless. Other hoax

bombs were found at a

paint store in Cliftonville

Avenue, co-op store on

the Cavehill Road and at

a fruit shop at

Cliftonville Circus. A

suspect box found on the

Ormeau Road was also

a hoax. The army blew

up a hijacked van left

outside a garage on the

Cliftonville Road. It did

not contain a bomb.


Tuesday 31st January 1978A bomb was left at the

VG store in Duncairn

Gardens and was spotted

by an army patrol. It

exploded as the area was

being cleared and an

RUC constable was

treated for shock. A fire

which broke out after the

blast was put out.

Bombs severely damage

the upstairs floor of the

Marlborough DIY shop

on the Lisburn Road. It

started a small fire in the

building and later a can

of petrol was found in

the premises. A

telephone warning had

been given that there

bombs had been planted.

Ulster bus chief

executive Mr Verner

Heubeck removed a

suspect box left on a box

after a hijacking in the

Short Strand area. The

box turned out to be

harmless.

A parcel left at Lamont’s

supermarket at Cabra

exploded causing slight

damage. The device had

been attacked to the

outside of the building.

A parcel left outside a

grocery store in

Duncairn Gardens was a

hoax.


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Belfast Magazine 74