The Glasgow pub bombings were two bomb attacks in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, carried out by the

Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaig ...

(UVF) on 17 February 1979. The UVF bombed two pubs frequented by Catholics
the Old Barns
in Calton and, 15 minutes later, the Clelland Bar in

Gorbals The Gorbals is an area in the city of Glasgow, Scotland, on the south bank of the River Clyde. By the late 19th century, it had become densely populated; rural migrants and immigrants were attracted by the new industries and employment opportun ...

. Five people were injured, all at the Clelland Bar. The pubs were targeted because they were allegedly used for fundraising for

Irish republicans Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate. The developm ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The attack sparked fears that

sectarian Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...

terrorism would erupt in Scotland as a spillover of

the Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

. Experts believe a

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reun ...

(IRA) veto on bombing operations in Scotland prevented the situation from escalating. The attacks were co-ordinated by William "Big Bill" Campbell, the UVF's top commander in Scotland, who was possibly involved with the 1971

McGurk's Bar bombing On 4 December 1971, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group, detonated a bomb at McGurk's Bar in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The pub was frequented by Irish Catholics/nationalists. The explosion caused the building ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

which killed 15 people according to a book published in 2012. A police investigation led to Campbell, along with eight other UVF members (which included Angus McKenna), to be sentenced at Glasgow High Court in June 1979 and jailed. Campbell received a 16-year sentence for the pub bombings as well as criminal conspiracy related to firearms and explosives. The investigation wiped out the UVF's Scotland cell. In 1995 his nephew Jason Campbell murdered a 16-year-old

Celtic F.C. The Celtic Football Club, commonly known as Celtic (), is a Scottish professional football club based in Glasgow, which plays in the Scottish Premiership. The club was founded in 1887 with the purpose of alleviating poverty in the immigran ...

supporter in Bridgeton, Glasgow. He was jailed until released on parole in 2011. William Campbell died of natural causes in 1997 and received a funeral in his native Bridgeton, a

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

stronghold, with thousands in attendance.

References

{{Ulster Volunteer Force 1979 in Scotland Anti-Catholicism in Scotland Attacks on bars in the United Kingdom Building bombings in Scotland Crime in Glasgow Improvised explosive device bombings in 1979 Explosions in Scotland Terrorist incidents in Glasgow February 1979 crimes February 1979 events in the United Kingdom Religiously motivated violence in Scotland Terrorist incidents in Scotland Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1979 Ulster Volunteer Force actions Attacks on buildings and structures in 1979

See also

References