On 11 August 1986, the
East Tyrone Brigade of the
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 reu ...
(IRA) attacked the
Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base at
The Birches near
Portadown
Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...
,
County Armagh
County Armagh (, named after its county town, Armagh) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the southern shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of an ...
,
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 unmanned base was raked with gunfire before being destroyed by a bomb, which was driven through the gate of the base in the bucket of a
JCB digger.
Background
In 1985 the IRA's East Tyrone Brigade, commanded by Patrick J Kelly, began a campaign of destroying remote RUC stations and preventing anyone from rebuilding them, to create no-go zones.
On 7 December 1985 it launched an
attack on the RUC barracks in
Ballygawley, destroying the base and killing two RUC officers.
On 22 January 1986 the East Tyrone Brigade fired mortars at the UDR base in
Dungannon, injuring two UDR soldiers and damaging the base.
Just over a week later, on 1 February, it carried out a large van bomb attack on Coalisland RUC base, damaging the base and several houses and shops.
Attack
It was a complex attack that involved several units, including teams of lookouts, an armed team and bomb-makers as well as a team to carry out a diversionary attack.
A diversionary bomb attack was staged at
Pomeroy to draw security forces away from the real target at the Birches. Another team hijacked a JCB digger, getaway vehicles and scout cars at
Washing Bay
The Washing Bay is a small bay on the south-west corner of Lough Neagh, in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is in the civil parish of Clonoe, the barony of Dungannon Middle, and the Mid Ulster District Council area.
Sport
* Derrylaugha ...
.
[Mark Urban. ''Big Boys' Rules: The SAS and the Secret Struggle against the IRA'', pp. 221-23]
The digger would be used to deliver the bomb to its target. The IRA did not expect any resistance as the RUC station was unmanned at the time of the attack. The IRA first raked the base with automatic gunfire while the digger, with a bomb in its bucket, was driven through the high wire perimeter fence; the fence was to protect the base from grenade or mortar attack. The digger was most likely driven by young IRA volunteer
Declan Arthurs
The East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), also known as the Tyrone/Monaghan Brigade was one of the most active republican paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles". It is believed to have drawn ...
from
Galbally, County Tyrone
Galbally ([Placenames NI](_blank)
Mark Urban
Mark Lee Urban (born 26 January 1961) is a British journalist, historian, and broadcaster, and is currently the Diplomatic Editor and occasional presenter for BBC Two's ''Newsnight''.
His older brother is the film-maker Stuart Urban.
Educati ...
, the armed members of the unit evaded British security force roadblocks by escaping in a boat across
Lough Neagh.
About 35 people were reportedly involved in the Birches attack, from planning, executing the attack and creating an escape route. A partially-disabled American tourist and six local civilians were slightly injured in the blast.
Aftermath
A member of the British security forces told Mark Urban of the attack:
"The Birches RUC station was destroyed by the bomb, creating problems for the authorities about how to re-build it. The Tyrone IRA was able to combine practical skills such as bomb-making and the welding needed to make mortars with considerable resources. Its members went on operations carrying the latest assault rifles and often wore body-armour similar to that used by the security forces, giving them protection against pistol or sub-machine-gun fire. By 1987 they had also succeeded in obtaining night-sights, allowing them to aim weapons or observe their enemy in darkness."
The IRA unit's next major target was the RUC station at
Loughgall
Loughgall ( ; ) is a small village, townland (of 131 acres) and civil parish in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the historic baronies of Armagh and Oneilland West. It had a population of 282 people (116 households) in the 2011 Censu ...
, which was attacked in the same way. This operation was a disaster for the IRA as the
IRA unit was ambushed by the
SAS and the whole IRA unit of eight, along with a Catholic civilian, were shot dead.
Many of those IRA volunteers killed at Loughgall had taken part in the Birches, like
Padraig McKearney,
Jim Lynagh
Jim Lynagh ( ga, Séamus Ó Laighneach; 13 April 1956 – 8 May 1987) was a member of the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), from Monaghan Town in the Republic of Ireland.
Background
One of twelve children, Ly ...
and
Patrick J Kelly.
See also
*
References
{{PIRA
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
1986 crimes in the United Kingdom
1986 in Northern Ireland
Improvised explosive device bombings in Northern Ireland
Military actions and engagements during the Troubles (Northern Ireland)
Military history of County Armagh
Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Troubles in County Armagh
August 1986 events in the United Kingdom
Attacks on police stations in the 1980s