The Biddy Mulligan's pub bombing occurred on the night of Saturday 20 December 1975 with the explosion of a 3 to 5 lb bomb at Biddy Mulligan's, an Irish pub on the corner of Kilburn High Road and Willesden Lane in northwest London. The device, left in a

holdall In American English, a gym bag or carryall and in British English a sports bag is a large wikt:bag, bag made of cloth or leather typically with a rectangular base and a zippered opening at the top. Two handle (grip), handles enable the bag to b ...

, caused five injuries and damaged the premises. The

Ulster Defence Association The Ulster Defence Association (UDA) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 as an umbrella group for various loyalist groups and undertook an armed campaign of almost 24 years as one of t ...

(UDA) under the cover name Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) claimed responsibility, saying it was targeted because it was frequented by

Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...

sympathisers, with allegedly funds being raised for the

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

(IRA). The attack ignited fears of 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 Cr ...

backlash against IRA attacks within England, and it was the first time the UDA struck outside

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Indeed, a supposed

Ulster Young Militants The Ulster Young Militants (UYM) are considered to be the youth wing of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. Commonly known as the Young Militants or UYM, the group formed in 1974 wh ...

(UYM) caller claimed that they were going to "carry the war against the IRA on the mainland." A year earlier the funeral of Michael Gaughan took place in the area, which has a large Irish community, and likely the catalyst of the bombing. A man and a woman in London, and four men in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, were arrested in connection with the attack. Samuel Carson and Alexander Brown of

Bangor, County Down Bangor ( ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to whic ...

, and Noel Moore Boyd of

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, were jailed for 15, 14 and 12 years respectively at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

in October 1976. Archibald McGregor Brown from

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; ) is a large town in the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, most-populous locality in Scotl ...

, who provided a safe haven in Scotland, received 10 years.

References

{{Authority control 1975 crimes in the United Kingdom 1975 in London 1970s crimes in London Explosions in 1975 Ulster Defence Association actions Terrorist incidents in London Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1975 December 1975 in the United Kingdom Attacks on bars in the United Kingdom Building bombings in London

See also

References