1973 Coleraine bombings facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 1973 Coleraine bombings
Stephen Scilley outside the remains of the Wine Market
Location	Railway Road and Hanover Place, Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Date	12 June 1973 15.00 (BST) 15.05 (BST)
Attack type	2 car bombs
Deaths	6 civilians
Non-fatal injuries	33
Perpetrator	Provisional IRA South Derry Brigade

On 12 June 1973, two car bombs exploded in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. These bombs were set off by the Provisional IRA. The first bomb exploded on Railway Road, killing six people and injuring 33. Many of those injured were left with serious, lifelong disabilities. A second bomb went off just five minutes later at Hanover Place. This second explosion did not cause any injuries, but it added to the fear and confusion in the area. The IRA had sent a warning about the second bomb. However, they said they had given the wrong location for the first, deadly bomb.

All six people who died were Protestant. This led to a strong and violent reaction from loyalist groups. These groups quickly started a series of attacks against Catholics. This violence ended with the terrible killings of Senator Paddy Wilson and Irene Andrews on 26 June.

Sinn Féin politician Sean McGlinchey was later found guilty of planting the bomb. He spent 18 years in prison. In 2011, he was elected mayor of Limavady Borough Council. A writer named Gordon Gillespie later called the Coleraine attacks "a forgotten massacre" from the Troubles.

The Coleraine Bombings

What Happened on 12 June 1973?

On 12 June 1973, two cars were stolen from south County Londonderry. These cars were then filled with explosives. Members of the South Derry Provisional IRA drove them to Coleraine, a town with many Protestant residents. The car bombs were left on Railway Road and Hanover Place.

Warnings were given to the Telephone Exchange around 2:30 p.m. These warnings mentioned the bomb at Hanover Place. They also mentioned another bomb on Society Street, which turned out to be a false alarm.

Around 3:00 p.m., a Ford Cortina car exploded outside a wine shop on Railway Road. This car held a bomb weighing between 100 and 150 pounds (45–68 kg). Six elderly people died in the blast. Four women and two men were killed. Thirty-three people were injured, including some schoolchildren.

The six people who died were Elizabeth Craigmile (76), Robert Scott (72), Dinah Campbell (72), Francis Campbell (70), Nan Davis (60), and Elizabeth Palmer (60). All of them were Protestant. Some of the injured were left with serious, permanent injuries.

The bomb left a large hole in the road. The wine shop caught fire, and many other buildings and cars nearby were badly damaged. The street was filled with broken glass and debris. Rescue workers described the scene as "utter confusion." Many people were in shock.

Five minutes later, the second bomb exploded at Stuart's Garage in Hanover Place. This explosion did not hurt anyone. However, it added to the fear and confusion caused by the first bomb.

Eyewitness Account

David Gilmour, who later became a local politician, was ten years old at the time. He was in a car with his mother, parked right across from the car bomb. Luckily, another car passed between them and the bomb at the exact moment it exploded. This car shielded them from the worst of the blast. Their car was still badly damaged.

Gilmour remembered that when the bomb went off, everything turned completely black. He later realized that small orange flashes he saw were likely metal pieces from the car or burning bits from the bomb's materials. After the explosion, there was a few seconds of silence. Then, people started screaming and rushing away from the scene. Others went to help the injured.

Bob Scilley, who owned the Coleraine Wine Market, and his son Stephen were not in their shop when the bomb exploded. They were nearby and were not hurt. However, Elizabeth Palmer, who worked for their family, was inside the shop and died from her injuries.

The IRA's Claim

The Provisional IRA said they were responsible for the bombings. They claimed they had made a mistake. They said they gave the wrong location for the Railway Road car bomb when they warned the security forces.

Gordon Gillespie, a writer, believed no warning was given for the first bomb. He thought this might mean the bombers wanted to draw people towards the bomb to cause more harm. Gillespie also suggested that more people would have died if the bomb had exploded 15 minutes later. At that time, girls from a nearby high school would have been walking along the street.

Sean McGlinchey, the IRA member who planted the bomb, said he had to leave the car on Railway Road. He explained that when he arrived in Coleraine, the town had a new one-way traffic system. His leaders had not told him about it. The bomb was set to go off soon, and he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Loyalist Response to the Bombings

Since all the victims were Protestant, loyalist groups reacted with violence. Around May or June 1973, leaders of the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) decided to use a new name, "Ulster Freedom Fighters" (UFF), for their attacks. This was because they worried the government might ban the UDA.

The UFF's first attacks were in response to the Coleraine bombings. They wanted to get revenge on the Catholic community, who they believed supported the IRA. Four days after the bombing, UDA/UFF leaders met in Belfast. They ordered their members to kill a Catholic to get revenge for the six Protestant victims.

Jim Light, a UDA/UFF member, was told to carry out a killing. He later told a journalist that he felt sick when he heard about the elderly people killed in Coleraine. He said they were just enjoying an outing and were "blown to bits."

Light and other UDA/UFF members went to Irish nationalist Andersonstown in west Belfast. They knew they would find a Catholic victim there. They kidnapped 17-year-old Daniel Rouse from the street. Rouse was then driven to a field and killed. He had no links to the IRA or Irish republican groups.

The next day, the body of 25-year-old Catholic man Joseph Kelly was found near Belfast. He had been shot. The UFF claimed responsibility for this killing. They said it was revenge for the killing of Michael Wilson, who was related to a UDA leader. The UDA/UFF blamed the IRA for Wilson's death.

On 18 June, the UFF said they threw a bomb from a car at a pub called "Meeting of the Waters." This pub was known as a place where Catholics and republicans gathered. One man was seriously injured in this attack.

On 26 June, the UFF carried out a very brutal double killing. Senator Paddy Wilson, a Catholic, and his Protestant friend Irene Andrews were killed. John White, a UFF leader, was later found guilty of these murders.

People Convicted for the Bombings

On 6 July 1973, a 22-year-old woman and a 19-year-old man were charged with the murders of the six victims. Outside Coleraine courthouse, an angry crowd of 150 people attacked them. People threw eggs as they left the building after their court appearance.

In January 1974, the woman was found not guilty. However, her boyfriend was sentenced to eight years in prison for his part in the attacks. The leader of the bomb team, 18-year-old Sean McGlinchey, was found guilty of planting the Railway Road bomb. He was sentenced to 18 years in Maze Prison for the six murders.

Sean McGlinchey is the younger brother of Dominic McGlinchey, who was a leader of the INLA. After being released from prison, Sean McGlinchey became a Sinn Féin politician. In 2011, he was elected mayor of Limavady.

Soon after becoming mayor, he met Jean Jefferson. Her aunt was killed in the bombing, and her father was badly injured. She said she was very impressed with McGlinchey. She felt he had made a bad choice when he was 18. But now, he was spending his life helping the community.

Gordon Gillespie, a writer, called the Coleraine bombings "a forgotten massacre" in his book Years of Darkness: The Troubles Remembered.

See also

• Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1970-1979)
• List of terrorist incidents, 1973