Battle of St Matthew's facts for kids

The Battle of St Matthew's was a serious fight that happened in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It took place on the night of 27–28 June 1970. This battle was between a group called the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) and loyalist groups.

The fighting happened around St Matthew's Roman Catholic church. This church is in the Short Strand, a small Catholic neighborhood. This area is surrounded by parts of the city where most people are Protestant.

Violence had started in Belfast after parades by the Orange Order. The battle lasted about five hours. It ended at dawn when the loyalist groups left the area. The British Army and police were nearby but did not get involved.

Three people died in the fighting. At least 26 others were hurt. Three more people were killed in another part of Belfast that night. This battle was the first big action for the Provisional IRA during a period known as the Troubles. It helped the IRA look like they were protecting Catholic areas.

Why the Battle Happened

During the riots in Belfast in August 1969, Catholic Irish republicans fought with Protestant Ulster loyalists. They also clashed with the police, who were mostly Protestant. Many Catholics felt they were being attacked. Protestants worried about an uprising by the IRA.

Hundreds of Catholic homes and businesses were burned. Over 1,000 families, mostly Catholic, had to leave their homes. At that time, the IRA did not have many weapons or members. They could not properly defend the Catholic areas.

The riots ended when British soldiers were sent in. In December 1969, the IRA split into two groups. These were the 'Official' IRA and the 'Provisional' IRA. The Provisional IRA promised to defend Catholic areas in the future.

The Short Strand is a Catholic neighborhood in East Belfast. Most of East Belfast is Protestant. In the early years of the Troubles, about 6,000 Catholics lived in Short Strand. Around 60,000 Protestants lived nearby.

The Fight Begins

The violence started at St Matthew's Catholic church on the evening of 27 June. It began after a loyalist band and their supporters marched through the area. They were returning from a large parade.

Soon, rival groups gathered. They started shouting at each other, then throwing stones. After a while, shots were fired.

As things got worse, Catholic residents became very scared. They worried that the large crowds of loyalists would try to enter the Short Strand. They feared their homes would be burned down. Local IRA members got weapons from hidden places.

A young person named Jim Gibney remembered seeing his neighbors carrying rifles. He was very surprised because he had never seen anything like it before.

The Battle Unfolds

The main fight started around 10 p.m. It continued for the next five hours. Loyalists began attacking the church and nearby buildings. They used petrol bombs, which are like fire bombs.

A small house on the church grounds, where the church caretaker lived, caught fire. A Catholic pub nearby was also broken into and burned.

A small group of IRA members and local defense committee members took positions. They were in the church grounds and on nearby streets. The IRA members had rifles. They were led by Billy McKee, who was a commander in the IRA's Belfast Brigade. Another commander, Billy Kelly, was also there.

The IRA members fired at the loyalists. Some loyalists were on rooftops across the street. A local loyalist, Jim Magee, said he saw injured people. He asked the police for help. He said the police told him to "get it out and protect your people." So, he got an old rifle and started firing back.

No Intervention from Security Forces

The police and British soldiers were in the area. But they did not stop the fighting. Soon after the shooting began, a local politician named Paddy Kennedy went to the police station. He went with Short Strand residents and asked for protection for their homes.

Across the River Lagan, in another area called the Markets, other IRA members gathered. They were ready to help the Short Strand if it was invaded. British soldiers eventually arrived in tough military vehicles. They blocked off the roads around the Short Strand. This stopped the IRA from getting more help.

At the time, the British Army said they did not shoot. They explained that the situation was too confusing. It was hard to tell who was who. A British Army Colonel, Mike Dewar, later said the army was too busy in other parts of Belfast that night. He said the one spare group of soldiers could not get through the rioting Protestants to the Short Strand.

A journalist who saw the battle, Peter Taylor, said the shooting got worse. But the soldiers still did not step in. He thought it was either because they were not strong enough in numbers. Or because they did not want to get caught in the middle of a fight between different groups, in the dark, with shots coming from both sides.

A volunteer nurse that night, Liz Maskey, said the Short Strand was surrounded by loyalists. She claimed they attacked her ambulance when it tried to leave.

The loyalists left after about five hours, as the sun came up. IRA leader Billy McKee said his group fired 800 shots during the battle.

People Who Died

Three people were killed in the fighting. At least 26 others were hurt. Billy McKee, the IRA leader, was shot five times.

• Robert Neill, a 38-year-old Protestant, died right away. A shot from the church bounced off the ground and hit him.
• James McCurrie, a 34-year-old Protestant, was shot and killed on Beechfield Street.
• Henry McIlhone, a 33-year-old Catholic, was helping to defend Short Strand. He was accidentally shot by someone from his own side. He died the next day. However, Billy McKee said McIlhone was shot by loyalists. The IRA's official list of fallen members includes McIlhone. It says he was not an IRA member but was honored for fighting with them.

What Happened Next

Republicans and loyalists have different ideas about who started the violence. Republicans say loyalists started it. They claim loyalists tried to burn the church and invade Short Strand. They say the IRA was just defending their homes.

Loyalists say republicans started the violence. They claim the returning Orange marchers were attacked. They believe republicans attacked Protestants to trick them into a trap.

The day after the battle, loyalists forced 500 Catholic workers to leave the nearby Harland and Wolff shipyard. Soon after, a British government official said that allowing the Orange marches that day was a huge mistake.

Many Catholics felt the IRA had not protected them during the 1969 riots. But after defending Short Strand, many Catholics and nationalists started to trust the IRA more. Before this battle, the IRA wanted a chance to show they could defend the Catholic community. For republicans, this battle was very important in the growth of the Provisional IRA.

Less than a week later, the British Army found many weapons belonging to the Official IRA. This happened during a three-day operation in west Belfast. Nationalists saw this as the army taking away their ways to defend themselves.

See also

• Timeline of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions
• Timeline of Ulster Volunteer Force actions
• 1997 riots in Northern Ireland
• 2002 Short Strand clashes
• 2011 Northern Ireland riots