Clonoe ambush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clonoe ambush |
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| Part of the Troubles and Operation Banner | |||||||
 St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Dernagh, near Clonoe, where the ambush took place |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Provisional IRA |
 British Army (SAS) |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1 improvised tactical vehicle 6 IRA men At least another 4 involved |
Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 4 killed | 1 wounded | ||||||
The Clonoe Ambush was a military event during a period known as The Troubles in Northern Ireland. On 16 February 1992, a group from the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attacked a police base. This base belonged to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in the village of Coalisland, County Tyrone. Soon after their attack, the IRA group was ambushed by the British Army's Special Air Service (SAS). This happened in the church grounds of Clonoe as they tried to escape. Several IRA members were killed in this ambush.
Contents
What Led to the Ambush?
From 1985, the IRA in East Tyrone was very active. They often attacked police and army buildings and staff. In 1987, an IRA unit from East Tyrone was ambushed. Eight of its members were killed by the SAS. This happened while they were attacking a police station in Loughgall, County Armagh. This was the biggest loss of life for the IRA in one event during The Troubles.
Even after these losses, the IRA continued its actions. Over the next five years, they attacked nearly 100 police and military places. They badly damaged many of them. The SAS ambush at Loughgall did not stop the IRA's activities in East Tyrone for long.
Other IRA members were also ambushed by the SAS. For example, Gerard Harte, Martin Harte, and Brian Mullin were killed. This happened when they tried to attack a soldier near Carrickmore, County Tyrone. These men were believed to be involved in an earlier bombing. That bombing had killed eight British soldiers. After that, soldiers traveling in and out of East Tyrone used helicopters for safety.
Another notable attack by the East Tyrone IRA happened in 1990 near Augher. They shot down a Gazelle helicopter. In 1991, three more IRA men were killed in Coagh. They were ambushed by the SAS while driving a stolen car. The East Tyrone IRA lost many members during The Troubles. They had the highest number of members killed compared to other IRA groups.
The Ambush Itself
On the night of 16 February 1992, at 10:30 PM, an IRA unit attacked. They used a stolen car and a lorry. They drove into the center of Coalisland village. They stopped at the fortified RUC police base. From the back of the lorry, they fired a heavy machine-gun. They shot about 30 armor-piercing rounds into the base. The machine-gun was a Soviet-made DShK. IRA member Kevin O'Donnell fired it. Other members had AKM assault rifles.
The IRA attackers then drove away quickly. They went up Annagher hill. No security forces seemed to chase them right away. As they escaped, they drove past the home of Tony Doris. He was an IRA member killed by the British Army the year before. They stopped there to fire shots into the air. They shouted slogans like "Up the 'RA, that's for Tony Doris!". Witnesses also saw them waving Irish Tricolours from the lorry.
After this, they drove fast to the car park of St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church. This church is in the village of Clonoe. It was about two miles from the Coalisland police station. They arrived at 10:45 PM. Getaway cars were waiting there. As soon as they arrived, the IRA members started to leave their attack vehicles. They were also trying to take the heavy machine-gun with them.
Suddenly, a British Army team attacked them. This team was mostly made up of SAS soldiers. They had been waiting for the IRA unit in the car park. The SAS soldiers opened fire with automatic weapons. Patrick Vincent, the 20-year-old driver of the lorry, was killed. He was shot five times while still in the cab. Peter Clancy (19) and Kevin O'Donnell (21) were also killed. They were hit while taking the machine-gun off the lorry. Sean O'Farrell (23) was chased across the church grounds. He was shot five times while trying to climb a fence.
Two other IRA men were found in a car in the car park. They were meant to be getaway drivers. They were wounded and then gave up. One of them was Aidan McKeever. The church roof caught fire by accident. This happened when a stray bullet hit a fuel tank. One British soldier was also wounded during the fight. The IRA later said that another group of at least four volunteers escaped unharmed. They were part of the Coalisland operation.
Some witnesses later said that some of the IRA men tried to surrender. But they claimed they were killed anyway. In 2011, a court awarded Aidan McKeever £75,000 in damages. This was for his injuries as a getaway driver.
Why the Attack Failed: IRA's Own View
A local IRA source later pointed out mistakes in their own unit's attack. These mistakes led to their defeat:
- They used a weapon meant for long distances (the DShK) for a close-range attack. This weapon could shoot up to 2,000 meters.
- Using tracer rounds was a bad idea. These bullets glow, easily showing where the gun is firing from.
- The escape route was chosen without much planning. The machine-gun was in plain sight. The support vehicle also had its hazard lights flashing.
- So many men gathered in one place after the attack. This made it harder for most of them to escape.
What Happened After
During the funerals for O'Donnell and O'Farrell in Coalisland, the local priest spoke out. He criticized the security forces for what happened at Clonoe church. He then asked the IRA and Sinn Féin to choose peace instead of fighting. A local Sinn Féin politician, Francis Molloy, walked out of the church in protest. But other important Sinn Féin leaders, like Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, stayed.
Hundreds of RUC police officers were outside the church during the funeral. The RUC had changed its approach to such events. Sinn Féin criticized this large police presence.
The Clonoe Ambush was the last time IRA members were killed in a series of ambushes by the British Army's SAS in Northern Ireland. A few months later, tensions grew between local people and British soldiers. This led to street clashes with soldiers from the Parachute Regiment.
See also
- Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1990-1999)
- Coagh ambush
- 1993 Fivemiletown ambush
- 1997 Coalisland attack
- East Tyrone Brigade
- Technical (vehicle)
