Mairéad Farrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mairéad Farrell
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Mairéad Farrell
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| Born | 3 March 1957 Belfast, Northern Ireland
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| Died | 6 March 1988 (aged 31) |
| Cause of death | Internal haemorrhaging caused by multiple bullet wounds |
| Resting place | Milltown Cemetery, Belfast, Northern Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Máiréad Ní Fhearghail / Ní Fhearail |
| Relatives | Mairéad Farrell (niece) |
Mairéad Farrell (Irish: Máiréad Ní Fhearghail or Mairéad Ní Fhearail) was born on March 3, 1957, and died on March 6, 1988. She was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). She was shot and killed by the British Army in Gibraltar.
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Early Life in Belfast
Mairéad Farrell was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her family was middle-class and not directly involved in militant Irish groups. However, her grandfather had been held during the Irish War for Independence.
She grew up in West Belfast and went to Rathmore Convent School. When she was 14, Bobby Storey recruited her into the Provisional IRA. After finishing school at 18, she worked as a clerk for an insurance broker.
First Time with the IRA
In 1976, the British government changed rules for prisoners. They removed "Special Category Status" for people convicted of certain crimes. This meant prisoners would no longer have special rights.
In response, the IRA started more bombings and shootings. Younger members like Farrell were asked to help. On April 5, 1976, Farrell, along with Kieran Doherty and Sean McDermott, tried to plant a bomb. They targeted the Conway Hotel in Dunmurry, which British soldiers often used.
Police officers arrested Farrell within an hour of the bomb attempt. Her boyfriend, Sean McDermott, was shot and killed by a police officer nearby. McDermott and two other IRA members had broken into a house. They did not know it belonged to a police officer.
At her trial, Farrell refused to accept the court's authority. She said it was a British institution. She was sentenced to fourteen years in prison. This was for explosives, firearms, and being part of an illegal group.
Time in Prison
While in Armagh prison, Farrell became the leader of the female IRA prisoners.
When she arrived, Farrell refused to wear a prison uniform. She did this to protest against republican prisoners being called criminals. She was the first woman to do this. She also started a "dirty protest" in February 1980. This meant prisoners refused to clean their cells.
After 13 months, Farrell and two other women began a hunger strike. This strike happened at the same time as a men's hunger strike in Long Kesh. The women's strike ended in December. The dirty protest ended in March 1981. At that time, the focus was on the 1981 Irish hunger strike led by Bobby Sands.
Farrell was one of the prisoners who ran for election in 1981. She stood in Cork North-Central in the Republic of Ireland. She received 2,751 votes.
Return to IRA and Death
After being released from prison in October 1986, Farrell started studying at Queen's University, Belfast. She studied Political Science and Economics. However, she left university to rejoin the IRA.
The IRA sent her, Sean Savage, and Daniel McCann to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a British territory. Their mission was to plant a car bomb in a busy town area. The target was the band and guard of the Royal Anglian Regiment. They planned to attack during a weekly changing of the guard on March 8, 1988. Gibraltar was chosen because it was a British possession. It also had lighter security than other British military places.
The British intelligence service MI5 learned about their plan. The British Army sent soldiers to Gibraltar to stop the IRA team. Farrell, Savage, and McCann were confronted by plainclothes soldiers. These soldiers were from the Special Air Service Regiment. The IRA team was doing a reconnaissance (checking the area).
Farrell was shot four times. Her two companions were also killed. This operation was called Operation Flavius by the British Government. Some people who saw the shooting said Farrell and McCann were shot while trying to surrender. They were also shot while lying wounded on the ground. All three IRA members were found to be unarmed.
Keys to a rental car were found in Farrell's handbag. This led the Spanish Police to find explosives in Spain. They found five packages of Semtex explosive, weighing 84 kg. This was in a car the IRA team planned to drive into Gibraltar. The packages had four detonators and 200 rounds of ammunition as shrapnel. There were also two timers, but they were not set or connected.
Gibraltar Inquest and Human Rights
An investigation into the deaths was held in Gibraltar. The jury decided it was a "lawful killing." This means they believed the killings were legal. The vote was 9 to 2, which is the smallest majority allowed. A lawyer for Amnesty International felt it was an "unfair verdict."
The families of McCann, Savage, and Farrell were not happy with the outcome. They took their case to the European Court of Human Rights in 1995. The court ruled that the three had been unlawfully killed. By a vote of 10 to 9, the court said their human rights had been violated. This was a breach of Article 2 – the right to life – of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court criticized the authorities for not being careful enough during the arrest.
The court stated that the authorities did not show enough caution in using firearms. Some newspapers reported this as a finding that the three were unlawfully killed. However, the ECHR also ruled that the three were involved in terrorism. Because of this, the court did not award the families any money for damages or legal costs.
Other Events
After the shootings in Gibraltar, violence increased in Belfast. At least six more people died.
A few months before she was killed, Farrell was interviewed for a documentary called Mother Ireland. This documentary was not allowed to be shown at first. This was due to 1988–94 British broadcasting voice restrictions. Channel 4 eventually showed it in 1991. Farrell's voice had to be changed to follow the rules.
In 2008, Sinn Féin wanted to hold an International Women's Day event. It was to honor Farrell at Stormont. The group that manages the Stormont estate said it could not happen.
See also
- Death on the Rock; a documentary about the shootings
