Seán Savage facts for kids

Seán Savage (Irish: Seán Sabhaois) (26 January 1965 – 6 March 1988) was a person involved with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA). The IRA was a group that wanted Northern Ireland to be part of the Republic of Ireland. Savage was killed by the British Army in Gibraltar during an operation.

Early Life in Belfast

Seán Savage was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in an Irish Republican family. This means his family believed Northern Ireland should join the Republic of Ireland. He went to St. Gall's Primary School and St. Paul's Secondary School in the Falls Road area of West Belfast.

Involvement with the IRA

Seán Savage became involved with the Provisional IRA. In 1987, he was part of an incident where two officers from the Royal Ulster Constabulary were killed at Belfast docks. He was also involved in an attack in December 1987 in Lisburn. This attack used a car bomb against John McMichael, who was part of a loyalist group. McMichael died from his injuries.

Events in Gibraltar

In March 1988, Savage, along with two other IRA members, Daniel McCann and Mairéad Farrell, went to Gibraltar. Gibraltar is a British territory. Their goal was to place a bomb in the town. The bomb was meant to target a British Army band that marched weekly near the Governor's home.

However, the British Government knew about the planned attack. They sent a special British Army team to stop it. This operation was called Operation Flavius.

On March 6, 1988, Savage, McCann, and Farrell entered Gibraltar. They were checking the area for their plan. As they were leaving Gibraltar, McCann and Farrell were stopped and shot by soldiers from the Special Air Service Regiment. Savage saw this and ran back into Gibraltar town. Another SAS soldier chased him. After a chase, Savage was shot and killed under a tree in Smith Dorrien Avenue. People who saw what happened said that Savage was shot many times while he was on the ground.

The IRA team did not have any weapons on them when they were killed. Two days later, the Spanish Police found a car rented by the team. This car had been turned into a car bomb. It contained about 140 pounds (64 kg) of Semtex, a type of explosive. The bomb was set to go off during a guard changing ceremony in Gibraltar.

Funeral and Further Events

The bodies of Savage, Farrell, and McCann were sent back to Northern Ireland. A large funeral was held for them on March 16, 1988, at Milltown Cemetery in West Belfast. This cemetery has a special area for IRA members.

During the funeral, a loyalist paramilitary named Michael Stone attacked the mourners. He threw hand grenades and fired a handgun. The funeral became very chaotic. Some mourners chased Stone. Three unarmed mourners were killed, and many more were hurt. Stone was later arrested on a nearby motorway.

Aftermath and Investigations

An investigation in Gibraltar looked into the deaths of Savage, McCann, and Farrell. It concluded that the killings were lawful.

However, in 1995, the European Court of Human Rights made a different ruling. They said that the human rights of the three individuals were violated. The court also criticized the British authorities for not having enough control during the operation. They did agree that the three had been involved in an act of terrorism. Because of this, the court did not award any money to the families for damages or costs.

A British TV show called Death on the Rock (1988) was made about the events in Gibraltar. It looked closely at what happened and questioned some of the British Government's statements. It also raised questions about whether too much force was used. This was at a time when there were rumors about a "Shoot to Kill" strategy being used against the Provisional IRA.