Clonoe ambush
Encyclopedia
The Clonoe ambush happened on 16 February 1992 in the village of Clonoe
, County Tyrone
, Northern Ireland
. A local Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) unit was ambushed by the Special Air Service
at a graveyard after launching a machine-gun attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) base in Coalisland
. IRA members Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O'Donnell, Seán O'Farrell and Patrick Vincent were killed, while two others escaped. An SAS soldier was wounded in the operation.
had been the forefront of a wide IRA campaign against British military facilities. In 1987, an East Tyrone IRA unit was ambushed and eight of its members killed
by the SAS while bombing an RUC base at Loughgall
, County Armagh
. This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during the Troubles
. Despite these losses, the IRA campaign continued unabated; 33 British bases were destroyed and nearly 100 damaged during the next five years. The SAS ambush had no noticeable long-term effect on the level of IRA activity in East Tyrone. In the two years before the Loughgall ambush the IRA killed seven people in East Tyrone and North Armagh, and eleven in the two years following the ambush.
Another three IRA members—Gerard Harte, Martin Harte and Brian Mullin—had been ambushed and killed by the SAS as they tried to kill an off-duty Ulster Defence Regiment
soldier near Carrickmore
, County Tyrone. British intelligence identified them as the perpetrators of the Ballygawley bus bombing
, which killed eight British soldiers. After that bombing, all troops on leave or returning from leave were ferried in and out of East Tyrone by helicopter.
Ed Moloney
, who wrote A Secret History of the IRA
, and author Brendan O'Brien said that the IRA East Tyrone Brigade lost 53 members during the Troubles—the highest of any "Brigade area". Of these, 28 were killed between 1987 and 1992.
and stopped at the fortified RUC/British Army base. The unit opened fire on the base at point-blank with armour-piercing tracer
ammunition. They had mounted a heavy DShK
machine-gun on the back of the lorry. The machine-gun was manned by Kevin O'Donnell. The two vehicles then fled up the Annagher hill and drove past the house of Tony Doris, an IRA member killed the previous year. There they spent the last rounds of ammunition firing in the air and shouting, "Up the 'RA, that's for Tony Doris!". The IRA unit was intercepted by the SAS at the car park of St Patrick's Roman Catholic church in Clonoe. The unit was trying to dump the truck and escape in cars. The roof of the church was set on fire by SAS flares. Three of the dead were found around the truck, while the fourth was caught in a fence outside the church grounds. The machine-gun had been partially dismantled. At least two IRA men got away from the scene, but the four named above were killed. One SAS soldier was wounded. One witness said that some of the IRA men were trying to surrender but were then killed by the SAS.
community. He was equally critical of the republican leaders, to whom he appealed "to bring violence to an end". Francis Molloy, then a local Sinn Féin
councillor, walked out of the church in protest. Leading republicans Gerry Adams
and Martin McGuinness
, who also attended the service, remained in their seats. There were many armed RUC officers outside the church during the funeral, the RUC having changed its policy after the Milltown Cemetery attack
. This show of force was criticized as it "ensured new young recruits to the IRA".
The growing tension among local nationalists led to an open confrontation
with soldiers of the Parachute Regiment in Coalisland three months later.
Clonoe
Clonoe is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It includes O'Rahilly Park where the Clonoe O'Rahillys Gaelic Athletic Association club play their home games....
, County Tyrone
County Tyrone
Historically Tyrone stretched as far north as Lough Foyle, and comprised part of modern day County Londonderry east of the River Foyle. The majority of County Londonderry was carved out of Tyrone between 1610-1620 when that land went to the Guilds of London to set up profit making schemes based on...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. A local Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) unit was ambushed by the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
at a graveyard after launching a machine-gun attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) base in Coalisland
Coalisland
Coalisland is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 4,917 people . As its name suggests, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.-History:...
. IRA members Peter Clancy, Kevin Barry O'Donnell, Seán O'Farrell and Patrick Vincent were killed, while two others escaped. An SAS soldier was wounded in the operation.
Background
From 1985 onwards, the IRA in East TyroneProvisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade
The East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army , also known as the Tyrone/Monaghan Brigade was one of the most active republican paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland during "the Troubles"...
had been the forefront of a wide IRA campaign against British military facilities. In 1987, an East Tyrone IRA unit was ambushed and eight of its members killed
Loughgall Ambush
The Loughgall ambush took place on 8 May 1987 in the village of Loughgall, Northern Ireland. An eight-man Provisional Irish Republican Army group launched an attack on the village's Royal Ulster Constabulary station, but was ambushed by a British Army Special Air Service unit of twenty-five. The...
by the SAS while bombing an RUC base at Loughgall
Loughgall
Loughgall is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 285 people.Loughgall was named after a small nearby loch. The village is at the heart of the apple-growing industry and is surrounded by orchards. Along the village's main street...
, County Armagh
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
. This was the IRA's greatest loss of life in a single incident during the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. Despite these losses, the IRA campaign continued unabated; 33 British bases were destroyed and nearly 100 damaged during the next five years. The SAS ambush had no noticeable long-term effect on the level of IRA activity in East Tyrone. In the two years before the Loughgall ambush the IRA killed seven people in East Tyrone and North Armagh, and eleven in the two years following the ambush.
Another three IRA members—Gerard Harte, Martin Harte and Brian Mullin—had been ambushed and killed by the SAS as they tried to kill an off-duty Ulster Defence Regiment
Ulster Defence Regiment
The Ulster Defence Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army which became operational in 1970, formed on similar lines to other British reserve forces but with the operational role of defence of life or property in Northern Ireland against armed attack or sabotage...
soldier near Carrickmore
Carrickmore
Carrickmore is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies in the heart of the county on an raised site colloquially called "The Rock"; between Cookstown, Dungannon and Omagh. It had a population of 612 in the 2001 Census.-History:...
, County Tyrone. British intelligence identified them as the perpetrators of the Ballygawley bus bombing
Ballygawley bus bombing
The Ballygawley bus bombing was an attack by the Provisional Irish Republican Army on a bus carrying British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland...
, which killed eight British soldiers. After that bombing, all troops on leave or returning from leave were ferried in and out of East Tyrone by helicopter.
Ed Moloney
Ed Moloney
Ed Moloney is an Irish journalist and author best known for his coverage of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and particularly the activities of the Provisional IRA. Ed worked for the Hibernia magazine and Magill before going on to serve as Northern Ireland editor for The Irish Times and...
, who wrote A Secret History of the IRA
A Secret History of the IRA
A Secret History of the IRA by award-winning journalist Ed Moloney. In The Blanket, an on-line journal, reviewer Liam O Ruairc described the book as potentially "the standard if not the definitive work on the history of the Provisional IRA"...
, and author Brendan O'Brien said that the IRA East Tyrone Brigade lost 53 members during the Troubles—the highest of any "Brigade area". Of these, 28 were killed between 1987 and 1992.
The ambush
On 20 February 1992 at 22:30, a car and a truck carrying a number of IRA members drove into the center of CoalislandCoalisland
Coalisland is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 4,917 people . As its name suggests, it was formerly a centre for coal mining.-History:...
and stopped at the fortified RUC/British Army base. The unit opened fire on the base at point-blank with armour-piercing tracer
Tracer ammunition
Tracer ammunition are bullets that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge in their base. Ignited by the burning powder, the phosphorus tail burns very brightly, making the projectile visible to the naked eye...
ammunition. They had mounted a heavy DShK
DShK
The DShK 1938 is a Soviet heavy machine gun firing the 12.7x108mm cartridge. The weapon was also used as a heavy infantry machine gun, in which case it was frequently deployed with a two-wheeled mounting and a single-sheet armour-plate shield...
machine-gun on the back of the lorry. The machine-gun was manned by Kevin O'Donnell. The two vehicles then fled up the Annagher hill and drove past the house of Tony Doris, an IRA member killed the previous year. There they spent the last rounds of ammunition firing in the air and shouting, "Up the 'RA, that's for Tony Doris!". The IRA unit was intercepted by the SAS at the car park of St Patrick's Roman Catholic church in Clonoe. The unit was trying to dump the truck and escape in cars. The roof of the church was set on fire by SAS flares. Three of the dead were found around the truck, while the fourth was caught in a fence outside the church grounds. The machine-gun had been partially dismantled. At least two IRA men got away from the scene, but the four named above were killed. One SAS soldier was wounded. One witness said that some of the IRA men were trying to surrender but were then killed by the SAS.
Internal IRA criticism
A local IRA source pointed-out a number of flaws in the operation that led to the deaths of the volunteers. First of all: the use of a long-range weapon for a point-blank shooting. The DShK could be used up to 2,000 meters from the target, and its armour-piercing capabilities at 1,500 meters are still considerable. The tracer rounds were not the best option, since the firing location, if not executed from a well-hidden position, is easily spotted. The escape route was chosen at random, with the machine-gun in full sight and the support vehicle flashing its hazard lights. The gathering of so many men at the same place after such an attack was another factor in the getaway's failure.Aftermath
During the funeral service for Kevin O'Donnell and Seán O'Farrell in Coalisland, the parish priest slammed the security forces for what happened at Clonoe church, claiming that this wasn't the way to win the hearts and minds of the Irish nationalistIrish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
community. He was equally critical of the republican leaders, to whom he appealed "to bring violence to an end". Francis Molloy, then a local Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
councillor, walked out of the church in protest. Leading republicans Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
and Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
, who also attended the service, remained in their seats. There were many armed RUC officers outside the church during the funeral, the RUC having changed its policy after the Milltown Cemetery attack
Milltown Cemetery attack
The Milltown Cemetery attack The Milltown Cemetery attack The Milltown Cemetery attack (also known as the Milltown Cemetery killings or Milltown Massacre took place on 16 March 1988 in Belfast's Milltown Cemetery...
. This show of force was criticized as it "ensured new young recruits to the IRA".
The growing tension among local nationalists led to an open confrontation
Coalisland riots (1992)
The 1992 Coalisland riots were a series of clashes on 12 and 17 May 1992 between local nationalist civilians and British Army soldiers in the town of Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland...
with soldiers of the Parachute Regiment in Coalisland three months later.
See also
- Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1990-1999)Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions (1990-1999)This is a chronology of activities by the Provisional Irish Republican Army , from 1990 to 1999. For actions before and after this period see Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions....
- 1997 Coalisland attack1997 Coalisland attackOn the evening of 26 March 1997, the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade launched an improvised grenade attack on the fortified RUC/British Army base in Coalisland, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The blast sparked an immediate reaction by an SAS unit, who shot and wounded alleged IRA volunteer...
- East Tyrone Brigade