Thomas Oliver (farmer)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Oliver, farmer
, killed by the IRA
on 19 July 1991.
peninsula
, near Dundalk
. He was abducted by armed members of the IRA
near the border on 18 July and his body was found the following day near Belleeks, County Armagh
. He had been shot in the head.
The IRA
, via An Phoblacht
, claimed he had been passing information to the Garda Síochána
. They furthermore claimed that Oliver had aided the IRA, providing sheds to store weapons and explosives, but that over a six-year period he had given information to the Gardai, leading to several arrests. His body showed clear evidence of massive pre-mortum trauma, indicating extensive torture. A family member stated:
The death lead to a massive surge of anger against the IRA and Sinn Fein
in the Cooley peninsula, with Mr. Oliver's family, friends and community rejecting the IRA's claims.
Thomas Oliver was survived by his wife, six daughters and a son. His mother, Annie, died in September 1991 as a result of the shock of her son's death.
The Irish Times of 24 November 1991, reported:
case, where a highly placed member of the IRA was revealed to be a British double-agent, it began to be suspected that Freddie Scappaticci
- who ran the same IRA internal security unit that torturned and killed Mr. Oliver - killed Thomas Oliver in order to conceal his identity.
It emerged that in 1989, Mr. Oliver, in the course of drainage work on his farm, unwittingly uncovered a barrel. He reported the discovery to the Gardai but was unaware of its contents. The barrel contained IRA guns hidden on Mr. Oliver's land but without his knowledge. Two of those questioned about the arms in 1989 were Michael McDonald and Declan Rafferty. Both men were at the time members of the IRA and later went on to join the Real IRA. In 2002, along with Fintan O'Farrell they were sentenced to thirty years imprisonment for arms smuggling. They were associates of John Joe McGee, Michael McKevitt
and Liam Campbell
.
According to Garda sources, Tom Oliver became a scapegoat for Scappaticci.
The An Phoblacht article in the 'War News' section of 25 July 1991 was headlined: IRA Executes Informer, and stated:
In 2002, Eugene Oliver, aged thirteen at the time of his father's death, wrote a public letter to the Dundalk
newspaper, the Argus, "demanding answers to a series of questions directed at Sinn Féin's election candidate, Arthur Morgan
" in relation to his father's death. The Argus printed the letter on the front page. Sinn Féin declined to comment; a spokesman said the party had no comment to make on the Real IRA trio, stating "They have nothing to do with us."
In 2011, Gerry Adams
stood in the Irish general election, 2011 for Louth
. He was elected to the Dáil, topping the Louth constituency poll with 15,072 (21.7%) first preference votes.
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, killed by the IRA
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...
on 19 July 1991.
Overview
A farmer with no connection to paramilitary group or the security forces, Oliver was a thirty-seven year-old father of seven children, and a native of Riverstown on the CooleyCooley
-Persons:* Charles Cooley , American sociologist* Chelsea Cooley* Chris Cooley , American professional football player* David P...
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
, near Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
. He was abducted by armed members of the IRA
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...
near the border on 18 July and his body was found the following day near Belleeks, 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...
. He had been shot in the head.
The IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
, via An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht
An Phoblacht is the official newspaper of Sinn Féin in Ireland. It is published once a month, and according to its website sells an average of up to 15,000 copies every month and was the first Irish paper to provide an edition online and currently having in excess of 100,000 website hits per...
, claimed he had been passing information to the Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
. They furthermore claimed that Oliver had aided the IRA, providing sheds to store weapons and explosives, but that over a six-year period he had given information to the Gardai, leading to several arrests. His body showed clear evidence of massive pre-mortum trauma, indicating extensive torture. A family member stated:
The death lead to a massive surge of anger against the IRA and Sinn Fein
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...
in the Cooley peninsula, with Mr. Oliver's family, friends and community rejecting the IRA's claims.
Thomas Oliver was survived by his wife, six daughters and a son. His mother, Annie, died in September 1991 as a result of the shock of her son's death.
The Irish Times of 24 November 1991, reported:
Aftermath
In the wake of the StakeknifeStakeknife
Stakeknife is the code name of an alleged spy who infiltrated the Provisional Irish Republican Army at a high level, while working for the top secret Force Research Unit of the British Army...
case, where a highly placed member of the IRA was revealed to be a British double-agent, it began to be suspected that Freddie Scappaticci
Freddie Scappaticci
Freddie Scappaticci was accused in the Irish and British media on 11 May 2003 of being a high-level double agent in the Provisional Irish Republican Army , known by the codename Stakeknife.-Early life:...
- who ran the same IRA internal security unit that torturned and killed Mr. Oliver - killed Thomas Oliver in order to conceal his identity.
It emerged that in 1989, Mr. Oliver, in the course of drainage work on his farm, unwittingly uncovered a barrel. He reported the discovery to the Gardai but was unaware of its contents. The barrel contained IRA guns hidden on Mr. Oliver's land but without his knowledge. Two of those questioned about the arms in 1989 were Michael McDonald and Declan Rafferty. Both men were at the time members of the IRA and later went on to join the Real IRA. In 2002, along with Fintan O'Farrell they were sentenced to thirty years imprisonment for arms smuggling. They were associates of John Joe McGee, Michael McKevitt
Michael McKevitt
Michael McKevitt is an Irish republican who was convicted of directing terrorism as the leader of the paramilitary organisation, the Real IRA.-Background:...
and Liam Campbell
Liam Campbell
Liam Campbell is an Irish republican from Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.His brother Sean died in December 1975, when a landmine he was preparing for an attack on the British Army exploded prematurely. His other brother Peter served 14 years in prison for Provisional Irish Republican Army offences...
.
According to Garda sources, Tom Oliver became a scapegoat for Scappaticci.
The An Phoblacht article in the 'War News' section of 25 July 1991 was headlined: IRA Executes Informer, and stated:
In 2002, Eugene Oliver, aged thirteen at the time of his father's death, wrote a public letter to the Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
newspaper, the Argus, "demanding answers to a series of questions directed at Sinn Féin's election candidate, Arthur Morgan
Arthur Morgan (Irish politician)
Arthur Morgan is a former Irish Sinn Féin politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency from 2002 to 2011....
" in relation to his father's death. The Argus printed the letter on the front page. Sinn Féin declined to comment; a spokesman said the party had no comment to make on the Real IRA trio, stating "They have nothing to do with us."
In 2011, 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...
stood in the Irish general election, 2011 for Louth
Louth (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Louth is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
. He was elected to the Dáil, topping the Louth constituency poll with 15,072 (21.7%) first preference votes.
See also
- Jean McConvilleJean McConvilleJean McConville was a woman from Northern Ireland who, in 1972, was abducted and killed by the Provisional IRA and secretly buried on a beach in the Republic of Ireland. The IRA subsequently claimed that she had been passing information on republican activities to British security forces...
- Nick Spanos and Stephen MelroseNick Spanos and Stephen MelroseNick Spanos and Stephen Melrose were Australian tourists killed by the IRA on 27 May 1990.-Overview:A native of Sydney who relocated to London, Spanos was a twenty-eight year old Australian traveling with twenty-four year old Stephen Melrose, , and their partners on a four-day holiday to see a Van...
- The Hanna familyThe Hanna familyRobert James Hanna, Maureen Hanna and their only child David Hanna were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army bomb on 23 July 1988.-Overview:Robert Hanna was a forty-five year old building contractor married to Maureen, aged forty-four...
- Jerry McCabeJerry McCabeDetective Garda Jerry McCabe was a member of the Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. McCabe was murdered in Adare, County Limerick on 7 June 1996, by members of the paramilitary group, the Provisional IRA, during the attempted robbery of a post office van.-Early...
- Ronan Kerr
External links
- http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/Sunday_People/arts2002/louth_farmer6-23-02.html
- http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/the-forgotten-man-caught-in-the-crossfire-491142.html
- http://www.tribune.ie/article/2002/may/12/no-sympathy-in-cooley-for-rira-arms-dealers/
- http://www.michael.donegan.care4free.net/times100502.htm