Red Lion Pub bombing

Coordinates: 54°35′07.8″N 5°55′22.7″W / 54.585500°N 5.922972°W

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Red Lion Pub bombing
Part of the Troubles

Location	Ormeau Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54°35′07.8″N 5°55′22.7″W / 54.585500°N 5.922972°W / 54.585500; -5.922972
Date	2 November 1971 21:00 (GMT)
Attack type	Time bombing
Deaths	3 civilians
Injured	26
Perpetrator	Provisional IRA

The Troubles
in Ireland

1960s and 1970s

1980s

1990s

The Red Lion Pub bombing was a bomb attack on 2 November 1971 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Planted by the Provisional IRA, it exploded in the Red Lion pub on Ormeau Road, killing three people and injuring about 30 others. The IRA members had given customers less than ten seconds to flee the building. Police said the target was the neighbouring Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) station.

Background

Since the introduction of internment in August 1971,^[1] the Troubles in Northern Ireland intensified. Along with IRA attacks against the British Army and Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), attacks on pubs by republicans and loyalists began. On 20 September, a bomb exploded outside the Bluebell Bar in the Protestant Sandy Row area of Belfast, injuring 27 people; none of them seriously.^[2] On 29 September, an IRA bomb exploded in the Four Step Inn on the Protestant Shankill area of Belfast, killing two men. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) retaliated a week later, bombing a pub on the Catholic Falls Road in Belfast. The UVF wanted to kill Catholics but instead killed Winifred Maxwell (45), a Protestant woman.^[3]

Bombing

At around 4:25 pm on Tuesday 2 November, three IRA members entered the Red Lion pub, beside Ballynafeigh RUC station on the Ormeau Road in Belfast. Two of them planted a bomb while the other guarded them with a gun. Before leaving the pub, one of the IRA men shouted "you have ten seconds to get out".^[4] Some customers ran out the front door, but others who tried to leave by the side door found it had been locked for security reasons.^[4] The bomb exploded only about six seconds after the warning.^[4] The walls collapsed and the roof fell in; around thirty people were injured and many of them were buried under rubble.^[4] Three Protestant civilians were killed: John Cochrane (67), Mary Gemmell (55), and William Jordan (31), who died two days later.^[5]

At the same time, another bomb exploded in a shop on the other side of the RUC station. The Belfast Telegraph reported: "There is no doubt in the minds of police that the police station was the target [...] both bombs were placed against the inner walls of the pub and the shop in an attempt to bring down the station on top of the RUC men inside".^[4] An RUC spokesman added: "even if they did miscalculate the fuse of the bomb, ten seconds was certainly not nearly enough to allow everyone to get out".^[4]

Aftermath

A week later the Provisional IRA was again blamed for bombing another Loyalist public house, this time the "Toddle Inn" public house on York Street near the Ormeau Road, no injuries were suffered in that bombing.^[6]^[7]

References

^ Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Events: Internment: main menu". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ "The Troubles 7". Issuu. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
^ Aaron Edwards - UVF: Behind The Mask pp.44
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McKittrick, David (2001). Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. Random House. pp. 114–115.
^ "Chronology of the Conflict: 1971". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
^ "Scene Around Six". BBC Rewind. BBC Archive. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
^ McDonald, Henry; Cusack, Jim (9 May 2017). UVF: Endgame (Updated ed.). Poolbeg Press. p. 91. ISBN 978-1842233269. Retrieved 11 July 2024.

Provisional Irish Republican Army

General

Organisation

Actions

1970–1979	Battle of St Matthew's Falls Curfew 1970 Crossmaglen bombing Scottish soldiers' killings Red Lion bombing Balmoral showroom bombing Abercorn bombing Donegall Street bombing Battle at Springmartin Battle of Lenadoon Bloody Friday Claudy bombing Newry customs bombing Old Bailey bombing Honey Trap killings King's Cross & Euston bombings Coleraine bombings 1973 Westminster bombing M62 bombing Clogher attack Houses of Parliament bombing Tower of London bombing Guildford pub bombings Harrow School bombing Brooks's Club bombing Woolwich pub bombing British Airways bombing attempt Birmingham pub bombings London pillar box bombings Talbot Arms bombing Bristol bombing Telephone exchange bombings 1974 Oxford Street bombing Carlton Tower & Portman Hotel shootings Mountainview attack Bayardo Bar attack Forkhill attack Caterham Arms bombing Tullyvallen massacre London Hilton bombing Piccadilly bombing Trattoria Fiore bombing Scott's Oyster Bar bombing Walton's Restaurant bombing Drummuckavall ambush Balcombe Street siege Kingsmill massacre West Ham station attack Olympia bombing Store bar shooting Stag Inn attack Garryhinch ambush Jonesborough Gazelle downing La Mon restaurant bombing Crossmaglen ambush Warrenpoint ambush Brussels bombing Dungannon attack
1980–1989	Dunmurry train bombing Lough Foyle attacks Glasdrumman ambush 1981 Bessbrook attack Chelsea Barracks bombing Hyde Park & Regent's Park bombings Harrods bombing Royal Artillery Barracks bombing Brighton hotel bombing Ballygawley land mine attack Newry mortar attack Ballygawley attack Enniskillen mortar attack RUC Birches barracks attack Rheindahlen bombing Loughgall ambush Operation Flavius Corporals killings Lisburn bombing Aughanduff Lynx shootdown 1988 Netherlands attacks Glamorgan barracks bombing Inglis Barracks bombing Ballygawley bus bombing Jonesborough ambush Clive Barracks bombing Deal barracks bombing Mayobridge attack Derryard attack
1990–1991	Derrygorry Gazelle downing South Armagh sniper Downpatrick roadside bomb Operation Conservation 1990 Wembley bombing Carlton Club bombing London Stock Exchange bombing Honourable Artillery Company bombing Lichfield gun attack RFA Fort Victoria bombing Proxy bombings Downing Street mortar attack Paddington & Victoria station bombings Mullacreevie ambush Glenanne barracks bombing Coagh ambush Musgrave Park Hospital bombing Crumlin Road Prison bombing
1992–1997	Teebane bombing Clonoe ambush London Bridge bombing Staples Cnr bombing Baltic Exchange bombing Sussex Arms bombing Cloghoge attack Coalisland riots Forensic Science Laboratory bombing Stoke Newington Road bomb 1992 Manchester bombing Night of the Long Knives 1993 Harrods bombing Warrington bombings Cullaville occupation Camden bombing Bishopsgate bombing Finchley Road bombings Battle of Newry Road Shankill Road bombing 1993 Fivemiletown ambush Heathrow attacks Crossmaglen Lynx downing Drumcree conflict Docklands bombing Aldwych bus bombing 1996 Manchester bombing Hammersmith Bridge bombing Osnabrück mortar attack Thiepval barracks bombing Coalisland attack 1997 Northern Ireland riots

Personalities
(Volunteers)

Espionage and
Supergrasses

Eamon Collins
Denis Donaldson
Joseph Fenton
Kevin Fulton
Raymond Gilmour
Martin McGartland
Sean O'Callaghan
Freddie Scappaticci (allegedly "Stakeknife")

Associates

Derivatives

Prominent
killings

The Troubles

Participants

State security forces

United Kingdom	British Army (Ulster Defence Regiment Force Research Unit) Royal Ulster Constabulary (Ulster Special Constabulary)
Ireland	Defence Forces Garda Síochána

Irish republican paramilitaries

Vigilantes	Direct Action Against Drugs

Ulster loyalist paramilitaries

Vigilantes	Ulster Protestant Action Ulster Service Corps Orange Volunteers

Major events

1967–1972
Northern Ireland civil rights movement
1969
NI riots
1970
Falls Curfew
1971
Operation Demetrius
Ballymurphy massacre
McGurk's Bar bombing
Balmoral showroom bombing
1972
Bloody Sunday
Abercorn Restaurant bombing
Donegall Street bombing
Beginning of direct rule
Bloody Friday
Operation Motorman
Old Bailey bombing
Sunningdale Agreement
1974
M62 coach bombing
Ulster Workers' Council strike
Dublin & Monaghan bombings
Guildford pub bombings
Birmingham pub bombings
1975
Miami Showband killings
Bayardo Bar attack
Tullyvallen massacre
Balcombe Street siege
1976
Reavey and O'Dowd killings
Kingsmill massacre
1978
La Mon restaurant bombing
Jonesborough Gazelle downing
1979
Warrenpoint ambush
1981
Republican hunger strike
1982
Droppin Well bombing
1983
Maze Prison escape
1984
Brighton hotel bombing
1985
Newry mortar attack
Anglo-Irish Agreement
1987
Loughgall ambush
Remembrance Day bombing
1988
Start of peace process
Operation Flavius
Milltown Cemetery attack
Corporals killings
IRA attacks in the Netherlands
Aughanduff Lynx shootdown
Ballygawley bus bombing
1989
Deal barracks bombing
Attack on Derryard checkpoint
1990–1997
South Armagh sniper campaign
1990
Augher Lynx shootdown
Proxy bombings
1991
Downing Street mortar attack
Cappagh killings
1992
Teebane bombing
Sinn Féin Headquarters shooting
Sean Graham bookmakers' shooting
1993
Warrington bombings
Bishopsgate bombing
Shankill Road bombing
Greysteel massacre
Downing Street Declaration
1994
Crossmaglen Lynx downing
Loughinisland massacre
Ceasefires of the Provisional IRA, UVF, UDA and RHC
1996
Docklands bombing
Manchester bombing
1997
NI riots
Second IRA ceasefire
1998
Good Friday Agreement
Omagh bombing

Political parties

Irish republican parties	Sinn Féin Official Sinn Féin Republican Sinn Féin Irish Republican Socialist Party Communist Party of Ireland Irish Independence Party Republican Socialist Collective Unity
Ulster loyalist parties	Ulster Unionist Party Democratic Unionist Party Progressive Unionist Party Vanguard Unionist Progressive Party UK Unionist Party Ulster Democratic Party
Other parties	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland Social Democratic and Labour Party

Background

Bombing

Aftermath

See also

References