Counterinsurgency and Collusion in Northern Ireland

Mark McGovern

Description

Collusion by British state forces in killings perpetrated by loyalist paramilitaries was a dubious hallmark of the 'dirty war' in the north of Ireland. Now, more than twenty years since the Good Friday Agreement, the story of collusion remains one of the most enduring and contentious legacies of the conflict, a shadow that trails British counterinsurgency to this day.



Here Mark McGovern turns back the clock to the late 1980s and early '90s - the 'endgame' of the Troubles, and a period defined by a rash of state-sanctioned paramilitary killings. Drawing on previously unpublished evidence, and original testimony from victims' families and eyewitnesses, he examines several dozen killings of republicans that took place in the Mid-Ulster area, and the impact on their families and communities.



Placing these accounts within a wider critical analysis of the nature of British counterinsurgency and the state use of agents and informers, McGovern paints a damning picture of covert, deniable and unlawful violence.

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Introduction: What is Collusion?

Collusion and Mid-Ulster

What is Collusion?

Loyalism, Counterinsurgency and Collusion

1. British Counterinsurgency and the Roots of Collusion

Collusion and British Counterinsurgency

What is Counterinsurgency?

Small Wars and Imperial Policing

The Rule of Law and ‘Counter-Gangs’

2. Northern Ireland and the Roots of Collusion

McGurk’s Bar and the MRF

Revolution, ‘Reprisal’ and Partition

Policing the State

Collusion, Bombings and Sectarian Killings

Eliminating Enemies

3. An Intelligence War

Phases of Counterinsurgency

Counterinsurgency, Informers and Policing

Handling Informers, Changing the Rules

Intelligence ‘Leaks’

The FRU and Brian Nelson

Agents, Informers and a Void of Law

Informers, Collusion and Deniability

Covering Up Collusion

The Liberal Ideology of Collusion

4. Arming Loyalism

Providing Weapons

Arms, Ulster Resistance and the Mid-Ulster UVF

Seizures, Police ‘Failures’ and Loyalism Rearmed

5. Shooting to Kill: Targeting Republican Combatants

War and Mid-Ulster

‘Set-Piece’ Operations and Shooting to Kill

‘Set-Piece’ Shoot-to-Kill and Mid-Ulster

Collusion and the Case of Gerard Casey

Shootings at the Battery Bar

Killings in Cappagh

6. Stopping Sinn Fein: Collusion as Political Force

Targeting Sinn Fein

Endgame Politics

Local, Personal and Political

Targeting John Davey

The Killing of Bernard O’Hagan

The Shootings of Tommy Casey and Sean Anderson

The Killing of Patrick Shanaghan

The Killings of Tommy Donaghy and Malachy Carey

The Shooting of Danny Cassidy

Collusion and the Case of Eddie Fullerton

7. Instilling Fear: Targeting Republican Families and Communities

‘See No Evil’ and ‘Breakfast Table’ Collusion

Wars of Attrition

The Shooting of Phelim McNally

The Killing of Frank Hughes

Killings in the Moy

The Killing of Charlie and Teresa Fox

The Castlerock Massacre

The Killing of Roseann Mallon

Conclusion: Collusion, Truth and Justice

Dealing With the Past

Investigating Collusion

Postscript: What Proves Collusion?

Notes

Further Reading

Index

Sujets

• International Relations
• Intergovernmental Organizations
• Political Science
• General officer
• Ireland
• Terrorism
• Stephen Ireland
• General
• IRA
• Ulster

Informations

• Publié par: Pluto Press
• Date de parution: 20 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781786804365
• Langue: English

Extrait

Counterinsurgency and Collusion in Northern Ireland
Counterinsurgency and Collusion in Northern Ireland
Mark McGovern
First published 2019 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA
www.plutobooks.com
Copyright Mark McGovern 2019
The right of Mark McGovern to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7453 3898 9 Hardback
ISBN 978 0 7453 3899 6 Paperback
ISBN 978 1 7868 0435 8 PDF eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0437 2 Kindle eBook
ISBN 978 1 7868 0436 5 EPUB eBook


This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental standards of the country of origin.
Typeset by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England
Simultaneously printed in the United Kingdom and United States of America
For Nicola, Ois n and S im
And in memory of my Dad
Contents
Acknowledgements
List of Abbreviations
Introduction: What is Collusion?
Collusion and Mid-Ulster
What is Collusion?
Loyalism, Counterinsurgency and Collusion
1. British Counterinsurgency and the Roots of Collusion
Collusion and British Counterinsurgency
What is Counterinsurgency?
Small Wars and Imperial Policing
The Rule of Law and Counter-Gangs
2. Northern Ireland and the Roots of Collusion
McGurk s Bar and the MRF
Revolution, Reprisal and Partition
Policing the State
Collusion, Bombings and Sectarian Killings
Eliminating Enemies
3. An Intelligence War
Phases of Counterinsurgency
Counterinsurgency, Informers and Policing
Handling Informers, Changing the Rules
Intelligence Leaks
The FRU and Brian Nelson
Agents, Informers and a Void of Law
Informers, Collusion and Deniability
Covering Up Collusion
The Liberal Ideology of Collusion
4. Arming Loyalism
Providing Weapons
Arms, Ulster Resistance and the Mid-Ulster UVF
Seizures, Police Failures and Loyalism Rearmed
5. Shooting to Kill: Targeting Republican Combatants
War and Mid-Ulster
Set-Piece Operations and Shooting to Kill
Set-Piece Shoot-to-Kill and Mid-Ulster
Collusion and the Case of Gerard Casey
Shootings at the Battery Bar
Killings in Cappagh
6. Stopping Sinn Fein: Collusion as Political Force
Targeting Sinn Fein
Endgame Politics
Local, Personal and Political
Targeting John Davey
The Killing of Bernard O Hagan
The Shootings of Tommy Casey and Sean Anderson
The Killing of Patrick Shanaghan
The Killings of Tommy Donaghy and Malachy Carey
The Shooting of Danny Cassidy
Collusion and the Case of Eddie Fullerton
7. Instilling Fear: Targeting Republican Families and Communities
See No Evil and Breakfast Table Collusion
Wars of Attrition
The Shooting of Phelim McNally
The Killing of Frank Hughes
Killings in the Moy
The Killing of Charlie and Teresa Fox
The Castlerock Massacre
The Killing of Roseann Mallon
Conclusion: Collusion, Truth and Justice
Dealing With the Past
Investigating Collusion
Postscript: What Proves Collusion?

Notes
Further Reading
Index
Acknowledgements
From the outset I would like to thank and pay tribute to the victims relatives whose testimonies lie at the core of this book. Their efforts to preserve the memory of their loved ones and search for truth over many years are what have ensured that collusion remains such an important issue to be addressed in dealing with the past of the conflict in and about Northern Ireland. I hugely appreciate the time they took to invite me into their homes and I was humbled by their willingness to talk to me about some of the worst memories of their lives. The book could not have happened without their help, understanding and perseverance. I would therefore like to thank Michael Armstrong, Siobhan Nugent, Briege O Donnell and Poilin Quinn, Martin Bogues, Mary Bogues and Anna Shanaghan, Suzanne Bunting, Danny Carey, Colette Casey, Fran Casey and Janet McGrail, Una and Geraldine Casey, Pauline Davey Kennedy, Johnny Donaghy, Paddy Fox, Bernadette McKearney and Tommy McKearney, Eileen Hughes, Martin Mallon, Donna and Oonagh Martin, Gerry McEldowney, Henry McNally, Kevin McNally and Lawrence McNally, Sean and Charity McPeake, John O Hagan, Suzanne Bunting and the family of Liam Ryan. A special note, too, in memory of those family members who have passed away since the start of this project, including Neecie Kelly, Eamonn Hughes, Bridget Mallon, Peggy Quinn and Maura McKearney. There were some occasions, given the information already in the public realm, when it felt better to limit the pain of putting someone through remembering and retelling their story again, but I want to thank all those relatives who had already made those memories available via newspapers, news programmes and testimonies, particularly the families of Danny Cassidy and Eddie Fullerton.
I would like to thank the families and friends of other victims who I met and talked to and who provided invaluable insight into the workings of collusion in the killing of their own loved ones, including the family of Rory and Gerard Cairns, the family of Pat Finucane, the family and friends of Sam Marshall, the families of the victims of the McGurk s pub bombing, those of the Ormeau Road massacre and the relatives of the victims of the Loughinisland massacre.
A great many people helped make this book possible, but none more so than Mark Thompson, CEO of the human rights and victims organisation Relatives for Justice. From the inception of the research and throughout its course, Mark and Relatives for Justice were partners in this work, providing support, access, information and insight. No one knows more about collusion than Mark - aside, perhaps, from those who were involved in it. I am grateful to Mark and to all the victims families and staff at Relatives for Justice, particularly Andr e Murphy, Pauline Fitzpatrick, Mark Sykes and Mike Ritchie.
I want to thank a number of legal figures, political representatives and human rights and community activists who gave up their time to talk to me and whose knowledge and perspectives helped guide the work. They include Dr Michael Maguire (Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland), Barra McGrory (former Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland), Niall Murphy (KRW Law), John Finucane (Finucane and Toner), Bernadette McAliskey, Denis Bradley (former Co-Chair of the Consultative Group on the Past), Mitchell McLaughlin (former Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly), Jefffrey Donaldson MP, Mark Durkan (former Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland and MP), Patricia McBride, Barry Monteith, Breand n Mac Cionnaith, Jim Hasson, Johnny Rush and members of the Pat Finucane Centre, Bloody Sunday Trust, Bloody Sunday March for Justice, Coiste and the Committee on the Administration of Justice. A big thank you to Peter Heathwood who provided access to (and copies from) his unique archive of troubles-related television programmes. I am also very grateful to everyone at the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) and Race and Class, particularly IRR s director Liz Fekete, for their unstinting support for the work.
The book would not have happened without funding support from several bodies, so I am very grateful to Edge Hill University, the British Academy and the European Union under the Peace III Special Programme for Peace and Reconciliation Fund, via the Harms to Rights strand of the Relatives for Justice Transitional Legacies programme. I am thankful for the support and help of colleagues at Edge Hill and other universities, including Allison Moore, Paul Reynolds, Sally Hester, Victor Merriman, Bob Brecher, Cathy Bergin, Fionnuala N Aol in, Kieran McEvoy and John Newsinger. I would also like to thank family and friends including my mum, brothers, sister and the wider McGovern, Gallagher, Foster and McPhee clans, Robbee, Tracey and the kids, Mark, Bobby, Roy (and Tommy) and all in the Park End and the Winslow.
Finally I would like to thank my wife Nicola and our two sons Ois n and S im . Nicola provided an invaluable contribution to the project itself, transcribing interviews and reviewing drafts, and throughout the love, support and forbearance of my family has been an irreplaceable source of strength and inspiration.
List of Abbreviations COIN Counterinsurgency Doctrine DMSU Divisional Mobile Support Unit DUP Democratic Unionist Party FRU Force Research Unit GAA Gaelic Athletics Association HET Historical Enquiries Team INLA Irish National Liberation Army IRA Irish Republican Army IRSP Irish Republican Socialist Party LVF Loyalist Volunteer Force MRF Military Reaction Force NIO Northern Ireland Office PSNI Police Service of Northern Ireland RUC Royal Ulster Constabulary SAS Special Air Service SB Special Branch SDLP Social Democratic and Labour Party SPA Special Powers Act SRU Special Reconnaissance Unit TCG Tasking and Co-ordinating Group UDA Ulster Defence Association UDR Ulster Defence Regiment UFF Ulster Freedom Fighters USC Ulster Special Constabulary UVF Ulster Volunteer Force
Introduction: What is Collusion?
Collusion and Mid-Ulster
On the evening of 8 May 1994, 76-year-old Roseann Mallon was shot dead by members of a loyalist paramilitary organisation, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), as she sat in her sister-in-law s home in a remote rural part of East Tyrone. Roseann was the aged aunt of Martin and Christie Mallon, well-known republicans in the area. At the moment she was killed the house Roseann was in was under close, indeed constant, surveillance by covert units of the British Army. It included cameras able to relay live images to a nearby military command centre, home to British Army specialist units such as the Special Air Service (SAS). Whether the cameras w