Belfast Magazine 68

BELFASTBELFASTMAGAZINEMAGAZINE

ISSUE 68

A BREATH OFFRESH AIR

THAT LED TOMURDER

OLD BELFAST ADVERTISEMENTS,

PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS AND MORE

BELFAST INJULY 1955

Terrible Playground tragedy

Man crushed by concrete slab

Vandalism in the city cemetery

Chemist fined for having a dusty shop

September 1977

Off to the Houseon the Hill

OldBelfastPolice

Reports

Belfast Magazine

5 Churchill Street,Belfast BT15 2BP

Tel: 9031 0859 Fax 9035 1326E-Mail:

[email protected] Page:

www.glenravel.com

The Belfast Magazine is a bi-monthly publication

compiled by the Glenravel Local History Project. It

is just one of several Glenravel titles which aims to

promote an interest in the subject of local history. It

has always been claimed that history belongs of the

higher classes and looking at the way it has been

presented for decades then this would seem to be the

case. Glenravel are not interested in the history of

lords and earls, their estates and titles, instead we

are interested in the history of working class life.

We are not interested in politics either and we must

stress that if an article appears in the magazine which

appears to be a bit one sided then this is due to the

simple fact that it is taken from a Nationalist or

Unionist newspaper. We use both to try and

balance things out.

The Glenravel Local History Project is a local

historical scheme based in the North Belfast area.

It’s activities are centred around the educational

promotion and restoration of the areas historic

burying ground at Clifton Street and is named after

the nearby Glenravel Street which was destroyed to

make way for the disastrous Westlink road system.

The Belfast Magazine is not funded by any grant

making body and is entirely funded by you - the

reader. It’s profits are not used for personal gain but

for the continuing work of the overall scheme. If

you would like to support our work and advertise

your business at the same time then feel free to

contact our team at the above.

BELFAST MAGAZINE

1951

Belfast Magazine

In late December 1886 two

young men, Patrick Gartland and

James McKenna, were involved

in an incident in Dawson Street,

Armagh, which led to the death

of another youth, John Proctor.

The inquest jury had found that

John Proctor had been murdered

and these two young men were

sent before a magisterial

investigation in January 1887.

An extraordinary scene took

place in the magistrate’s court

and the defendant’s solicitor, Mr

James Williamson, was arrested

and jailed for contempt of the

court. It was not until March in

1887 that Gartland and

McKenna were finally charged

at the Armagh Assizes with the

wilful murder of John Proctor.

On the day of Proctors death the

22 year old had been at his

fathers house in Dawson Street,

Armagh. Proctor was a healthy,

well-respected young man who

was from Armagh. He had been

taking his dinner and had gone

to the front door to have a look

about in the street and to take

some air. He had not dressed to

go out but when he came out on

to the pathway he saw Gartland

and McKenna who were a short

distance away in the area known

as the Shambles. Without any

provocation Gartland walked up

to Proctor and said something

about him "being the big man"

and then punched Proctor.

Proctor hit him back and then the

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR THAT LED TO MURDERtwo youths fell to the ground.

McKenna went over also and he

sat on Proctors legs while

Gartland lay on Proctors chest.

Proctors father heard the shouts

and ran out of the house, pulling

Gartland off his son. Gartland

and McKenna got up, brushed

themselves down and walked off

towards the Shambles. Johnny

Proctor got up, clutching his

shoulder and walked back into

his house where a short time later

he collapsed and died.

John Proctor senior had run off

after the two boys to make sure

that they didn’t escape and

became involved in another

scuffle with them. Johnny

Proctor and the two youths were

not friends but they knew each

other and Proctors father

recognised the boys from the

area. The police were called

when Proctor got home and a

search was made for the two

youths. Gartland was found the

worse for drink not too far away

in a local pub in Irish Street

called Gillan's. There he was

arrested and on his way to the

barracks he said, "If I stabbed

him, arrest him also. He stabbed

me and cut my finger. This is

bad work, and I will tell you all

about it". He then told the police

at the barracks what had

happened and that in the row he,

Gartland, was only defending

himself. No weapon was found

on Gartland but he had a cut on

his hand, which was recent, and

which Gartland stated had been

inflicted by Proctor.

McKenna was arrested a short

distance from the fight scene and

also denied that he had anything

to do with the death of Proctor.

He had only stood around and

then tried to defend his friend.

At their trial the examining

doctor told the court how Proctor

had died. He had examined his

body and found a punctured

wound on the left shoulder blade,

about half an inch in diameter.

The wound was such as would

have been caused by a sharp

instrument and that the

instrument had severed an artery

and death would have occurred

a short time later. The cause of

death was internal haemorrhage

caused by the wound and ether

was given to Proctor as he lay

dying.

Patrick Gartland was found

guilty of Manslaughter

Belfast Magazine

The jury listened to the judges

summing up and then they

retired for 40 minutes. The jury

came back into the court and

announced that they acquitted

Gartland of murder but had been

unable to agree initially on

McKenna but finally he was also

acquitted. The crown then

charged the two youths with the

manslaughter and they appeared

again at the winter assizes.

This time it was suggested to the

court that the two youths were

being almost persecuted by the

crown in that there was some

‘party’ feelings and that

sectarianism was rife within the

system. The judge brought order

to the court and reminded the

jury as to why they were in the

court and that suggestions of

unfair treatment should not be

taken into consideration:

…It was absolutely necessary

that they should have a clear

conception of the legal position

of the two prisoners. They were

charged with the crime of

manslaughter. To bring guilt

home to both or either of the

prisoners it was not necessary

that both hands should have held

the knife, but it was necessary

that if one man did it the other

should be a consenting party to

his act….

All the same evidence was heard

and this time the jury found

Gartland guilty of manslaughter

with a recommendation to mercy

on the ground that he had

received provocation and

McKenna was acquitted of all

charges.

Arthur Square (Cornmarket) when in was converted into a roundabout in the early 1930’s

Belfast Magazine

MONASTERBOICEMonasterboice (Mainistir Bhuithe) is an interesting monastic site near Drogheda in County

Louth. The impressive ruins include a large cemetery, two churches, one of the tallest round

towers in Ireland and two of the tallest and best high crosses. If travelling south on the new

road connecting Belfast to Dublin you can not miss the large brown signs directing you to it.

Monasterboice is said to have been founded

by St. Buithe (d. 520), a follower of St.

Patrick, in the late 5th century AD. (There is

evidence that the site had pre-Christian sacred

significance as well.) It is from St. Buithe that

the Boyne River gets its name. According to

legend, the saint ascended directly into heaven

via a ladder lowered from above.

The settlement was captured by invading

Vikings in 968 AD, who were then

comprehensively expelled by Donal, the Irish

high king of Tara. St. Buithe's Monastery was

an important center of spirituality and

scholarship until the Cistercians arrived at

nearby Mellifont Abbey in 1142, after which

Monasterboice declined.

What to See

Monasterboice has many interesting features

to explore, but the clear highlight are its

superb high crosses. Like murals and church

sculptures, these magnificent examples of

Celtic art brought the Bible to life for those

who could not read (which was most people).

Muirdach's Cross (South Cross)

The cross near the entrance to the site is

Muirdach's Cross (a.k.a Muiredach's Cross).

It dates from 900-923 AD and stands 5.5m

(16 feet) tall. It is named for an abbot

mentioned in the inscription on the base: "A

prayer for Muirdach for whom the cross was

made."

The carvings have not all been certainly

identified, but on the eastern face, from the

bottom up, they appear to represent: the Fall

of Adam and Eve and the murder of Abel;

David and Goliath; Moses bringing water

from the rock to the Israelites; the Three Magi

bearing gifts to Mary and Jesus.

The center of the cross on the eastern face

depicts the Last Judgment, with the saved (led

by David with a harp) on Christ's right and

the damned on his left; above that is St. Paul

in the desert. These seemingly unrelated

scenes may be connected by the themes of

sin, judgment and atonement.

Belfast Magazine

The western face of Muirdach's Cross focuses

on the New Testament and depicts, from the

bottom up: the arrest or mocking of Christ

(who wears a robe and carries a sceptre);

doubting Thomas with another figure (perhaps

St. John the Evangelist, who recorded the

story); Christ giving the keys of heaven to St.

Peter and a book to St. Paul; and Moses

praying with Aaron and Hur.

In the central Crucifixion scene on the western

face, Christ is depicted as clothed and without

pain (a typical Irish image). He is flanked by

two soldiers, the spearbearer who pierces his

left side and another holding a cane with a

cup, apparently representing the

spongebearer. Between the soldiers and

Christ's knees are two heads, perhaps

indicating the two thieves. The bird under

Christ's feet may represent the phoenix, a

symbol of resurrection.

On the right arm of the cross is a depiction of

the Resurrection of Christ, with guards

kneeling on each side of the tomb and three

angels behind them holding a small figure

representing the soul. The cross is capped with

a stone replica of a gabled-roof church.

At the bottom of the western face,

accompanied by two cats, is an inscription

translated as, "A prayer for Muiredach for

whom (or by whom) the cross was made."

West Cross

The slimmer West Cross, located near the

round tower in the western corner of the site,

is 6.5m high, making it the tallest high cross

in Ireland. Also dating from the early 10th

century, it is more weathered than Muirdach's

Cross, especially at the base, leaving only

about a dozen of its original 50 panels

distinguishable.

Belfast Magazine

Among the scenes on the eastern face are:

David killing a lion and a bear; the sacrifice

of Isaac; David with Goliath's head; and David

kneeling before Samuel. Legible scenes on

the western face include: the Resurrection; the

crowning with thorns; the Crucifixion; the

baptism of Christ; Peter cutting of the guard's

ear at Gethsemane; and the kiss of Judas.

North Cross

The northeastern corner of the complex is

home to the simpler North Cross, which was

probably smashed by Oliver Cromwell's

forces. It has only a few carvings, but makes

a fine silhouette in the evening against the

round tower in the background.

Round Tower

Monasterboice's round tower is over 30m (110

feet) tall and was divided into four or more

stories inside, connected with ladders. As with

other round towers in Ireland, this was used

as a belfry, watch-tower, and a refuge for

monks and valuables during times of Viking

attack. Records indicate that the interior went

up in flames in 1097, destroying many

valuable manuscripts and other treasures. The

tower is currently closed to the public.

Belfast Magazine

At the beginning of

July 1955 a 90ft

French fishing

trawler was forced to dock in

Belfast when it ran out of fresh

water and was close to running

out of fuel. The 14 year old

vessel, the Colombe,

captained by M. Emile

Bellour aged 26, and with a

crew of nine had on board its

two ton catch of hake, plaice,

whiting and Norway lobsters

and they had to arrange for the

sale of the fish to a Portavogie

firm who met the ship at

Donegall Quay. The vessel

refuelled and restocked its

provisions before returning to

the fishing grounds to make a

new catch before returning to

its home port of Concarneau

in Brittany. Over 200 fishing

trawlers operate from Brittany

ports in the Irish Sea. Each

crew catch on average one to

two tons of fish a day with an

aggregate of 15 tons for a 10

day trip.

Playground tragedy

A verdict of accidental death

was given by the Belfast

coroner, Dr H P Lowe, at the

inquest on seven year old

Gerald Parker of Ellimgrove

Street who died from injuries

he received while playing in

the grounds of Queen Mary’s

Gardens on the Cavehill Road.

The young boy had decided to

play on the chute in the

playground and wanted an

extra thrill by leaning over the

side while coming down the

chute and had fallen. The park

attendant had given evidence

that he was constantly

warning the children not to try

to stand or jump while on the

chute because of the dangers

but that the local children

persisted in adding to their

excitement while on the slide.

On the day Gerald died he had

fallen hard from the chute and

was lying on the ground,

dazed but still conscious, but

the boys mother thought he

was suffering from only

Seven year old Gerald Parker of Ellimgrove Street who died from injuries he received

while playing in the grounds of Queen Mary’s Gardens

Belfast Magazine

shock. The extent of his

wounds was hidden by his

hair. The boy seemed to come

round and left the park

walking with his mother and

father. The family went home

and when they became

concerned about his condition

they tried to get a doctor but

could not get one to call at

their house and took the boy

to the Mater hospital where he

died a short time later.

The inquest concluded that

the boy died accidentally but

stated for the record that if the

boy had been sitting properly

on the chute that he would

have been as safe as he would

have been in his fathers

company. The Belfast

corporation expressed

sympathy with the parents but

concluded that children were

safer in the playgrounds of the

city than on the streets.

Man crushed by concrete slab

A 31 year old car dealer of

Brookside, Jordanstown died

while working on premises at

Earl Street, York Street,

Belfast. Samuel Dunlop

Chesney, married with a nine

month old son, fell from the

first floor of the building to

the ground floor and was

crushed by a slab of concrete

floor which had given way

under his weight. He died

while on the way to the Mater

Hospital.

Mr Chesney was working

with four other men,

including his brother George,

in cutting a hole in the floor

with sledgehammers to make

way for the installation of a

car hoist. After a large piece

of concrete was removed the

men put a plank of wood

across the cavity for the

workmen to walk on.

Although Mr Chesney was

aware of the danger he

stepped off the plank on to the

piece of concrete which was

being cut and a large 12ft by

5ft slab broke off. He was

thrown down to the ground

floor 10ft below and the slab

landed on top of him, causing

crush injuries from which he

died.

Deaf man fined

In Castlederg a man described

as ‘stone deaf’ was charged

with riding his bicycle

without due care and

attention. The local

magistrate, Mr V Millar R.M.

was concerned during the

court session that the man

could not hear the evidence

given against him and that it

was the first time in his

experience that he had had a

deaf man in court. The

problem was solved when all

the evidence given was

written down and handed to

the man and question were

put to him in writing. He had

pleaded not guilty to the

charge but was found guilty

and fined 10s.

Vandalism in the

city cemetery

At the monthly meeting of the

Belfast Corporation

Alderman T Henderson

complained about the

destruction of railings round

graves and of wreaths and

flowers at the city cemetery.

The police had informed him

that local children were

responsible for the damage

and those families tending

graves in the cemetery were

deeply hurt when they saw the

damage which was done.

Nothing could compensate

these families for their loss

and the Alderman expressed

the opinion that parents and

teachers in the area were

neglecting their duty in not

giving children a better sense

of civic conscience. Parental

control was at the root of the

issue however the Parks and

Cemetery Committee could

take no further action but the

opinions were recorded in the

minutes of the meeting.

Belfast Magazine

Lurgan Chemist fined for

having a dusty shop

Walter Baxter whose chemist

shop was on Market Street,

Lurgan was fined £20 at the

local petty sessions for failing

to take reasonable precautions

to prevent the contamination

of food by dust in his shop.

He was also fined £10 for

obstructing the representative

of the Armagh County Health

Committee in an inspection of

Samuel Dunlop Chesney died while on the way to the Mater Hospital following an

accident in Earl Street

the premises. The officer

Thomas Edwards told the

court that the shelves in the

shop on which there were

foodstuffs were dusty as were

bottles and cartons in which

goods were contained. The

shop in general was dusty and

dirty. Baxter had protested to

the inspection but had not

refused permission and he

claimed than there was no

more dust in the shop than

would gather in a day through

the opening and shutting of

the shop door. His wife

Eleanor Baxter told the court

that in her husbands shop the

shelves, display counters and

containers were as clean as in

any shop and that all

foodstuffs were covered at all

times. The court disagreed

and concurred with the

evidence given by the health

inspector.

Keep up to date with all our

publications and events by visiting

the Facebook page of the

Glenravel Local History Project

Belfast Magazine

OFF TO THE HOUSE ON THE HILL

I don’t remember my exact sentence to St

Patrick’s Training School but I think it may

have been what was called 1 to 3 which meant

you could do one year on good behaviour or three

years on bad so you can guess which one I was set

to do! I also don’t remember the exact year but

it was either 1978 or 1979 and although at the time

of writing this was over thirty years ago I can

remember that very first day as if it were yesterday.

At the courtroom I was taken out through a back

door and placed in a holding cell. Then I was

taken downstairs to another cell and locked up for

a few hours. Today I look back at this and my

detention in the North Queen Street Barracks and

actually wonder if this was legal! Anyway when

the door was opened I saw one of my childhood

friends Dixie Dornan who was down from St Pat’s

for a remand hearing and I began to ask him what

it was like. Needless to say Dixie obviously had

the same twisted sense of humour as me and the

description he gave me was obviously from

something he saw in a war movie.

When we arrived at the Glen Road we turned into

the grounds and went up this massive drive way

with beautiful lawns and trees the whole way up.

Then I saw the home for the first time and I can

tell you it was certainly not what I expected.

Because of Dornan’s description I was looking

for barbed wire fences, guard dogs and a building

with tiny windows complete with bars. Instead I

was met by a beautiful large building with the

administration section in the centre and a chapel

and gymnasium on either side of it and to the right

the senior side and to the left the junior side.

Needless to say I was to go to the junior side and

my first night was spent in a large open dorm with

about ten others in it. I don’t think they came in

that day as when I left the dorm they were still in

it but what I do remember was that they were a

bunch of cry-bas. Now don’t get me wrong I was

prone to the odd cry myself but not every bloody

night!

A few days later I got my own room which was in

the corridor next to the dorm. There were

similar corridors upstairs and that was where I

wanted to go but I guess that was not to be, but

my pad was the furthest away from the house

master’s room so that suited me fine. I can’t

remember everyone who was in our corridor but

next to me was Boo Gordon who lived in the

Lisburn Road area. Boo was dead on and was a

real fanatical fan of Led Zeppelin. Facing me was

a guy called Beaver McCleave and all I remember

about him was him arriving in one day with one

of those tiny tv’s which just came out then and

all of us being fascinated by it. Today we would

laugh at it but then it was real hi-tec! Next to him

was ‘E’ Dixon who was also from the New Lodge

area and the only other person in the corridor I

remember was Paddy Gordon. Now if memory

serves me right Paddy was from Downpatrick and

for some unknown reason I took an instant dislike

to him and sometimes went out of my way to make

things hard for him. The first ‘book’ I ever helped

with was with Boo Gordon and was called 101

Ways to Kill Paddy Gordon and although it

may all seem humorous the bottom line is I was a

bully and I’m sure Paddy must’ve really hated me.

This being the case it was very rarely he had to

put up with me as I was constantly hooking it

(running away) from St Pat’s.

A typical day began around 8am and it was up out

of bed, showered and down for breakfast. After

this we were lined up in the yard and then sent

to our classrooms which were at the back of the

building. The classrooms where what you would

find in a normal school and the first teacher I ever

got was a lady called Miss O’Rourke. She was

one of the few teachers who actually took an

interest in me and one of her aims was to teach

me how to read and write which at that time was

Taken from Joe Baker’s book Hooligan to Historian.

This can be downloaded completely free at

www.joebaker.ie

Belfast Magazine

extremly basic for me. I could hardly write and

when it came to reading I knew words but did not

know what they meant. I was determined to do

this and one of the things I was to do was borrow

the Ladybird books, read them and then compare

them to words in bigger books and in no time at

all I was really learning very fast. One of the things

Miss O’Rourke was to give me was a children’s

dictionary and when I went through that I was

really begining to learn extremly fast. Another

book I was given was a children’s bible and once

I read that I moved on to the bigger bible and it

was from this that I began to take an intense interest

in religion but not in the way the school had hoped.

Mrs O’Rourke then tried me at writing and with

joined up writing but that was one thing I could

never get the hang of and to this day I write in

block captials.

It was also here that I was being taught something

I was never taught before and was a subject I took

an instant fascination with – Irish history.

I was given a set of four books called The Living

Past and these were the actual books from

where my interest in Irish history began. We also

read all the stories about CuChulann and the

Children of Lir and I can state now that I simply

couldn’t get enough if it.

The other classes we did were arts and crafts and

I really enjoyed these. These were taken by

Brother John and we did everything from making

nailboards right through to oil painting with knives

which totally amazed me. Brother John was one

of the nicest people you could ever meet and he

really did enjoy teaching us kids everything he

knew. Unfortunately there was also the one subject

I absolutely detested and that was PE. Never liked

it, never have and never will. It was in St Pat’s

that my hurling career began and my hurling

career ended. One day while doing this I received

a direct hit in the face from a hurling ball and one

burst mouth and several smashed teeth later I

decided that I would never pick up a hurling stick

again. However there was one other game we did

play and I did enjoy that and became quite good

at it and that was rounders. In America this is

called softball and it was a game which I developed

quite a talent for but there was no great demand

for rounders players in Belfast at the time so I guess

I was to go nowhere with that. Another PE event

I did enjoy was swimming and St Pat’s had their

own swimming pool which I was in at every given

opportunity but my main memory of it was the

heating was never on but my preference was

always for cold water swimming and when we

Belfast Magazine

went hiking in the nearby mountains then river

swimming was something which we all really

enjoyed. In St Pat’s they also took us to other

swimming pools such as at Andersonstown,

Ballymena and our favourite, Lisburn. Lisburn

had a massive diving platform which was brilliant

to jump from as it was really high and it was this

which kept us occupied for hours.

One thing that all new comers to St Pat’s had to

do was see the psychiatrist. I remember my visits

to him and my thoughts were always that he was

mad and not me. Because of what I was in for

(Joe was in for arson) I was always called for an

interview where I was constantly asked not only

why I lit fires but why I burned buildings to the

ground and my answer was always the same – the

customary ‘dunno.’ He was also a bit weird as he

would have asked how many times per day you

masturbated. Now here’s a grown man asking you

how many times you serviced yourself – you’re

going to admit it like! He also showed the famous

black cards with the smudges on them and asked

you what you could see. Card 1 – blob. Card 2 –

another blob. Card 3 – I don’t believe it, it’s another

blob. He never liked these answers so I used to

look again and say cat, dog, cow, hamster, elephant

and he would write the answers down. What he

ever made of them I don’t know but before you

think I’m some sort of serial killer then don’t panic

as I only made them up. My original answers of

blob were the true ones.

Then came the day that one of my answers entered

the volumes of urban legend only this one was

true. One day he put a snooker ball on the desk in

front of me and said that it was an apple and for

me to eat it. I looked at the ‘apple’ and then at

him and simply replied "You peel it and I’ll eat

it." Quite an answer for a kid but you need to

understand how street wise and sarcastic I was at

the time.

Another subject relating to St Pat’s was all this

stuff about pervy religious orders. The order that

was in St Pat’s was the De La Salle Brothers and I

can state that 99.9% of them were fine and really

committed to helping the kids in the home. There

was only one whom we avoided like the plague as

he was indeed a bit iffy. It was said that he used

to do a bit of feeling up but to be honest I can

not say if he did anything more serious. A few

years ago there was an investigation into this sort

of stuff at St Patrick’s Training School but to be

honest I can state that I had never heard anything

about any of the Brothers but what I can state is

that there were a few of the housemasters who

were just a little bit over friendly but it never

happened to me and I really can honestly state that.

The Brothers were very strict and were not shy

when it came to a good boot in the arse or slap

across the head but that was it in relation to me.

There was also the family visits and I was visited

quite regularly by mum and dad and my brother

Liam. Liam always got me into bloody trouble as

every time he came up he came on his motorbike

and on his way out decided to have a quick

Jim Madden

Belfast Magazine

scramble across the lawn. Have a guess who got

the boot in the arse or slap across the head every

time this happened!

It was also during one of these visits that I received

absolutely dreadful news about one of my friends.

Like all kids we thought we were going to live

forever and that dying was for old people. Dad

came up to see me one time during the day which

was extremely unusual as all visits were in the

evening and daytime visits only at the weekends.

I was taken out of class and down to see my dad.

When I went in he was totally silent and I knew

right away that something was wrong.

At first I thought it was to do with mum. As

previously mentioned mum had a drink problem

and shortly before I went into St Pat’s she was in

hospital for major surgery. She had bits of

kidney, liver and spleen removed as well as other

bits and bobs. She had been given the last rites

several times but by some miracle she was to pull

through and live for quite a few years.

Belfast Magazine

What dad told me was totally unexpected, sudden

and absolutely heartbreaking and I can still hear

the words to this day. "Your wee mate Jim Madden

has been killed." I immediately burst out crying

and then asked what had happened. He had been

going to school and was messing around when he

tripped – right under the wheel of a bus. He lived

in number 12 of our flats and Jim and I had drifted

apart when I began to be a really bad boy but he

was one of my closest friends and going by the

fact that all of the old Churchill House boys are

still friends today I know that he would certainly

have been one of them.

The following day I was to do something that I

had never done before and that was to write a letter

to his granny. Jim and his sister Karen lived with

their granny and in this letter I told her how sorry

I was but to be honest that’s all I remember but I

do know that she treasured this letter and later told

me that it was one of the most heartfelt sympathies

she had received.

On the day of Jim’s funeral I spent it in the chapel

of St Pat’s. This was not due to any religious

conversion but due to the simple fact that it was

the quietest place in the whole building. I

remember asking the question that I assume

everyone has asked and that was the why has God

allowed this to happen. I also remember looking

at the large image of Jesus nailed to the crucifix

and thinking that if he could allow this to happen

to his son then what else would he be prepared to

do! Don’t think that this anti religious attitude

came about at this time as it did not. I detested

the fact that I made my First Holy Communion

and at my Confirmation I point blankly refused to

kiss the Bishops ring but in fairness someone else's

runny, snattery nose had more to do with this than

the beginning of a religious rebellion.

As I have said my interest in religion began in St

Pat’s and there was also a voluntary class which

anyone could attend every Wednesday night and

that was a religious one. The only people I

remember attending this was the previously

mentioned Paddy Gordon and a guy called

McCambridge who had a desire to become part

of one of the religious orders. This was a type of

theological class and was with a priest. I had a

bible and I would spend the week going through

it and looking for the usual contradictory stuff to

put to the priest and looking back now he must’ve

really hated me. I would go through the bible and

take notes and then present them to the said priest

but I never focused on the usual incest or eye

for an eye and then forgiveness rubbish but

would look at the more complex stuff. For

example I would concentrate on good versus evil

complexes. On one occasion my argument was

as follows:- At God’s right hand was the Arch

Angel Lucifer and he was cast out of heaven

with angels which numbered the grains of sand in

the desert. Now to me this was God’s most trusted

servant and one hell of a lot of angels and when I

had the priest caught out what was his reply?

"That’s a mystery of the faith my son!" I hated

that answer as to me it was simply a way of

covering their back but to be honest I knew that I

had them. What soon developed was a priest on

one side stating that Roman Catholicism was the

one true faith and me on the other with my

argument that it was all a load of superstitious

Quite often I caught the priest out with

questions on why God's most trusted angel

Lucifer turned against him. All I ever got

was "mystery of the faith my son!"

Belfast Magazine

nonsense. What is interesting is that when the said

priest retired the one person he wanted to see was

not the altar licking McCambridge but me. I

remember his exact words to me and they

concluded by him saying "Young Baker if there

was no Protestant religion you would invent it."

To this day I don’t know if that was an insult or a

compliment.

St Pat’s was indeed a very religious institution and

I was certainly to leave my mark on their chapel

in a humourous way as I will explain later but sadly

there were other incidents which were more

dramatic and which I stuck with tradition and got

the blame for.

One night we were all woken from our beds and

moved to the far side of the building. There was a

fire and the fire was in the chapel. Now here was

me with my openly expressed hatred of the

Catholic Church and a conviction of arson so

who do you think was going to get the blame?

The following morning two house masters stood

at either side of me as I was getting washed. They

were two of the ones I liked and became close too

and were Jim Whinnery and Tommy Mahon. They

asked me about the fire and I replied by asking

them a simple question. "Is the building still

standing?" "Yes" they replied. "Then it obviously

wasn’t me then." I don’t know what their

conclusion was but I think they believed me as

I was never interviewed by the Peelers (police).

Later I was asked did I know who did it and I said

no but the fact of the matter is I did. The person

who did it was one hell of a twisted individual

whom was operating outside as a homosexual rent

boy but before anyone considers opening up a

new investigation I totally forget his name and

description – after all it was over thirty years ago!

However, I believe, this chapel fire was to seal

my fate in relation to St Pat’s. I had a reputation

of fear in this place that led my fellow tenants

to be absolutely terrified of me. For some

unknown reason those who seemed to pick on

me developed this knack to encounter some sort

of strange accident. For example there were some

who switched on their bedroom lights only to

discover the dangers of electricity as it shot down

their arm as someone had interfered with their light

switch. There were others who had developed

strange cigarette type burns on the backs of their

necks or worse still deep inside their ear but as I

hinted at previously this was sheer coincidence

and nothing to do with me!

To give another idea of this fear there was one

person I got into a number of fights with.

Unfortunately for me this person was a better

digger (fighter) than me and continuously showed

me up on each of our encounters. My solution

was simple. To stab him. One night I sneaked out

of my room and broke into the kitchens. There I

stole two knives and my plan was really to cause

serious damage to this rival. Needless to say

the missing knives were reported the following

morning and were found inside my mattress. I

had told only one person of my plan and

although I thought him an obvious scumbag at

the time I really am glad that he did what he did as

I think I might’ve got myself into a bit of serious

trouble if I had gone though with my plans.

My main rival (whom I planned to stab) and I

became friends and I think that this was more due

to him being told of the sort of threat that he was

under from me.

The reason I am pointing this out is certainly not

to make me out to be some sort of Belfast ‘Kray

Twin’ but to give you an idea of what was to

happen to me was totally unexpected and the only

way I can describe the events would be for you to

imagine Barbie taking on Darth Vador!

I can only state what I knew at the time but if it is

fact I can not say. There was a fellow inmate

called Charlie Monaghan and I has always

assumed that Charlie was one of the orphans

placed in St Pat’s. That's all I knew about him.

One day we were out in our usual line up in the

yard to go to our class rooms when totally out of

the blue Charlie kicked me on the back of the leg.

It bloody hurt and my instant reaction was to

turn round and hit him a massive punch in the

face. Suddenly one of the house masters grabbed

Belfast Magazine

me by the back of the hair and ran me straight into

a pebbledash wall. Now for legal reasons allow

me to explain this as though I were giving a

statement. I was tightly grabbed by the back of

my long hair by a house master, whom I assumed

was there for my care and well being, and my face

pushed forcibly into a pebbledash wall. Now you

may be surprised to learn that my face was turned

into a bloody mash and that to this day I have

several scars on my chin, eyes, cheek and still have

to receive hospital treatment for bleeding noses

but I was sent to the headmaster. Now in fairness

to the said house master he had a desire for me to

go and clean myself up but strangely this was

something I refused to do.

I was left sitting outside the headmasters office

and it was then that I decided to take matters into

my own hands and that was to go for Charlie

Monaghan.

He was in the same class as me and was therefore

at Brother John’s arts and crafts class. This was a

class he was never to forget.

I stormed up the stairs and straight into the class.

I then snapped a heavy ‘T’ ruler off the blackboard

and used it to give Charlie Monaghan the most

violent and bloody beating he was ever likely to

receive.

When I was finished I simply went back down to

my spot outside the headmasters room to await

my fate.

The headmaster never had the nerve to face me

and soon after, two men came up the corridor, put

me in handcuffs and took me to a waiting car which

was outside.

Now this occurred thirty years ago and one would

think that it is all long in the past and has no effect

on today. It does. I have no plans to go back into

prison but there is a chance that it will happen.

The house master who did this to me was a grown

man and I was a child. Things have now changed

and I am now a grown man. If I ever bump into

the said house master I will give him more of a

chance than he ever gave me. I will give him the

opportunity to again smash my face into a wall

and see how things develop this time.

Belfast Street Directory 1854


Belfast Magazine

As a regular contributor

to Glenravel’s

publications I was

commissioned, on the

recommendation of my

friend, Joe Baker, to write the

follow up to Mercier Press of

Corks two previous books

"Hidden Dublin" and

"Hidden Cork".

When I spoke to the editor,

Mary Feehan, I said that my

work would reflect the

hidden history of Belfast, the

good, the bad, the indifferent,

hence my title Hidden

Belfast, Benevolence,

Blackguards and

Balloonheads

There are 65 stories in the

book that reflect the history

of the city from the the many

blackguards e.g. Waddel

Cunningham, who attempted

to set up a Belfast Slave ship

Company. Bruce Ismay, from

the White Star Line, who

interfered with the design of

the Titanic in that he reduced

the number of lifeboats, from

Harland and Wolffs original

plans, from forty eight to

sixteen with four

collapsibles. He also reduced

the height of the water tight

Hidden BelfastBenevolence, Blackguards and Balloonheads

bulkheads to allow a grand

staircase to be included. To

add to his infamy Ismay

managed to get off the

sinking Titanic leaving

behind over 1500 people to

drown. In contrast the

benevolence of citizens such

as the Presbyterian, Thomas

McCabe who on discovering,

in 1786 the attempt by

Waddel Cunningham and

other wealthy Belfast

merchants to set up a slave

ship company in Belfast

disrupts the meeting

finishing with the words

“May God wither the hand of

anyone who signs that

document" A slaveship

company was never formed

and Belfast can look back

with some pride in that it

avoided the riches that were

available from that vile trade.

Unlike Bristol and Liverpool

which are grand cities but

their wealth was mostly built

on the back of the slave trade

and they were responsible for

the transportation of 750,000

slaves to the West Indies and

the southern states of

America (Bristol transported

500,000 slaves and Liverpool

250,000). Continuing the

benevolence of the Belfast

Presbyterians, they were the

main movers in setting up the

Belfast Charitable Society in

1752. The Society provided

an early form of free health

care for the poor including a

Fever Hospital, a Poor

House, and the Ladies

committee set up a maternity

hospital in 1794 in Donegall

Street. I have included the

term "Balloonheads" i.e.

"airhead" in the title, which

the people in Cork were

confused as to its meaning.

In the context of the stories I

have included the history of

"Annas Dale", the home of

the Duke of Wellingtons

mother who said of her son

that she thought that he

would never make anything

of himself and basically he

was a disaster and yet this

was the man who defeated

Napoleon, hence her

inclusion as a "Balloonhead"

These are just a few of the 65

stories that cast new light on

aspects of Belfast’s hidden

history. Just published and

available in all good

bookstores.

Belfast Magazine

Belfast Magazine

A n unusual death was

reported in the Weekly

Telegraph of August 1932.

Edward Rogan, the chief

executive of the well known

Belfast boot firm of Rogan Bros

died after a sudden illness which

lasted three weeks. Mr Rogan,

a gentleman, was 61 years old

and was in good health. He lived

at his residence, Dromart House,

on the Antrim Road in north

Belfast. (It later became the N I

Milk Marketing Board offices

recently partially demolished

and a housing development built

in its place).

Mr Rogan was a keen gardener

and the only explanation for his

sudden illness resulted as he was

working in his magnificent and

well tended garden. The

deceased was tending the flower

beds in his garden when he was

stung by a horse fly on his head.

This was not the first time he had

been stung and thought little of

it, flicking the horse fly away

from his head and he continued

with his gardening. However

within hours alarming symptoms

began to develop and doctors and

specialists were called in but an

aggressive infection had set into

the wound and it could not be

stopped.

As each day passed his condition

worsened and three weeks later

Fatal Fly StingOLD BELFAST NEWSPAPER REPORTS

Elaine Hogg

Mr Rogan died at his beloved

home, with his family around

him.

Mr Rogan was well known and

highly respected throughout the

country and throughout his

career he proved to be an

enterprising and entrepreneurial

businessman. He was born in

Killyleagh, Co Down and moved

to Belfast as a young man. He

entered the boot business, for

which he showed great talent and

aptitude. Eventually he started

the firm which bore his name,

Rogan Bros and from the

beginning it was very successful.

Rogan Bros had branches or

agents throughout Ulster and the

company had an enviable

reputation. Mr Hogan was

joined in the business by his

brother Mr William Rogan who

became a partner. Mr Rogan was

a keen yachtsman and was often

found in the area around

Strangford Lough where his

beautiful houseboat was greatly

admired. Mr Rogan also owned

Salisbury tennis court and was

involved in promoting the game

in north Belfast, providing

encouragement and support to

others. He was a member of

Fortwilliam Presbyterian Church

and was a regular attendee. Mr

Rogan was not married and was

survived by his brothers William

and Henry and his two sisters,

Annie and Margaret.

I n summer of 1932 James

Rooney of Kyle Street in east

Belfast was short of cash. He

had no job and he decided that

the only way in which he could

make some cash quickly was

through fraudulent means. In

late June of 1932 he started his

long list of deceptions which

took him across the city. He

started with O’Kanes funeral

directors in Upper Donegall

Street. He called with Francis

Moore who was the secretary of

Hugh O’Kane & Co, telling him

Bogus Funeralsthat he was a James Rooney of

Benburb Street and made

inquiries about arranging a

funeral for his son, Desmond

Rooney, who had recently died.

The men agreed a price of £3 and

Mr Moore was asked to make the

necessary arrangements.

Rooney asked Mr Moore for a

shroud which was given to him.

As was often the case the

undertaker advanced money to

the client on the strength of the

funeral and James Rooney

Belfast Magazine


walked away from O’Kanes that

day with £3 in his pocket. He

had no intention of repaying the

money and he did not have a son,

let alone one who had recently

died.

A week later, the money from

O’Kanes long gone, Rooney

made similar funeral

arrangements with Johnston’s of

Bedford Street, which was again

bogus. He got £5 advanced to

him this time and he quickly left

the funeral home while he still

had the money in his pocket.

By now O’Kanes realised that

Rooney was not coming back

and had reported the theft to

police who called at the address

at Benburb where a Mrs

McAdam told them that she had

been living at that address since

June 1931, Rooney did not live

there, and no one in her family

had recently died.

It took less than a week for

Rooney to spend his way

through the money from

Johnston’s and he decided to go

back to Donegall Street but this

time to Adam Turner and made

another arrangement about a

funeral and got £2 advanced on

the strength of his story of his

dead child.

His last trick was with Major of

Lisburn Road where he told John

Major, the funeral undertaker,

that his daughter Doreen had

died. He asked Major to arrange

a funeral and then Rooney asked

him for £3 and relying on what

Rooney had told him he gave

him £1 and asked him to come

the next day when he would give

him another £2. The next

morning Rooney did not show

up and the £1 was never

returned.

When the police caught up with

Rooney he almost immediately

admitted what he had done and

was charged and found guilty of

obtaining money by fraud.

When asked if wanted to say

anything in his defence he stated

"I wish to lead a good life and to

do that I came forward and gave

myself up on these charges". He

had no remorse for his actions,

only an amazing tale of the

bogus funerals he arranged

around Belfast.

Belfast Magazine

The Carlin Murder London 1954Newsletter 7th September 1954

A scream heard above a radio

programme in a neighbouring

house on Sunday night is

believed by the police to have

marked the moment of the

murder of a girl found

Murder of Irish GirlLondon Detectives seek American Soldier

strangled in a house in

Lillington Street, Pimlico,

London, yesterday (6/9/54).

She was Ellen Carlin, aged

28, and is believed to have

come from Ireland. She was

found strangled.

She had been seen with an

American soldier recently and

detecrtives are seeking to

establish his identity.

Chief Superintendent Tom

Barratt and Det

Superintendent Judge of

Scotland Yard are in charge of

investigations.

Detectives in West End of

London last night intensified

their hunt for the murderer of

Helen Carline O’Kelly (28)

who ws found dead, with a

stocking round her neck in her

flat at Lillington Street, on

Monday. It was expected that

the police net will be widened

to cover the Greater London

area.

Information was being sought

about an American Air Force

sergeant, whom neighbours

said they saw with O’Kelly a

few hours before she died.

Three senior officers of the

American forces

reptresenting the Provost

Newsletter September 8th 1954

London Murder HuntPolice confer with U.S. Officers

Corps, conferrred yesterday

with Superintendent William

Judge, head of Chelsea CID

and other officers.

Specially trained police

women in civilian clothes

mingled with the crowds in

Central London.

Murdered woman

may be from Derry

Newsletter Thursday September 9th 1954

Mr James Carlin, of Rossville

Street, Londonderry, fears

that the 28 year old woman

found murdered in her flat at

Lillington Street, Pimlico, on

Monday is his daughter.

Although the woman who

was found dead with a

stocking round her neck went

under the name of Helen

Carline O’Kelly and several

other names, she was known

to the police as Ellen Carlin.

Mr Carlin said yesterday that

his daughter Ellen went to

London in 1946 and got a job

in a laundry. He thought she

had lost her identity card and

had changed her name.

Belfast Magazine

After leaving school she was

employed in a Derry shirt

factory. She did not return

home after going to london

and her father last received a

letter from her in February.

She maintained contact with

a married sister in London. A

brother lives in Cheshire.

An aunt Mrs Mary Gallagher

of Blucher Street, Derry, and

Mrs Gallagher's son, Patrick,

went to London yesterday to

see if they could identify the

body.

Two American airmen went

voluntarily to Chelsea police

station yesterday to see if they

could assist the police in their

inquiries into the murder.

Shortly before midnight

several American Servicemen

still remained at Chelsea

police station after being

interviewed by the police.

They were awaiting transport

back to their units.

Newsletter Friday September 17th 1954

Murdered Derry GirlFuneral in London

Only relatives including her

sister, her aunt and close

friends were allowed to attend

the funeral service in the crypt

at Westminster Cathedral

yesterday when the funeral

took place of Ellen Carlin,

form Londonderry found

murdered at Pimlico.

The coffin was taken to the

cathedral form Westminster

coroners court mortuary. The

internment was at St George's

cemetery, Hanwell.

Kidnap in BelfastAn unusual case was heard by the Belfast Recorder

at the Quarter Sessions in October 1931. It was

an action for damages for alleged unlawful

entering a dwelling house at Rathlin Street in

Belfast and for damages for alleged assault and

battery. The accused were Thomas and John

McAuley, two brothers, both from Dunmurry.

They were accused by Eliza Carey, a widow who

lived at 36 Rathlin Street.

In her evidence to the sessions Mrs Carey stated

that her son was married to a sister of the

defendants and that her son had a child, who was

aged nine and called Kathleen. Her son and his

wife had gone through some difficult times and

had become estranged and Kathleen had come to

live with her grandmother and her son would come

and visit his daughter at his mother’s house each

weekend. Relations between her son and his wife

had improved and Kathleen had started to spend

time with her mother again. On June 30th 1931 a

man came to Eliza’s door, a stranger, and he

mumbled something to her which she couldn’t

understand. Standing behind this man was Tom

McAuley who suddenly pushed past her and ran

though the open door and out to the back yard.

He was followed by his brother John and two other

men who then ran up the stairs shouting for

Kathleen. John McAuley grabbed Eliza as she

tried to follow the men up the stairs and he

restrained her by violently throwing her against

the wall and holding her arms. He then began to

Belfast Magazine

make threats, telling her that by nine o’clock that

evening there would be no Careys left alive in the

house, he told her that it was the ‘death day of the

Careys’. Tom McAuley then began to shout at

her, asking her where Kathleen was and when he

came to a locked door upstairs he began to shunt

at the door, trying to break it down. Eliza screamed

at him and told them she would get the key. John

let her go and she handed over the key and one of

the men opened the door, on finding the room

empty they began to leave the house getting into a

car and driving away. John McAuley was all the

time threatening her.

Eliza was shaken, frightened and phoned the police

who sent a constable to stand on duty outside her

house but the men did not come back. She later

discovered that her son and his wife had got back

together again and that Kathleen was with her

father and mother.

When cross examined she was asked about an

incident when she had gone to Kathleen’s school

and tried to kidnap her as she was leaving the

school. Eliza denied any involvement in that

incident and she denied that her son had kidnapped

his own daughter. Her distress both in court and

on the day of the incident were described by Dr

Linton who had called to see Eliza and found her

in a collapsed and dangerously stressful condition.

John McAuley was called to give evidence and

he admitted going to the house to find Kathleen.

He stated that he was only doing it because he

was approached by his sister who had told him

that one of Eliza’s other sons had told her that

Kathleen was to be taken from her. John then went

with his brother to a solicitor and then to the police

but could not find out where Kathleen was. They

then decided to take the law into their own hands

and go to Eliza Carey’s house to see if Kathleen

was there. He claimed that when Eliza told him

that Kathleen was not at her house and he asked if

he could look around she agreed readily. There

was no force used or any distress shown by Eliza.

They did not find Kathleen there and left without

any violence. He explained the presence of the

other men on his fear that Eliza’s four sons may

have been at the house and he wanted to make

sure that there was no trouble at the house.

John thought that Kathleen had been taken from

the school in a surreptitious way. Thomas then

gave evidence telling the magistrate that his sister

had told him that her husband was taking Kathleen

out of the country, to America, and that she had

had a message that she up to nine o’clock that night

to say goodbye. He was sorry for his sister and

wanted to prevent her from getting any more upset.

Thomas also denied that Eliza had been in any

way molested or threatened and explained that the

two families were usually on good terms and that

had in fact spend the summer in Bangor with the

two families. He admitted that Eliza Carey was

always kind to Kathleen and that there had no bad

feeling between them before this incident.

This peculiar case caused much interest in the city

and the magistrate decided that this was a dispute

about the custody of Kathleen and he understood

from what he had heard that there was some

misunderstanding between the father and mother

of Kathleen and the mother got into a panic. His

honour stated that he hoped that when the brothers

went to the police and to the solicitors that they

had not received any advice about what they were

about to do on the day they called at the Carey

house. It was plain that they had been at the Carey

house and that their intention was to take away

the child whether she liked it or not. In other

words, they took the law into their own hands

which was of course wrong. John and Thomas

McAuley had put themselves in the wrong from

the beginning as they had no right to force their

way into the house of Mrs Carey who was

respectable and caring mother and grandmother.

It was an illegal act and he did not doubt that

threats had been issued. He decided to assess

damages at £7, with one guinea costs for medical

costs for Mrs Carey.

Belfast Magazine

OLD BELFAST POLICE REPORTS

Looking through the old

crime records is truly a

fascinating past time and one

which never fails to shock and

amaze. One aspect of this is

the cases, which came before

the judges in the old Belfast

Police Courts. These are from

January 1856

A couple of barbers

Isabella Barber was brought

before court accused by her

husband of being drunk all the

time. Isabella was in her

fifties but looked much older,

as did her husband James and

his concern was that as well

as being drunk persistently,

that whilst drunk she behaved

terribly and with indiscretion.

Mr Tracy, the magistrate,

asked Isabella if she drank

and she replied that she did

but that her husband did also.

She claimed that he came

home drunk each night,

scolded her and when they

argued he would beat her. She

claimed that if he stopped

beating her she would stop

drinking. Mr Tracy put the

same question to James

Barber who admitted that he

would take the occasional

drink but only as part of his

business and that all he

wanted in his life was for his

wife to be sober, he

maintained that Isabella had

been drunk for seven weeks

in a row. Mr Tracy gave him

a look of disbelief and instead

of punishing Isabella he

advised the frail couple to

practice self-control in their

drinking and dismissed them

from the court.

Foul misconduct

Sarah Morrow and Mary

Crawford were before the

court charged that early one

morning they were spotted by

Constable Coates of the local

police walking along Joy

Street, each with a bundle in

their hands. The constable

bid the women good morning

and commented on how early

they were up and about. They

told him that they were on the

way John Street with some

work. The women walked on,

along Russell Street and into

Grace Street, and it was here

that the policeman stopped

them and asked them what

they had in their bundles.

Mary Crawford ran off

handing hers to her friend, but

Sarah Morrow stood her

ground and the constable

unwrapped the bundle and

found in one bundle seven

ducks and a goose and in the

other bundle six ducks and a

goose. The fowl were all dead

and had been killed very

recently. Sarah Morrow

claimed that she had got the

birds from a man in Cromac

Street but the magistrate in the

court was told that Morrow

had been up in the same court

seven months before on a

similar charge. Both women

were remanded.

Notorious Belfast Woman

Margaret McManus was a

woman who was well known

to the Belfast courts. She was

brought before them in

January 1856 when she was

accused by James Hatton, a

member of the Cheshire

Militia, of stealing one of his

handkerchiefs. Mr Hatton

while in Belfast had got

involved with a rough crowd

and had ended up seduced by

the infamous Margaret

McManus. It was not

surprising that no evidence of

the handkerchief was found,

Margaret being too shrewd to

admit to anything, and she

was freed by the court. Mr

Hatton left with a lesson in

how to socialise more

carefully.

Belfast Magazine

Robbery of Gold Rings

Ellen Quin, Mary Jane

Connor and Mary Jane Smith

were charged with the theft of

a large number of gold rings.

The rings were owned by Mrs

Gilbert who had a shop in

Belfast and her employee,

Robert McNeely, gave

evidence in court that he had

discovered that 12 gold rings

had gone missing from the

shop one afternoon. It was a

couple of hours before the

robbery was discovered but

when he realised what had

happened he alerted the local

police. The local police when

informed of what had

happened had a few ideas as

to who was responsible and

carried out searches of known

offenders. Three of the rings

were found at the home of

Michael Quin who was the

father of Ellen. Four of the

rings were sold to Margaret

Ann Hughes by Mary Jane

Smith but the remaining five

rings were unaccounted for

and no evidence was found to

implicate Mary Jane Connor

in he theft. She was

discharged from the court,

despite being convicted four

times of theft before. Smith

was sentenced to three

months in prison, it was her

fifteenth appearance before

the court and Quin was

sentenced to two months in

jail as she was not such a

hardened offender and had

been before the court only

eight times previously.

Brutal Stabbing Case

Thomas McDonald was

charged with stabbing Jane

Harkin in Hudson’s Entry in

Belfast. Mr McDonald had

Hudson’s Entry was so notorious it was cleared and it’s

name changed to Gresham Street

been at Jane Harkins house in

Hudson’s Entry on the day of

the stabbing and had pawned

his shoes at his own request.

He later changed his mind and

demanded his shoes back.

When he did not get them he

got angry and lifted a poker

and beat Jane around her head

and face with the poker. He

then threw the poker down

and took a penknife from his

pocket and stabbed her in the

neck with it. Jane Harkin was

seriously injured in the attack

and spent many days

receiving treatment in the

Belfast General Hospital, she

would be left with many

facial scars.

Thomas McDonald claimed

in court that Harkin, her

friend Eliza Kirk and four

other girls had attacked him

first, beating him about the

head, and three of the girls

had caught him by the throat

and shouted at him that they

would choke him. He swore

that he had not used the knife

on Jane, and that it was he

who feared for his life. The

magistrate Mr Tracy did not

believe McDonalds version of

the events and he was sent to

jail for two months, and at the

end of his time in jail he had

to find bail for his future good

behaviour.

Belfast Magazine

Belfast map of

1884 showing the area

around the

old Belfast Prison

Belfast Magazine

Two views showing women working Jacquard Power Looms in the

Brookfield Linen Company in 1900

The spinning room at Ewarts Mill around

the turn of the last century

Edenderry Mill

The Power Loom Weaving Shed at Ewarts

Mill around the turn of the last century

Lankashire Smokless Boilers at Ewarts Mill

4th August 1937

Belfast Magazine

A Chronology of the Northern Ireland Conflict

JULY

1977

Belfast Magazine

Friday 1st July 1977

Saturday 2nd July 1977

The army and police

in a joint exercise

uncovered a massive

haul of explosives

and ammunition in

the Shankill area of

Belfast, after a tip off

an RUC patrol started

searching a house in

Emerson Street. The

army arrived a short

time later and

residents were

evacuated from their

homes. It was

described by the army

as a major discovery

of a large bomb

factory. The haul

included home made

grenades, bags of

home made

explosives, timing

devices, fuse wire,

assembled beer can

bombs and other

bomb making

materials. Also

uncovered was one

bucketful of 9mm

ammunition, at least

1000 rounds. The

house was believed to

be used by the UVF.

A 22-year-old woman

from Ardoyne was

accused of having

explosive substances

in the Antrim Road

area of Belfast. The

unemployed stitcher

from Kingston Street

was accused of

possessing five

cassette incendiaries,

41 detonators, 3

timing devices and

safety fuse at a lock

up garage in

Ponsonby Street.

Police seized guns,

ammunition and

bomb making

equipment after a raid

on a Belfast house.

The search took place

on a house in the New

Lodge area of north

Belfast and the haul

included two

shotguns.

A gunman fired a

single shot at an army

checkpoint near the

Guildhall in Derry.

No one was hurt and

fire was not returned.

A doorman of the

Roundhouse pub in

Finaghy was shot in

the leg when two men

tried to gain entry into

the pub and he

stopped them. He

was not seriously

injured.

Incendiary devices

caused a small fire in

the Blackstaff

Spinning Company

building on the

Springfield Road. An

automatic sprinkler

system put out the fire

that started.

An incendiary device

exploded in the

Nursery Needs shop

in Howard Street,

Belfast but damage

was slight. The army

made safe two similar

devices found in the

shop.

Monday 4th July 1977An inquiry was

launched after the

discovery of 30 sticks

of gelignite inside

Crumlin Road Jail.

The explosives were

smuggled in inside

packets of butter. 20

detonators were also

found. Neither the

IRA nor UVF

claimed ownership of

the explosives.

A 100lb milk churn

bomb exploded in the

Tunneys Meat Plant

in Clones. 250

workers were

evacuated while the

factory was searched

in case there were

more explosives. The

100lb of fertiliser

packed into an 8-

gallon milk churn

partly exploded and

little damage was

caused.

At Kinawley the

army dealt with a

suspect bomb in a

Belfast Magazine

hijacked car. The

area was sealed off

after three masked

men ordered the

driver out of the

vehicle.

A 17-year-old youth

was shot by police

after a car chase in the

Shankill area. Four

youths were detained

and the injured youth

taken to hospital after

they were seen in a

stolen car in Wilton

Street.

A 35-year old part

time reserve

policeman survived

an attempt on his life.

The constable was

driving up the lane to

his home at

Drumquin in Co

Tyrone, when his car

triggered off a booby

trap on the grass

verge. The married

man received injuries

to his shoulder and

thigh.

A 41-year-old docker

from the New Lodge

area of Belfast was

charged with having

two shotguns and

seven rounds of

ammunition.

Tuesday 5th July 1977The IRA claimed

responsibility for a

firebomb attack of

Frederick Thomas’s

shop in Lower North

Street, Belfast.

The police and army

were pelted with

slates and bottles of

spirits as five

teenagers held them

at bay from the

rooftop of the White

Cross Inn in Lower

North Street.

Wednesday 6th July 1977David Morrow a 35

year old full time

reserve constable in

the RUCR was shot

dead by the IRA as he

and two colleagues

were preparing to put

up ‘no parking’ cones

in Aughnacloys main

street in preparation

for the weekly

market. Mr Morrow

who was married

with two children and

from Sydney

Crescent in

Aughnacloy was

about to get out of the

police vehicle when

gunmen jumped out

of a stolen van and

opened fire. All three

policemen were hit

by the gunfire. The

gunmen escaped

towards the border on

an unapproved road

in a car that was later

found burnt out. The

killing took place

outside the towns

Catholic church

during mass. People

attending the mass

described lying on the

church floor when the

gunfire started and

one passerby stated

that Mr Morrow was

dead at the scene.

Belfast Magazine

Thursday 7th July 1977There was major

traffic disruption in

Belfast when the

RUC were called out

to deal with a number

of bomb hoaxes. The

army were sent to

Academy Street,

Waring Street and the

Smithfield area where

stolen post offices

vans had been left and

all turned out to be

hoaxes. A suspect

device in the Quik

Snak café in Donegall

Street also turned out

to be a hoax.

The army uncovered

rifles, ammunition

and bomb parts in a

series of searches in

Belfast. The haul

included five rifles,

two pistols, 12

cassette type

incendiary devices, a

Bren gun barrel, a

quantity of

ammunition and a

radio receiver. The

haul was discovered

when a car was

stopped in the

Ladybrook area and

the incendiary

devices were found in

a house in Ardoyne.

A man was arrested

by an SAS patrol at a

farm in south

Armagh. The man

had been working on

the farm when

arrested and a woman

living at the farm

claimed that the army

had shot her dog

during the raid. A

helicopter landed in

the field and took

away the arrested

man.

Friday 8th July 1977Bomb scares in

Belfast caused chaos

for a second day

running. Afternoon

traffic was caught up

as the army and RUC

worked to deal with

the suspect devices.

Police evacuated

large areas of the city

centre near where

suspect vehicles had

been left and several

shops were checked

after bomb warnings.

A GPO van, which

had been hijacked in

the Clonard Street

area, was left in

Shaftesbury Square.

A JCB digger caused

an alert on the

Donegall Road near

the M1 and there was

another suspect

vehicle left outside

Belfast Hire Car on

the Grosvenor Road.

Police also checked

vehicles at Finaghy

crossroads, Durham

Street, Dunmurry

Golf Club and Athol

Street. Bomb

warnings were also

given about a number

of premises in the city

centre. They

included Littlewoods,

BHS, the Bank

Buildings and Kelly’s

Cellars. The railway

line between Belfast

and Lisburn was

closed because of a

suspect bomb at

Finaghy halt. The M1

was also closed

between the city and

Lisburn.

A 26-year-old man

was shot in both legs

in Belfast and was

admitted to the RVH.

A 33-year-old woman

was detained in

hospital suffering

from shock after a no

warning bomb went

off in the Springfield

Road area. She was

one of three people

treated for shock after

the blast at a car

parked in Cupar

Street. A 5lb bomb

had been placed in a

lorry, which had been

hijacked earlier in

Snugville Street in the

Shankill area. Six

cars were damaged in

the explosion.

Saturday 9th July 1977Mr William John

Hutchinson from

north Belfast and a

member of the UDA/

UFF was found dead

in a shallow grave at

Old Glencairn Road

by a man walking his

dog. His body had

been covered in

quicklime and it was

alleged he had been

killed because he was

an informer. Mr

Hutchinson was lured

into a car when he

was told he was

needed to get rid of

some stolen drink.

The victim was an

Belfast Magazine

officer in the Shankill

UDA and had also

served as a prison

officer in 1971,

during which time he

had escorted

republican internees

to Long Kesh. Mr

Hutchinson was 33

years old and married

with 2 children.

An army patrol found

a machine pistol, a

magazine, and a sawn

off shotgun hidden in

a hedge at Carnagh

Park, Newry.

Monday 11th July 1977

IRA firebomb attack on shops in Larne

A 36-year-old Belfast

security officer was

charged with

possession of a .38

revolver and 20

rounds of

ammunition at his

home in Tynedale

Park,

A 400lb bomb was

defused by the army

in Co Fermanagh.

The bomb was

primed and ready for

detonation and was

packed into four

creamery cans in a

road culvert near

Lisnaskea. Wires

were spotted leading

from the culvert for

about half a mile.

In Enniskillen a car

stolen from the

Cornagrade housing

estate was blown up

by the army in a car

park.

In New Barnsley,

Belfast, soldiers were

fired at twice, no one

was hurt.

There were two

sniper attacks in

Derry. Three gunmen

operating from a car

fired 15 shots at

police in the

Rosemount Estate

area and in the

William Street area a

shot was fired at an

army patrol.

In Newcastle after an

anonymous warning

police found cassette

type devices under

seats at the Wilmar

Hotel. One had partly

exploded scorching a

seat. The other was

defused. Nobody

was hurt.

Tuesday 12th July 1977Six policemen were

hurt when a 50 strong

crowd threw bottles

and stones during

bonfire celebrations

in the Waterside area

of Derry.

Wednesday 13th July 1977Street rioting broke

out in Belfast after

gunmen tried to kill

soldiers. Soldiers

used rubber bullets to

disperse the crowd

who showered them

in stones and bottles.

A shot was fired at

New Barnsley RUC

station and later a

shot was fired at an

army patrol in

Lenadoon Avenue.

Later a number of

shots were fired at an

army patrol at

Glenalina Road in the

Whiterock area.

They came from

Ardmonagh Gardens

and no one was hurt.

As the army mounted

a follow up operation

a crowd attacked

them.

A bus was hijacked at

the Beehive on the

Falls Road and the

driver forced to take

it to the Springfield

Road area where a

crowd of 70 set it

alight.

Rival crowds stoned

each other across the

Belfast Magazine

peace line at

Lawnbrook Avenue

and Cupar Street in

the Falls Road area of

Belfast, but they

dispersed on the

arrival of the RUC.

Twenty-one bullets

were found by

children at Alloa

Street in the

Cliftonpark Avenue

area and bullets were

also discovered lying

at Glenwherry River

in Ballyclare.

A rifle and pistol

along with

ammunition were

found in a house in

the Ardoyne area.

In Derry a bomb in a

duffle bag was left

near the Orange

Lodge assembly

place in Derry but

failed to go off. It was

thought that it was a

plot by the IRA to kill

Orangemen as they

left for the Twelfth

parade. The 12lb

bomb was on top of a

small wall just

outside the old City

Walls but close to

where the bands and

Lodges formed up on

the Twelfth morning.

Friday 15th July 1977A bomb was planted

at the gates of

Andersonstown RUC

station. The 10lb

duffle bag bomb was

found and make safe.

No damage was a

caused to the station

and no one was hurt.

The army examined a

suspect van at Curry’s

corner on the

Ballynahinch to

Newcastle Road. The

van had been

hijacked in the Turf

Lodge area of Belfast

had wires leading

from it to a box on the

roadside.

Firemen fought a hay

shed blaze near

Mayobridge, Newry,

unaware that a

suspect bomb was

near the building. An

army bomb disposal

expert examined the

device and the area

was sealed off by the

RUC. More than

2000 bales of hay

were destroyed in the

fire at Dysart Old

Mill, Cooper’s Hill.

Saturday 16th July 1977A part time UDR man

was ambushed as he

left a friends house in

Ballycastle Road,

Armoy. Five shots

were fired; one of the

bullets hit him in the

shoulder.

Two petrol bombs

were thrown at a

steward’s house in the

grounds of

Cliftonville Golf

Club on the Westland

Road. One of the

bombs went through

a front window but

failed to ignite and

the second fell short

and burned out

against a wall. No

one was shot and

damage to the house

was slight.

At Cliftondene

Gardens a number of

shots were fired into

a house occupied by

a couple in their 70’s.

The bullets went into

an upstairs bedroom

through the ceiling

but the couple were

not hurt.

At Dublin Road,

Antrim, two petrol

bombs were thrown

into a house causing

serious damage. No

one was hurt.

Monday 18th July 1977A 25-year-old

housewife was

accused of having a

Remington rifle, a .38

pistol and 62 rounds

of ammunition and 24

cartridges at her

home in Eskdale

Gardens.

A 15-year-old boy

was shot in the foot

by a soldier after the

van in which he was

travelling backfired

as it passed a sentry

post outside the

Belfast prison. The

soldier believed he

was being fired at and

aimed at the van.

The RUC found a

home made machine

Belfast Magazine

gun, six bullets and

3lbs of explosives in

a field at Lismona

Weir, near

Portadown.

The army found a

.303 rifle and a

number of bullets in

a garden at Fintona in

Tyrone.

A suspect bomb

planted on a night

safe at the Northern

Bank in St Patrick’s

A v e n u e ,

Downpatrick turned

out to be a hoax.

Tuesday 19th July 1977Medical equipment

suitable for a field

hospital was seized

by the RUC in

Belfast. The find was

made in a loyalist

area of the Glencairn

district and included

bandages, tablets, and

surgical knives. The

RUC had raided a

vacant flat at

Forthriver Drive and

detectives worked on

the theory that the

equipment was only

stored at the address

but, as there were no

beds the site, the field

hospital was

elsewhere. Over 80

items were seized in

the search.

Gunmen attacked

Strabane RUC station

but no one was hurt.

Three shots were

fired at sentries in the

station from the

direction of

Townsend Street.

Fire was not returned

and checkpoints were

quickly set up around

the area but no arrests

were made.

On the outskirts of

Belfast a crowd threw

stones at an RUC land

rover in the

Twinbrook Estate but

none of the crew were

hurt.

Wednesday 20th July 1977A bomb attack on a

police station caused

structural damage but

no injuries. The

device exploded at

the rear of the

Hastings Street post

in the Lower Falls

area of Belfast.

Visiting at the Maze

prison resumed after

protests by IRA

prisoners. The

Belfast Magazine

prisoners destroyed

bed sheets after

compassionate parole

was denied to a

fellow prisoner.

Five sticks of

gelignite and four

detonators were

found at the rear of a

house in the Lecky

Road area of Derry by

an army patrol. A

man was questioned

about the find but

later released.

The RUC uncovered

a small cache of

explosives in

Castlewellan, Co

Down. The find at

Burren Road

included bomb

making equipment,

explosives and a

telescopic sight.

Mystery surrounded a

shooting incident in

the Falls Road area

when a shot was

heard in the area and

when the area was

searched traces of

blood were found in

Spinner Street. There

were no reports of

anybody being

injured or admitted to

hospital.

Thursday 21st July 1977The RUC found an

old gun, ammunition

and a quantity of

medial supplies in

Sandy Row Orange

Hall. The gun was an

old rifle without a

butt and twenty

rounds of

ammunition as well

as plaster, tablets and

antiseptics were

uncovered.

A 19-year-old man

was charged with

possessing bomb

making materials and

belonging to the IRA.

The man of Highbury

Gardens in Belfast

denied the charges

and the explosives

were found at

Cranbrook Gardens.

An 18-year-old

soldier was shot by a

sniper in

Ballymurphy. The

private, serving with

the 3rd battalion,

Light Infantry, was a

member of a four-

man patrol walking

along Ballymurphy

Drive when a single

shot was fired at

them.

An army patrol found

a large haul of arms

and ammunition in an

outhouse at

Ballyconlargy, near

Desertmartin, Co

Derry. The haul

included four rifles,

an air pistol, three

rifle barrels, two

butts, three loading

rods, 267 rounds of

assorted ammunition,

27 cartridges and a

trigger mechanism.

No arrests were

made.

Friday 22nd July 1977Thomas Graham

Fenton, a 20 year old

prison officer from

Antrim was shot dead

as he drank in

Molloy’s pub at the

Frosses, on the main

Ballymena to

Ballymoney Road.

He worked at

Magilligan prison and

lived at Princess

G a r d e n s ,

Cloughmills. Two

gunmen burst into the

pub, one blocked the

door while the other,

armed with an M1

carbine, fired nine

shots. Mr Fenton was

hit four times and

died. A friend was hit

twice but survived.

Prison officers at all

of the jails responded

to the killing by

banning visits and

parcels until after his

funeral.

A military policeman

was wounded in the

leg when a sniper

opened fire on a

patrol in the Short

Strand area of

Belfast. Six shots

were fired at a land

rover carrying men of

2 Royal Military

Police.

A bomb attack on a

Catholic Church near

Derry caused

extensive internal

damage. A window

was broken in Star of

the Sea Church at

Greysteel, midway

between Derry and

Limavady, when the

50lb device was

thrown in. The blast

brought down parts of

the ceiling in the

Belfast Magazine

building, wrecked

internal fittings, and

blew out windows.

The army recovered

an M1 carbine and 11

rounds of

ammunition in a

hedge at Strabane.

The find was made at

Newtownkennedy

Street and two blue

stocking face masks

were also found.

IRA firebomb attack on shops in Portrush

Saturday 23rd July 1977Five women chatting

outside a house in

Shankill Parade in

Belfast were fired on.

The women saw a car

with five men inside

it pull up beside them.

Three men got out

and fired five shots.

One 21-year-old

married woman was

hit in he leg.

The RUC uncovered

280 lb of explosives

in a wood at

D e r r y a t t i o r e e ,

Dungannon. The

explosives were

packed in plastic

bags.

A small bomb

exploded on a widow

sill at Silent Valley

Orange Hall,

Carginagh Road,

Kilkeel. Only slight

damage was caused.

The Londonderry

Brigade of the Ulster

Freedom Fighters

c l a i m e d

responsibility for the

attack on the Star of

the Sea Church at

Greysteel. They

stated that the attack

was in retaliation for

the burning of

Bellaghy Orange

Hall.

Sunday 24th July 1977James, H Cobb an

RUC officer was shot

by the IRA as he and

two other reservists

were opening a

security barrier at

Church Place,

Lurgan. Mr Cobb

was 38 and married

with three children.

The reservists were

both wounded while a

fourth policeman

escaped injury. Mr

Cobb who was an

inspector was from

Ballygowan Road in

Hillsborough.

Monday 25th July 1977A hoax car bomb

brought part of

Belfast city centre to

a standstill. Shoppers

watched as the army

robot fired shots at

the car that had been

left outside the

Elephant pub on the

corner of North Street

and Winetavern

Street. There was a

package on the back

seat of the car.

A firebomb attack at

Alexandra Toys in

Larne left the

premises gutted and a

follow search of the

area uncovered

firebombs in Loughs

and Wellworths in the

town. Both devices

exploded causing

severe damage and

smoke pollution to

the whole area. At

one point there were

two fire appliances

from Carrickfergus

and one from

Whitehead in

addition to the three

Larne machines in

attendance.

In Belfast two hotels

on the Antrim Road

were attacked by fire

bombers. The

Chester Park and the

Lansdowne Court

were both searched

when devices were

found. In the

Lansdowne Court

three devices were

found and all three

defused. At the

Chester Park one

device exploded

under a seat and two

others were defused.

Belfast Magazine

Tuesday 26th July 1977Hoax bombers faced

up to five years in jail

under new

legislation. Placing

or sending a hoax

bomb became an

offence carrying a

penalty of a £1000

fine and/or a

maximum penalty of

five years

imprisonment.

Gardai and soldiers

found a quantity of

gelignite and

detonators at a

disused quarry at

Termon near

Letterkenny.

Shots were heard in

the North Queen

Street area of Belfast

but no targets were

found.

A Catholic man was

shot as he lay in bed

at his home at

Bawnmore Park.

A 26 year old

unemployed store

man of Rockview

Street was charged

with possessing a

sawn off shotgun and

two barrels.

Mr McFaul’s van parked outside his house in Woodvale Avenue

Wednesday 27th July 1977A part time corporal

in the UDR was

shot dead as he

answered a knock

at the door of his

home at Cuan

Parade on

Woodvale Avenue.

James McFall, aged

38 and married with

5 children had just

completed his

postal round and

had returned home

before 8.00am

when the gunmen

fired shots through

the frosted glass of

the door. He was

found in a pool of

blood by his wife

and 15-year-old

son, he died in his

son’s arms. Two

gunmen were

responsible for the

killing in which Mr

McFall did not have

the opportunity to

use his personal

protection weapon.

Later that day more

than a thousand

postal workers in

Belfast stopped

work in protest at

the killing.

Belfast Magazine

Four people died in

les than five hours

when feuding broke

out between the

Provisional IRA and

Official IRA. Trevor

McNulty, aged 29 and

married with one

child was shot dead at

2.55pm. Mr McNulty

was a member of the

Official IRA and was

an executive member

and education officer

of the Republican

Clubs political

organisation and he

was shot in the

entrance hall of

Alexander House in

the New Lodge area

where he lived. He

was hit three times in

the head. A friend

who was also injured

in the attack stated

that they were about

to get in the lift when

two men told them to

freeze and then fired

seven shots at them.

The two gunmen ran

off towards North

Queen Street. James

Foots, aged 29, was

shot by the Official

IRA as he was getting

out of a car near Unity

Flats at around

4.30pm. He was the

brother of a Sinn Fein

spokesman and was

married. His father

was wounded in the

legs in the incident.

At 8.28pm Daniel

Cowan a 30-year-old

married man with

three children was

shot at his home by

two Official IRA

gunmen. The

gunmen broke

through the glass

panel of the front

door at Riverdale

Park East and fired at

him as he sat with his

sister. Mr Cowan

who was a grocer was

shot when he was

mistaken for

someone else. The

last man to be killed

Belfast Magazine

was Thomas Tolan

who was shot at

8.30pm and was

known locally as

‘toddler’ Tolan. The

31 year old married

man was well known

in west Belfast and

had only been

married three weeks

when he was shot

outside his home in

Ballymurphy Road.

He was one of the

‘magnificent seven’,

detainees who staged

an escape from the

prison ship HNS

Maidstone in 1972.

They escaped by

swimming to the

shore of Belfast

Lough after climbing

out of a porthole. Mr

Tolan is listed in the

republican roll of

honour as a member

of the IRA’s 2nd

battalion Belfast

brigade.

The army examined a

suspect bomb found

near the New

Barnsley military

post in west Belfast.

Shortly after the

device in a plastic bag

was spotted the army

set of a controlled

explosion.

A cassette type

incendiary device

was used to start a

blaze at the Talk of

the Town pub near

Dungannon. The fire

forced a man and his

wife to flee their

home next door to the

pub and the fire

damaged the roofs of

two other houses.

Thursday 28th July 1977As part of the

republican feud in

Belfast the following

incidents were

reported. Eighteen

shots were fired at

Kelly’s bar on the

Whiterock Road in

Belfast but no injuries

were reported. Eight

shots were fired at a

group of workmen in

the Grosvenor Road

area but nobody was

hit. Two boys, one

aged 12 and the other

15 were shot at

Monagh Drive. The

youngest was hit in

the knee and the 15

year old was shot in

the chest. Two men

were shot in the arms

at Ardmonagh

Belfast Magazine

Gardens, Turf Lodge.

A 15-year-old girl

was shot in the right

thigh at Norglen

Parade and two men

were shot at

Springfield Park. Six

shots were fired into

a house at Whitecliff

C r e s c e n t ,

Ballymurphy. They

went through the

Funeral of UDR corporal James McFall

Funeral of IRA member Thomas Tolan

front window and

lodged in a wall. A

woman and two

children were

sleeping upstairs, but

were unhurt. A 25-

year-old man was

found shot six times

at Norglen Parade.

He was wounded four

times in the right leg.

Two cassette

incendiaries were

found in a Larne bar

over a cistern in the

men lavatory. The

devices in Robinsons

in Main Street were

both defused.

A shot was fired at

Belleek RUC station

from across the

border but no one was

hurt.

Friday 29th July 1977A bomb was found

inside the New

University of Ulster

complex at Coleraine.

The 1lb bomb was

discovered in the

men’s toilets and the

area was sealed off

while the army dealt

with the device. The

device had been left

on a windowsill in an

area where a

reception for Queen

Elizabeth II was to be

held.

A 42-year-old man

from Ligoneil was

charged with the

murder of 15 people

killed in an explosion

at McGurks pub in

north Belfast.

A 24-year-old man

was shot on his

doorstep by a gunman

in the Woodvale area

of Belfast. The man

was wounded in the

chest when he

answered a knock at

the front door of his

home in Woodvale

Avenue. A police

patrol in the area at

the time gave chase to

the gunmen. Two

men were detained

and a pistol and

revolver were

recovered.

A nine year old boy

was shot in the left leg

by a bullet fired from

a passing car at a

pedestrian crossing

near Kelly’s Bar at

the Whiterock

Junction in Belfast.

An M1 carbine and a

machine gun with a

silencer were found

in a follow up search.

Two youths were

fired on by the

occupants of a car in

the Turf Lodge area

of Belfast. One was

hit in the back and the

other only received

minor gunshot

injuries. In a follow

Belfast Magazine

up search by the RUC

a rifle was found.

A firebomb was

thrown into the home

of a family in the

Ballysillan district of

Belfast. The petrol

bomb landed in a

bedroom of the house

and set fire to

furnishings. A

woman, her father,

her 10-year-old son

and her brother who

were all in the house

at the time escaped

unhurt.

A petrol bomb was

thrown into Holy

Cross School in

Ardoyne burning

itself out and causing

little damage.

Saturday 30th July 1977It was claimed that

the IRA had obtained

a secret document,

which gave precise

details of the Queens

Ulster Jubilee tour.

The army and RUC

made two arms finds

in Belfast. A

Remington rifle and

an armalite were

found in a search of

Kashmir Road in the

Springfield area and

10 bullets were also

found. In another

search in Atlantic

Avenue off the

Antrim Road, 59

rounds of 9mm

ammunition and 14

rounds of .38 were

found in a house.

Seventy one rounds

of ammunition were

found in an entry in

Cheviot Avenue, in

east Belfast and an

army patrol

discovered three sub

m a c h i n e g u n

magazines at the

junction of

Springmartin Road

and Springfield Road.

August 1977 will be covered

in the next issue of the

Belfast Magazine

which goes on sale in all

leading newsagents on

Monday 22nd November

Belfast Magazine

A duck walks into a pub and orders a pint of beer

and a ham sandwich.

The barman looks at him and says, "Hang on!

You're a duck."

"I see your eyes are working," replies the duck.

"And you can talk!" Exclaims the barman.

"I see your ears are working, too," Says the duck.

"Now if you don't mind, can I have my beer and

my sandwich please?"

"Certainly, sorry about that," Says the barman as

he pulls the duck's pint. "It's just we don't get many

ducks in this pub.. What are you doing round this

way?"

"I'm working on the building site across the road,"

explains the duck. "I'm a plasterer."

The flabbergasted barman cannot believe the duck

and wants to learn more, but takes the hint when

the duck pulls out a newspaper from his bag and

proceeds to read it. So, the duck reads his paper,

drinks his beer, eats his sandwich, bids the barman

good day and leaves.

The same thing happens for two weeks.

Then one day the circus comes to town.

The ringmaster comes into the pub for a pint and

the barman says to him "You're with the circus,

aren't you? Well, I know this duck that could be

just brilliant in your circus. He talks, drinks beer,

eats sandwiches, reads the newspaper and

everything!" "Sounds marvelous," says the

ringmaster, handing over his business card. "Get

him to give me a call."

So the next day when the duck comes into the pub

the barman says, "Hey Mr. Duck, I reckon I can

line you up with a top job, paying really good

money."

"I'm always looking for the next job," says the

duck."Where is it?"

"At the circus," says the barman.

"The circus?" repeats the duck.

"That's right," replies the barman. "The circus?"

The duck asks again, with the big tent?"

"Yeah," the barman replies.

"With all the animals who live in cages, and

performers who live in caravans?" says the duck.

"Of course," the barman replies.

"And the tent has canvas sides and a big canvas

roof with a hole in the middle?" persists the duck.

"That's right!" says the barman.

The duck shakes his head in amazement, and says

....."What the hell would they want with a

plasterer??!"

.... and finally

£2.50ISSN 1470-0417

Murders, Ghosts and Bodysnatchers

The Darker Side of Belfast’s HistoryEvery Sunday the Glenravel Project conduct a fascinating tour which

explores the darker side of Belfast’s history. The city centre tour meets

at St Anne’s Cathedral and ends at Castle Junction where all the horrific

executions took place and where we will look at the gory details behind

a few of them. Before that we will tell a few of the ghost stories from that

area such as the tragedy which occurred in the Lucifer Match Factory

and Smithfield Mill before moving on to the old Victorian red light district

and exploring what life was really like there. We will look at the popular

bar room activity where bets were taken on killing rats with bare teeth

as well as some of the ‘dreadful’ crimes which saw some of the areas

residents being transported. There will be more murder stories as well

as the sad ghost story telling the fate of the Five Mary’s.

We will visit Academy Street where the lodgings of most of Belfast’s

bodysnatchers were situated. We will hear the tales of how they robbed

the local graveyards of corpses and why they tore the teeth from the

heads. We will then cross to the site of the infamous Hundon’s Entry

which was so notorious even the police refused to go in.

The total cost is £7 per person and will include

a fascinating DVD looking at the darker side

of Belfast’s history. To secure your place you

can book online at www.toursofbelfast.com or

simply meet outside St Anne's Cathedral any

Sunday night at 6.30pm

Belfast Magazine 68

Documents

Transcript of Belfast Magazine 68