Weekend Roundup - Omagh bomb inquiry set to begin, while other Legacy cases also send echoes of past
Liam Tunney, Belfast Telegraph, January 24th, 2025
The victims of the Omagh bombing are set to be the central focus as the latest series of hearings which form part of the public inquiry get under way next week.
A three-week run of Commemorative Hearings are set to be heard at the Strule Arts Centre in the Co Tyrone town, lasting from January 28 until February 20.
Thirty-one people were killed when a Real IRA blast ripped through Omagh in August 1998.
The Real IRA, formed by disillusioned members of the south Armagh brigade following the ceasefires, was responsible for the bomb.
A legal battle for a judicial review into whether the atrocity could have been prevented led to the establishment of the statutory inquiry, which commenced work in February 2024.
Next week's Commemorative Hearings will be a key part of the inquiry. They will allow its chairperson Rt Hon Lord John Turnbull to hear directly from those most affected by the bombing.
The hearings will commemorate publicly those who were killed following the bombing and allow the public to hear the impact the blast had on individuals and communities.
Contributions to the hearing are on a voluntary basis; where family members have decided not to take part, the inquiry will produce its own commemoration based on information publicly available, with permission from the families.
The hearings will be open to the public, with a number of bereaved families and friends expected to be among those attending, along with others injured in the bombing.
The opening commemoration hearing will focus on Fernando Blasco Baselga (13) and Rocio Abad Ramos (23).
Both were part of an exchange trip between Spanish and Irish schoolchildren and had been rounding off a trip to the nearby Ulster American Folk Park by visiting the shops in the town.
Fernando was killed instantly when he was struck with debris from the blast, while Rocio was killed when the bomb exploded next to her.
The following morning, the inquiry will also hear commemorations for 16-year-old schoolboy Alan Radford and toddler Breda Devine, while the afternoon session will feature the stories of Mary Grimes (66), her daughter Avril (30) and granddaughter Maura Monaghan (one).
All three had been shopping in SD Kells, which bore the brunt of the blast.
Avril's two unborn twins will also be commemorated along with their sister, mother and grandmother.
The inquiry will also hear the stories of 20-year-old student Debra-Anne Cartwright, Geraldine Breslin (43) and 18-year-old Gareth Conway, who was in town on that day to buy a new pair of jeans.
It comes after a judge rejected a bid from the PSNI to have civil proceedings relating to the force's alleged failure to effectively investigate the bombing delayed until after the conclusion of the inquiry.
In his ruling at the High Court, Master Bell said any staying of proceedings would be unlawful if it resulted in a breach of the “reasonable time” guarantee contained in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights — the right to a fair trial.
“The factor which bears the heaviest weight in this application is, however, the issue of time and delay,” he added.
Dozens of bands to attend loyalist memorial for Miami Showband bomber
By Connla Young, Crime and Security Correspondent, Irish News, January 24, 2025
Dozens of bands are planning to attend a memorial parade for a notorious loyalist linked to the Glenanne gang.
Wesley Somerville died when his own bomb exploded as he attempted to murder members of the Miami Showband in July 1975.
Three members of the band also lost their lives when the minibus they were travelling on was stopped at a bogus UDR checkpoint near Banbridge, Co Down, as they made their way towards the border almost 50 years ago.
Somerville and accomplice Harris Boyle, who were both members of the UDR, died when the bomb they were planting on the minibus exploded prematurely.
Other loyalists then opened fire, killing several members of the well-known band, including lead singer Fran O’Toole.
The attack was carried out by members the Glenanne Gang, which included RUC, UDR and UVF personnel.
After the deaths of Somerville and Boyle a UVF linked publication, Combat, carried a UDR sympathy note from Lurgan, Portadown and Dungannon UDR Centres stating they “deeply regret the tragic deaths of their colleagues-in-arms, Major Harris Boyle and Lieutenant Wesley Sommerville (sic)”.
Somerville’s brother John was later convicted for his part in the Miami attack and murder of Patrick Falls, near Coalisland, in November 1974.
Wesley Somerville is also suspected of involvement in the killing of Mr Falls.
Dozens of bands from across the north are expected to gather in Somerville’s home village Moygashel, Co Tyrone, for a “memorial parade and social evening” on April 12.
A message circulated on social media includes a UVF flag and logo attached to a poppy wreath.
A notification on the Parades Commission website site for a “Moygashel Memorial Parade” reveals that 30 bands are expected to attend the event, which organisers say will include 200 participants and 100 supporters.
Among the bands listed to attend is the “Regimental Band Ulster Volunteer Force East Belfast” along with several from Co Tyrone including Pomeroy True Blues Flute Band.
Former Miami Showband member Stephen Travers’ dignified and considered response
Former Miami Showband member Stephen Travers survived the attack that claimed the lives of his friends
“Let them go ahead, I have no objection, it reflects on them far more than it reflects on us,” he said.
“I wouldn’t even object to it, what’s the point?
“They want to honour their dead and they are entitled to do that.
“But at the end of the day we are reflected in our heroes and if that’s who they want to be associated with, well, God help them.”
In the past relatives of people killed by the UVF have called for images of Somerville and signs glorifying the UVF, which are hung from a lamppost in Moygashel, every year, to be removed.
The loyalist village has a history of racism and religious intolerance.
SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn said: “Everybody has a right to remember their dead but considering what he was involved in, and been accused of, and knowing the impact felt by victims this event is bound to cause hurt and offence.
Mr Quinn urged organisers to “consider the impact it has on the wider community”.
“It’s 2025, it’s time to start thinking less about our past and more about our future.”
Family of man shot by army in 1976 reject ICRIR option
Connla Young, Irish News, January 25th, 2025
THE family of a man believed to have been shot dead by the British army say they have no confidence in a controversial legacy body.
Patrick Quail was shot dead as he walked along Clifton Street in north Belfast on January 24 1976.
At the time it was reported the father-of-two was the victim of a loyalist sectarian attack.
It later emerged that the RUC interviewed five serving and former British soldiers about the murder in 1981 but never told the dead man’s family. The arrests came after a Scottish newspaper received an anonymous call claiming that members of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlander Regiment, based at nearby Brown Square, had carried out the killing.
One of the soldiers, Suspect One, was identified as the killer but denied involvement. A Historical Enquiries Team report confirmed that the RUC received a report from police in Scotland in 1985 naming Suspect One as the killer. It is believed this was never followed up and that linked records no longer exist.
Mr Quail’s relatives say they will not deal with Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) set up under the Conservative British government’s contentious legacy act.
“We have absolutely no confidence in the ICRIR. My father and our family deserve – and are legally entitled to – a human rights-compliant truth recovery process that exposes the full truth and holds the perpetrators to account
Many people affected by the Troubles strongly oppose the ICRIR, believing it is part of British government attempts to protect state participants from accountability.
Last year the Court of Appeal found that a British government veto over sensitive material that can be disclosed by the commission to relatives of the dead is not compatible with human rights laws.
This week the family of murdered GAA official Sean Brown said they will not engage with the ICRIR.
Victim’s son has written to Keir Starmer asking for ‘proper investigation’
A special report about Mr Quail’s killing has been complied by Relatives for Justice to coincide with the 49th anniversary of his death today.
Mr Quail’s son, also Patrick, has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer asking for a proper investigation.
“The British government is doing everything it can to force families to engage with the ICRIR but as a family we refuse to be coerced,” he said,
“We have absolutely no confidence in the ICRIR. My father and our family deserve – and are legally entitled to – a human rights-compliant truth recovery process that exposes the full truth and holds the perpetrators to account.
“It’s not just a legal obligation. It’s a matter of basic human decency.”
A spokeswoman for the ICRIR said: “The commission is dedicated to finding answers for all those who seek our help. Currently more than 120 people have come forward and placed their trust in us. Of those 120, the investigation of more than 24 requests have now moved into the next stage of information recovery.”
Patrick Quail was shot dead in north Belfast on January 24 1976.
The spokeswoman said the commission is “determined to work with those individuals to achieve an outcome that fully addresses their concerns and wish to work constructively with those who have yet to decide whether to engage with the commission”. She added: “We would welcome the opportunity to engage with this family and any other family to address their concerns.”
Former UVF man to be stripped of MBE before Palace ceremony
Ciaran Barnes, Sunday Life, January 26th, 2025
BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN WHO REGULARLY SPEAKS ABOUT PARAMILITARY PAST EXPECTED TO BE STRIPPED OF AWARD
A FORMER UVF prisoner awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list is set to be stripped of the title after the Cabinet Office learned of his paramilitary past.
David Martin (62) was handed the prestigious gong earlier this month for voluntary services to the community in Lurgan through his work as chairman of the charity Friends of Brownlow House.
But the award is now likely to be rescinded after details about his convictions for possessing firearms, false imprisonment and conspiracy to rob became known.
If Martin went to Buckingham Palace to collect an MBE from King Charles — whose great uncle Lord Mountbatten was murdered in an IRA attack — he would be the first convicted terrorist in British history to receive a royal honour.
How his UVF past was overlooked by the Honours and Appointments Secretariat, which oversees the strict vetting procedures of honours appointees, is understood to be the subject of an internal investigation.
Asked to account for this embarrassing oversight, the Cabinet Office refused to comment.
But according to its own website “a decision to forfeit your honour can be based on events that pre-date the award (for example, a past criminal conviction, even if spent) or conduct that occurs after the award is made”.
MBE recipient David Martin joined the UVF as an 18-year-old in Lurgan in 1981 along with his older brother Tom. This was after spending nearly a year serving as a soldier in the UDR.
Now a Born Again Christian, he has talked at length about his paramilitary past on YouTube testimonials which were missed by the Honours and Appointments Secretariat.
In one video, Martin says: “After many months of training I was a soldier on the streets of Northern Ireland. This was back in 1981. For me life then was serving in the UDR and on my nights off, I could be found in the local pubs and clubs.
“Back in those days the paramilitaries in our area decided they would go on a recruitment campaign, they needed to bolster their ranks. Where did they go for their recruits? The pubs and clubs. And who stood out? Tom and Davy Martin.”
SWORN IN
David Martin says that after initially resisting offers to join the UVF, he relented and became a loyalist paramilitary, having been sworn in during a house party.
He added: “I became active in that organisation.”
But the MBE recipient's terror career was short lived. He was arrested in 1981 along with older brother Tom and remanded in custody to Crumlin Road prison in Belfast.
The Martin brothers were among 20 loyalists identified as UVF members by loyalist supergrass Clifford McKeown, who gave evidence against his friends in return for a reduced sentence.
Recounting this, David Martin says in his online religious testimony: “A man (McKeown) decided he would give evidence against myself and Thomas and 20 other men from the group we were involved in. We found ourselves involved in one of these supergrass trials.”
After a two-week trial Martin was sentenced to 12 years in prison in November 1982 for a raft of terror offences, including possessing a sawn-off shotgun with his brother Thomas.
He was further convicted of false imprisonment, having a handgun in suspicious circumstances and conspiring to rob Blackskull post office.
Having initially spent the start of their sentences on the UVF wing of the Maze Prison, the Martin brothers found God and were given permission to go into the general prison population.
David says their conversion came after brother Tom claimed God had spoken to him, saying “you cannot serve two masters”.
He revealed: “God was telling us we couldn't be paramilitaries or on the paramilitary wings. So we had a choice to make.”
David Martin was freed from prison in 1988 under the 50% remission rule. He is now an Orange Order district master in Lurgan and a member of the County Grand Committee.
Alongside his work as chairman of Friends of Brownlow House, Martin is also honorary president of the Ancre Somme Association.
He can often be found giving historical tours of Brownlow House, an almost 200-year-old stately home in Lurgan which is a popular wedding venue.
Loyalists who know Martin say his conversion to Christianity is “genuine”, however they were shocked at him receiving an MBE in the recent New Year Honours List.
One told us: “It's fair to say loyalists were gobsmacked given his past. When he was young David Martin was a bully who terrorised people in Lurgan along with his brother Tom.
“They ended up getting in over their heads with the UVF and they both cracked under questioning by the RUC.”
After hearing of his MBE award earlier this month Martin, a father-of-two, told the media: “To say I was surprised doesn't even cover it. I had no inkling and never once did it ever cross my mind that anybody would have nominated me.
“I don't think anybody would feel more honoured and privileged to be nominated than me. It means an awful lot to me.”
Cabinet Office sources told Sunday Life that the awarding of honours is an independent process and recommendations are submitted from independent committees to a Main Honours Committee.
Ironically on the same day convicted UVF gunman David Martin was notified of his MBE, a Fermanagh charity worker, Eric Brown (78), was given the same honour for spending the past 25 years helping victims of terrorism.
While Martin has moved away from his paramilitary past the ghost of Clifford McKeown — the UVF supergrass whose evidence jailed him for six years — still lingers.
UVF insiders revealed how he and his brother Tom reluctantly visited McKeown in prison several years ago to ensure their family would not be targeted in a feud. This was after Cifford McKeown's younger brother Malcolm McKeown (left) was shot dead in 2019 by drugs gang The Firm.
One of those involved in the killing was Andrew 'The Chimp' Martin (28), who pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting murder last May and was sentenced to life.
'The Chimp' is a nephew of David and Tom Martin, who loyalists say visited Clifford McKeown in jail to ensure there would be no reprisals. There is no suggestion that the Martin brothers have anything to do with The Firm.
McKeown is serving a life sentence for the 1996 LVF murder of Catholic taxi driver Michael McGoldrick in Portadown.
