1985 Newry mortar attack

IRA attack in Northern Ireland March 2026 October 2024 1985 Newry mortar attack the Troubles Northern Ireland yes 250 54.185039 -6.331617 5 Newry, Northern Ireland RUC station 54 10 42 N 6 20 29 W region:GB inline,title 28 February 1985 18:32 GMT Mortar 9 37 Provisional IRA collapsed On 28 February 1985, the Provisional IRA launched a mortar attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base at Corry Square in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland. The attack killed nine RUC officers and injured almost 40 others; the highest death toll ever suffered by the RUC. Afterwards, a major building scheme was begun to give police and military bases better protection from such attacks. Background In the early 1970s, after the onset of the Troubles, the Provisional IRA launched a campaign aimed at forcing the British to withdraw from Northern Ireland. The IRA, particularly its South Armagh Brigade, had repeatedly attacked the British Army and RUC with home-made mortars, but with limited success. Between 1973 and early 1978 a total of 71 mortar attacks were recorded, but none caused direct British Army or RUC deaths. Urban Mark Big Boys' Rules: SAS and the Secret Struggle Against the IRA Faber and Faber 1993 206–208 0-571-16809-4 There were only two deadly mortar attacks before 1985. The first was on 19 March 1979, when Private Peter Woolmore of the Queen's Regiment was killed in a mortar attack on Newtownhamilton British Army base. An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland – 1979 Malcolm Sutton http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1979.html CAIN 21 April 2007 The second was on 12 November 1983, when an RUC officer was killed and several hurt in a mortar attack on Carrickmore RUC base. An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland – 1983 Malcolm Sutton http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1983.html CAIN 21 April 2007 Attack The attack was jointly planned by members of the South Armagh Brigade and an IRA unit in Newry. Harnden Toby Toby Harnden Bandit Country Hodder & Stoughton 1999 232–234 0-340-71736-X The home-made mortar launcher, dubbed the 'Mark 10', was bolted on to the back of a Ford lorry that had been hijacked in Crossmaglen. Shortly after 6.30 pm on 28 February, nine shells were launched from the lorry, which had been parked on Monaghan Street,McKittrick, David. Lost Lives: The Stories of the Men, Women and Children who Died as a Result of the Northern Ireland Troubles. Random House, 2001. pp.1011–1012 about 250 yd from the base."I.R.A. MORTARS KILL 9 AT ULSTER BASE". The New York Times. 1 March 1985. Retrieved 28 February 2015. At least one 50 lb shell landed on a portacabin containing a canteen, where many officers were having their evening tea break. Nine police officers were killed and 37 people hurt, including 25 civilian police employees; the highest death toll inflicted on the RUC in its history. Northern Ireland Bloody Day http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962598-1,00.html https://web.archive.org/web/20110524050114/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962598-1,00.html dead 24 May 2011 Time 11 March 1985 21 April 2007 The RUC: Lauded and condemned https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/ruc_reform/780311.stm BBC 31 October 2001 21 April 2007 The nine dead officers ranged in age from 19 to 41, seven male and two female, seven Protestants and two Catholics. An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland – 1985 Malcolm Sutton http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1985.html CAIN 28 August 2017 Another shell hit the observation tower, while the rest landed inside and outside the perimeter of the base. Aftermath The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, called the attack "barbaric", while the Republic of Ireland's Taoiseach, Garret FitzGerald, said it was "cruel and cynical", and pledged the help of the Irish security forces to catch those responsible. Although not involved in the attack, Newry IRA member Eamon Collins was arrested shortly afterwards and interrogated. After five days of questioning, Collins broke under interrogation and turned supergrass, leading to more than a dozen arrests of other IRA members. Death foretold Kevin Toolis https://www.theguardian.com/weekend/story/0,3605,290195,00.html The Guardian 3 July 1999 21 April 2007 The attack prompted calls from unionist politicians to "increase security", and the British government began an expensive programme of construction to protect bases from similar attacks. This involved installing reinforced roofs and building blast-deflecting walls around the base of buildings. After the success in Newry, the IRA carried out nine more mortar attacks in 1985.Bishop, Patrick Mallie, Eamonn The Provisional IRA Corgi Books 1987 420–421 0-552-13337-X On 4 September, an RUC training centre in Enniskillen was attacked and 30 cadets narrowly escaped death due to poor intelligence-gathering by the IRA unit responsible. The cadets were expected to be in bed sleeping, but were instead eating breakfast when the bombs landed. A Chronology of the Conflict – 1985 http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch85.htm CAIN 20 June 2007 In November 1986, the IRA launched another attack on the RUC base in Newry, but the bombs fell short of their target and landed on houses. A four-year-old Catholic girl was badly wounded and another 38 people were hurt, prompting the IRA to admit that "this incident left us open to justified criticism". Beginning in the 1990s, operations at the Corry Square base were progressively shifted to a new base on the outskirts of Newry.Mortar attack on RUC station http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/mortar-attack-on-ruc-station-26181230.html Irish Independent 25 January 2017 The base was closed in 2002 and a park occupies the site today.Only three NI police stations to close https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1964518.stm 25 January 2017 BBC 2 May 2002 See also Downing Street mortar attack Osnabrück mortar attack Attack on Ballygawley barracks Chronology of Provisional Irish Republican Army actions The Troubles in Newry References Category:1985 in Northern Ireland Category:1985 murders in the United Kingdom Category:1980s in County Armagh Category:20th-century mass murders in Northern Ireland Category:1985 building bombings Category:Attacks on police stations in the 1980s Category:Building bombings in Northern Ireland Category:February 1985 in the United Kingdom 1985 mortar attack Category:Attacks on military installations in Northern Ireland Category:1985 mass murders Category:Mass murders in County Armagh Category:Provisional IRA bombings in Northern Ireland Category:Royal Ulster Constabulary Category:Terrorist incidents in County Armagh Category:Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 1985 Category:1980s murders in Northern Ireland Category:1985 murders in Ireland Category:The Troubles in County Armagh Category:Terrorist incidents in Ireland in the 1980s Category:Attacks on military installations in 1985 Category:Attacks on police stations in Northern Ireland