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Edition 183 - May 2012
Edition 183
May 2012
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When will we have our Enquiries?
Just over six years ago the board of directors of the Shankill Mirror, in a response to a groundswell of opinion within the broad PUL communities across Northern Ireland and indeed beyond took the unprecedented step of publishing a special Ulster edition with the front page headline – ‘ULSTER AT CRISIS.’ This was the editorial in that edition –

Enough is Enough – In recent weeks the offices of the Shankill Mirror have been inundated by a groundswell of community concern and anxiety regarding the current political/security situation. As these concerns affect our whole community the Shankill Mirror has taken the initiative to create this special publication which is available right across the Province to act as a catalyst for debate. Some readers from the Roman Catholic community as indeed others from within the political arena might misinterpret this publication as evidence of ‘intransigent Unionism’ rearing its head once again. Nothing could be further from the truth. We truly desire a better future for ALL our citizens, a future free from violence and fear. A voice for the victims, drowned in a sea of ‘New Labour’ spin… and a voice for the God fearing, law abiding people of this Province, tired of the sops to terrorists, the destruction of valued institutions and fed up with politicians who fail to honour the very promises which saw them elected.


The sixteen page paper covered details of many of the atrocities that occurred over many years – The Massacre at Darkley Gospel Hall when the IRA killed three church elders as children screamed hysterically, Fathers dived over their young children as they lay amongst the upturned pews as the terrorists calmly walked through the hall reloading their weapons and firing indiscriminately. The La Mon House Massacre when twelve innocent people were burned to death as they sat down to dinner. This was one of the most horrific and appalling attacks as the IRA terrorists attached a blast incendiary bomb to the window grilles causing a blast similar to a napalm bomb exploding. Survivors were found wandering around the car park in shock, their clothes in tatters. A warning call was made to the RUC in Newtownards at 8.57pm, by the time the police tried to contact the hotel, minutes later the bomb had already gone off. Killed for their culture and their faith, The Tullyvallen Massacre of five members of an Orange lodge as they sat in their hall a mile from the border with the Irish republic reading from their Bibles. The Kingsmill Massacre as families in and around the tiny village of Bessbrook waited and wondered why their husbands and sons were so late. As the dinners grew cold the news began to filter through that the minibus they were travelling in had been stopped, the single Roman Catholic on the bus was told to run as the remainder were cut down in a hate driven attack. The only survivor, a young man of nineteen was hit eighteen times; fourteen children were left fatherless as the killers drove off cheering at their night’s work. Described as Bloody Friday, July 21st went down in the history of the Troubles as the day in which 20 bombs were detonated across Belfast in the space of one hour, killing nine and maiming over 130 innocent people in what the IRA described as attacks on legitimate targets. An officer from the RUC in an interview given for a BBC programme said, ‘You could hear the people screaming, crying and moaning. The first thing that caught my eye was the torso of a human being lying in the road, I saw many other terrible sights that day. I have tried to put it to the back of my mind.’ Above is a photograph of the mural on the Shankill identifying just five of the atrocities inflicted on the people of the Shankill.


So why revisit the special edition of the Shankill Mirror that launched the Love Ulster campaign? Ten days ago (28/03/11) the BBC’s Stephen Nolan presented a television documentary about the Shankill Butchers, he then hosted a series of talk ins on his morning radio show. There were a whole host of people who contributed to the programmes including family members of those men who had been murdered, of those who had survived as well as others who were asked for their opinions on that dark time in our history. One of the comments made by the programme makers and indeed by Stephen Nolan himself was that it was important to profile the Shankill Butchers so that the public, especially young people were made aware of what went on. When the special edition of the Shankill Mirror was released across Northern Ireland, the BBC TalkBack programme, hosted by David Dunseath covered the story for an unprecedented ten days and castigated EVERYONE who was remotely involved in the paper, its production or its circulation. Commentators and mainstream newspapers criticised it for raking over old wounds. So what is the difference now? Is it OK to do this so long as it is the BBC doing it? Has there been a change of heart at the BBC or is this the first of another attempt to blacken the name of the Shankill and its people. All that is asked for is some ‘balance’ in the investigations carried out. When will the BBC and more importantly when will the government investigate Darkley, La Mon, Tullyvallen, Kingsmill, and Bloody Friday, and closer to home the Bayardo, the Mountainview, the Four Step, Frizzell’s Fish Shop and the Balmoral Showrooms? When will the people of the Shankill get an answer to the question - who sanctioned these bombings?







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