Gibraltar (song)

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"Gibraltar" is a song about the controversial events on March 6, 1988 when three members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) were shot and killed by the Special Air Service during Operation Flavius on the British Territory of Gibraltar. The three were suspected of planning to bomb a military parade.

1 Synopsis
2 Lyrics
3 See Also
4 External Links & Further Reading

[edit] Synopsis

Based on information supplied by the local authorities of Gibraltar a team of SAS officers approached IRA members Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage, and Daniel McCann as armed and dangerous. The SAS members claimed that they opened fire after a "wrong movement" by one of the three. The soldiers stated at the inquiry to the events that they believed the three to have remote control devices that could trigger their bomb remotely. They were later discovered to be unarmed however Farrell's handbag contained the keys to a car parked in Spain which contained the explosive semtex.

The New York Times (June 13, 1989) stated: "Events leading up to the Gibraltar killings are depicted in a reconstruction made for a British television documentary (See Death on the Rock and Death on the Rock). Questions abound. Was the I.R.A. trio, carefully followed for days, in fact lured into Gibraltar? Why did the police fail to photograph the bodies or gather forensic evidence? Why was the press - Britain's tabloids were jubilant - told lies about a huge car bomb being defused and about the three suspects having died in a gunfight? This documentary's understated observation: There was a strong air of Government cover-up and disinformation."[1]

[edit] Lyrics

Sad are three homes in Belfast now

Old Ireland shares their sorrow

Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage, and Daniel McCann

They died on the streets of Gibraltar

They flew out of Belfast with an ambitious plan

To continue the struggle to free Ireland

Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage and Daniel McCann

They died on the streets of Gibraltar

Sad are three homes in Belfast now

Old Ireland shares their sorrow

As they walked in the sun the Brits drew their guns

And blood stained the streets of Gibraltar

The SAS stood there so proud of their deed

Three more freedom fighters lay dead in the street

They've been given no warning no chance to retreat

For three had to die in Gibraltar

Sad are three homes in Belfast now

Old Ireland shares their sorrow

As they walked in the sun the Brits drew their guns

And blood stained the streets of Gibraltar

[edit] See Also

Death on the Rock - Wikipedia Article describing a documentary about the shootings.

In a place called Gibraltar, Well known as the Rock, 3 IRA scumbags were counting their stock, When along came some soldiers, they are Britains best They're known the whole world over as the proud SAS.

Chorus Yes the IRA, were blown away, 3 corpses were left in Gibraltar that day

Well Dublin she was angry, and so was Ardoile, For that bomb in Gibraltar, the soldiers did foil, For they planned to murder and leave many for dead, But the brave SAS put a gun to their head.

Chorus