The Troubles in Ballymena
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The Troubles in Ballymena recounts incidents during, and the effects of, The Troubles in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Incidents in Ballymena during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities:
1974
- 24 May 1974 - Sean Byrne (Publican) (54) and his brother, Brendan Byrne (Welder) (45), both Catholic civilians, were shot dead by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) at Sean's bar, The Wayside Halt, Tannaghmore, near Ballymena, for appearing to stay open during the Ulster Workers' Council Strike. The local UDA agreed on a joint operation with the Ulster Volunteer Force to close Catholic pubs around Ballymena. Thirty men set off in minibuses on a drunken rampage, wrecking three pubs in Ballymena before coming to The Wayside Halt, where the Byrne brothers were both shot dead at point blank range. Both brothers' wives and sister were in the house when the men arrived. The women escaped out of a window and hid in an outbuilding. Seven of Sean's eight children were in the sitting room upstairs. The police, who had followed the the minibus convoy from Ballymena, eventually arrived at the pub (having delayed for a while before reaching the pub by stopping in a lay-by). All thirty men were detained. Two were subsequently jailed for life although they were released after 7 years.
