The Northern Irish Troubles resulted in 11 deaths in or near the County Antrim town of Ballymena. Eight people were killed by various loyalist groups, and three by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Two of the IRA's victims were members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary; all other victims were civilians. Of the eleven victims, six were Protestant and five Catholic.
All of the victims were killed in separate incidents except for publican Sean Byrne and his brother Brendan, who 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 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.