The Troubles in Darkley
The Troubles in Darkley recounts incidents during, and the effects of, The Troubles in Darkley, County Armagh, Ireland.
Incidents in Darkley during the Troubles resulting in two or more fatalities:
1979
- 24 February 1979 - Martin McGuigan (16) and James Keenan (16), both Catholic civilians, were killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army remote controlled bomb hidden in a trailer and detonated when they walked past. It was parked on the roadside between Darkley and Keady on the Newtownhamilton road. They were mistaken for a British Army foot patrol.[1][2] Three of their friends were also seriously injured in the bombing which left a five foot crater in the road. Police in the Republic of Ireland questioned four men in the following days[3].
1983
- 20 November 1983 - David Wilson (44), Harold Brown (59), Victor Cunningham (39), Protestant civilians and church elders, were shot by the Catholic Reaction Force in the entrance hall to the Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church, which was two miles from the village of Darkley. Seven other people were injured in the attack[4]. The attack was carried out by three men who fired on the congregation of between 60 and 70 people, including about 20 children and then fired another 25 shots through the walls of the hall. One of the guns used had been used before in incidents for which the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) claimed responsibility[5]. Dominic McGlinchey, INLA chief at the time, later said that he had provided the weapons for the Darkley shootings but did not approve of the attack[6]. By 2008, no one had yet been brought to justice for the killings[7].
References