A year of loyalist attacks
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Over the last 12 months, a campaign of terror has been directed
against the nationalist community by loyalist death squads, a
campaign that has been cynically ignored by the political mainstream
and the media. There have been hundreds of attacks on Catholic
families in isolated areas of the Six Counties. Traditionally
vulnerable places such as North Belfast have been subjected to almost
nightly attacks. In recent months, we have seen the increased use of
pipe bombs and grenades which were brought into the North from South
Africa by British intelligence agent and UDA member Brian Nelson. The
chronology below is a by no means exhaustive chronology of loyalist
attacks on the nationalist community over the last 12 months. This
list does not include the campaign of intimidation and terror to
which the residents of the Garvaghy Road have been subjected since
last July.
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March 1998
Petrol bomb attack, Graymount, North Belfast. Arson attack, Star of
the Sea Youth Club, North Belfast.
April 1998
Petrol bomb attack, Graymount, North Belfast. Nationalists in Short
Strand informed their names are on a loyalist death list. Catholic
couple and three children attacked by loyalist gang, Annalong, Co.
Down. Twelve-year-old attacked by loyalist mob, Crumlin Road, North
Belfast. Twenty-one-year-old beaten unconscious by loyalist gang,
Finaghy, Belfast. Adrian Lamph shot dead by LVF. Diane Hamill
intimidated by three loyalists at Portadown court. Shots fired into
Catholic homes, Ballycraigy estate, Antrim. Ciaran Heffron shot dead,
Crumlin village. No warning bomb at Steptoe's bar, outskirts Armagh
city. Abduction attempt, Whitewell Road area, Belfast. Nationalists
attacked by loyalists Castlederg, County Tyrone.
May 1998
Nationalist couple attacked in Newtownstewart. Loyalist pipe bomb
attack on home of Brendan Curran. Assassination attempt on Francis
McCourt, Poleglass, Belfast. Pearl Segar of the Women's coalition
intimidated out of her East Belfast home. 15-year-old Kevin Tierney
attacked by loyalist mob, Ballycraigy estate, Antrim. Catholic home
attacked, Hawkins Street, Derry City. Attacks on residents in
Newington, North Belfast. Catholic schoolboy attacked Antrim Road,
Belfast. Nationalists in Whitewell area, North Belfast told their
names on a loyalist death list. Attack on Catholic home, Stoneypath,
Derry. Attacks on Catholic homes in Portadown. Nationalists
attacked, Donegall Pass, Belfast. Loyalist mob attacks homes,
Whitewell area, North Belfast.
June 1998
Loyalist attack Obins Street, Portadown. Attack on Catholic home in
Rosevale Street, North Belfast. Loyalist mob attack Catholic family
in Lurgan.
July 1998
Ten Catholic churches attacked in Crumlin, Lisburn, Castlewellan,
Belfast, Tandragee, Banbridge, Portadown and Dungannon. Petrol bombs
thrown at Catholic home, Antrim. Shots fired from Mourneview estate,
Lurgan. Blast and Petrol bomb attacks on houses Collingwood Avenue,
Belfast.
Catholic guest house petrol bombed, Carrickfergus. Hostel attacked,
Castlereagh Street, East Belfast. Within 48 hour period 73 Catholic
homes attacked, 71 businesses, 136 cars hijacked, 213 cars damaged.
Catholic churches and schools attacked in North Belfast. Catholic
homes and businesses in Kilkeel attacked. Three injured when shots
fired into Ligoniel area, North Belfast. Quinn children murdered in
Ballymoney. 144 Catholic homes in predominately Protestant estates
suffered fire bomb attacks. 155 other Catholic owned premises
damaged. Fourteen homes in Carrickfergus petrol bombed. Two homes in
Greenisland and five in Antrim petrol bombed. Catholic homes in Larne
attacked. Integrated school and Catholic primary school attacked in
County Antrim. A pub and two businesses fire bombed in Kilkeel.
Loyalist gunman fired on Mass goers, Bushmills, Co. Antrim.
Protestant family driven out by loyalist mob, Eastvale estate,
Dungannon.
Shots fired at Clonduff GAA club, Hilltown. Loyalists attempted
murder of two brothers, Waterside, Derry. Loyalists attack homes in
Carrick Hill. Bus returning from Long Kesh attacked.
August 1998
Home attacked in Cliftondene Crescent, North Belfast. Homes attacked
in Powers Court, off the Lower Ormeau Road. Children attacked in
Oldpark. The Star of the Sea Youth Club attacked in North Belfast.
Loyalist mob rampage through Portadown and attack a relative of
Robert Hamill. Sinn Fein councillor Paddy McGreevy told his name is
on a loyalist death list.
September 1998
Arson attacks on Catholic owned shops. Attacks on nationalists in
Portadown. New Lodge woman receives a bullet in the post. Loyalists
picket Aghadrumsee primary school, Fermanagh to prevent two newly
appointed Catholic cooks from taking up their positions. Arson
attack, Whitewell area, North Belfast. Cars vandalised and windows
smashed. Homes in Rosevale Street attacked, North Belfast.
October 1998
Attacks continue in Portadown. Homes attacked in Serpentine Road and
Whitewell Road, North Belfast. Catholic owned bar attacked, outskirts
West Belfast. Abduction attempt, Ardoyne. Brian Service shot dead,
North Belfast.
November 1998
Abduction and attempted murder, Oldpark area, North Belfast.
Nationalist from Unity Flats attacked. Home attacked in Hillman
Street in the New Lodge. Homes attacked Glengoland, West Belfast.
Homes and vehicles attacked, Broadway Road, West Belfast. Loyalist
gun attack, Falls Road, West Belfast. Nationalist workers intimidated
in Lurgan.
December 1998
Loyalist photograph home of Republican, West Belfast. Teenager
attacked, Waterside, Derry. Attempted murder, Graymount, North
Belfast. Catholics attacked in Antiville estate, Larne. Gun and bomb
attack, Knockloughrim, County Derry. Gun attack on two men in
Belfast. Catholic stabbed, East Belfast. Nationalists attacked in
Lower Ormeau Road.
January 1999
Bomb attack at building site, Magherafelt, South Derry. Abduction
attempt on Republican ex-POW, Queens University, Belfast. Petrol bomb
attack, Waterside. Blast bomb attack, Catholic home Loughinisland,
Co. Down. Petrol bomb attack, Larne. Two-hundredth day of loyalist
siege Garvaghy Road. Bomb under car of Catholic family, Greenisland,
North Belfast. Blast bomb attacks, Larne. Eleven families forced out
of their homes in Garvaghy Road area, Portadown. Pipe bomb attack,
Dungannon. Pipe bomb attack at group of Massgoers, Antrim. Sixteen
families intimidated out of one estate in Antrim.
February 1999
Two hundred and fifty loyalists gather at the end of Garvaghy Road
and attack local residents. Grenade attack on McNally's bar,
Toomebridge. Pipe bomb attacks in Crumlin and Greenmount area, North
Belfast. Woman taxi driver attacked Twinbrook, West Belfast.
March 1999
Lurgan solicitor Rosemary Nelson murdered.