Dáil to debate collusion in Miami massacre

THE Dáil is poised for a full debate on British security force collusion in some of the worst atrocities of the Troubles, it was confirmed yesterday.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern told hundreds of people at the unveiling of a memorial in central Dublin to three men murdered in the Miami Showband massacre that the killings will be officially raised in February.

Musicians Tony Geraghty, Fran O’Toole and Brian McCoy were killed in a hail of bullets by the loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force in July 1975 after a planned bomb attack backfired outside Newry, Co Down.

The limestone bronze and granite piece, called Let’s Dance, was sculpted by Donegal artist Redmond Herrity.

“These issues demand and deserve the attention of the national parliament and it will get that,” said Mr Ahern.

He told a crowd of about 400 people who turned out at the old National Ballroom on Dublin’s Parnell Square for the unveiling that the Government was backing a fight by families and friends of victims to get to the truth.

“Their suffering is sharpened by the clear evidence of collusion by the security forces in many of these murders, as has been made clear by several reports over the years,” he said.

Stephen Travers, one of the band members who survived the ambush, also vowed to ratchet up the pressure on London to answer questions.

“In a word they must stop stonewalling all the evidence — the mountains of evidence that says there was collusion,” he said.

“Obviously, from my own personal point of view I don’t even need any of this evidence. I was there, I saw the British army officer in control that night.

“He wasn’t that worried about hiding his identity because he thought we’d be dead in 20 minutes.

“We’re still here, and we’ll still keep on trying to get the truth.”

Mr Travers said the band, one of the country’s best known in the 1970s, were shining a light for so many during dark times.

They were returning from playing the Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, Co Down, in July 1975 when they were pulled over at a bogus British army checkpoint at Buskhill, near Newry.

The UVF gang ordered the musicians to line up by the side of the road while two of them planted a bomb in their minibus.

When the bomb exploded prematurely, killing the two UVF men, the other gunmen opened fire, one of them pumping 22 bullets into the face of lead singer Fran O’Toole, 29, famed for his good looks.

Band members Anthony Geraghty, 23, shot four times and Brian McCoy, 33, shot nine times, also died in the attack.