Collusion exposed in 1975 massacre
The families of two men and a teenager murdered by loyalists have demanded
that the RUC disclose any information relating to these murders, following
allegations on RTE's Prime Time that a special patrol group including RUC
officers was involved.
The attack on Donnelly's bar in Silverbridge, South Armagh, took place on
19 December, 1975 claiming the lives of Trevor Brecknell (32), Patrick
Donnelly (24) and Michael Donnelly (14) as well as seriously injuring six
others.
The programme was based on claims made by former RUC sergeant John Weir,
who served a life sentence for murdering William Strathern in Aghoghill, Co
Antrim, in 1980. Among other allegations, Weir claims that a former RUC
reservist near Markethill allowed his farm to used to plan and prepare
attacks, including the attack on Donnelly's bar in Silverbridge, the
Dublin-Monaghan bombings, and ``other atrocities''.
Sinn Féin councillor Jimmy McCreesh, who was seriously injured in the joint
gun and bomb attack in the South Armagh bar, spoke to An Phoblacht about
events surrounding the gruesome incident. He described how the bar and
surrounding businesses were raided by the RUC on `practically a daily
basis, obviously in order to collect information'. McCreesh retold the
actual events of the gruesome attack and the contemptible actions of the
RUC towards the victims' families following the murder of their loved ones.
He and that the families are still angry at the media who had, prior to the
attack, singled out Donnelly's bar as well as the Border bar as regular
meeting places for the IRA, ``This,'' said McCreesh, ``was certainly not the
case, and it left these bars open to attack by loyalists.'' Speaking about
the allegations that the RUC and Ulster Defence Regiment were involved in
the attack, he said: ``It was a known fact in the area at that time that the
RUC and army had colluded with loyalists in this attack.'' McCreesh also
said that immediately following the murders, the RUC visited Anne Brecknell
the wife of Trevor Brecknell who was in hospital at that time giving birth
to their child. The RUC told Anne Brecknell that they knew who carried out
this attack, yet no one was ever convicted of these murders.
Alan Brecknell, whose father died in the attack, said: ``In light of the
startling revelations detailed in the Prime Time programme, we, as
relatives of those murdered at Donnelly's bar, Silverbridge, are appalled
at allegations that those entrusted with upholding the law were responsible
for the death of our loved ones.''
``We are taking legal advice and calling for meetings with Mr Adam Ingram in
his joint role as security minister and victims' minister and with the
Irish government. We are demanding that the RUC disclose all information
held on police files relating to the murder of our loved ones.''
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)