The brutal murder of Sean Brown

by Joe McVeigh

Since 1970, people involved in the GAA have been targeted and murdered by MI5, Loyalist killers and the British army. Many others were harassed and threatened by British soldiers and the RUC.

A new book, ‘Lost Gaels-Remembering the Members of the GAA Killed during the Conflict in Ireland’ by Peadar Thompson from West Belfast recalls many of those killed by the British Crown forces and the loyalist death squads. It is a sad and shocking story.

More than 150 people involved in the GAA were killed during the conflict. Peadar describes the circumstances in which 92 members of the GAA were killed. He spoke to their families and recounts their efforts to get truth and justice for their loved ones. Some of those who were killed like Aidan McAnespie were well known. Others were not so well known outside their local parishes. One chapter is devoted to the murder of Sean Brown of Bellaghy Wolfe Tone’s GAA club.

Sean Brown(61) was brutally murdered by a loyalist death squad on 12th May 1997. He was abducted while locking up the Clubhouse of Wolfe Tone’s GAA centre in Bellaghy, Co Derry where he had earlier attended a club meeting. He was found shot dead beside his burnt out car near Randalstown, Co Antrim –about 10 miles from Bellaghy.

The story of Sean Brown’s murder by loyalists and State agents was well documented in a special report by journalist Trevor Birney and aired on RTE. I found that documentary riveting from start to finish.

Sean Brown was married in 1966 to Bridie, a native of the neighbouring parish of Lavey, and they had six of a family-James, Siobhan, Damian, Sean, Martin and Clare. (Martin died in October 2021 in his early 50s after a short illness.)Sean Brown was a mechanical engineer teacher in Ballymena Training Centre. He was also Chairman of Bellaghy Gaelic Athletic club. The GAA was his whole life. He was well known and highly respected by all who knew him. He was always ready and willing to help people. Somebody, somewhere decided that he should be killed to teach ‘the Taigs’ a lesson. It was all part of a campaign of intimidation of people involved in Gaelic games.

The Loyalist death squad calling themselves the LVF, led by Billy Wright and Swinger Fulton, had been busy during these years targeting and killing Catholics and Nationalists in counties Armagh and Tyrone. On March 3rd , 1991, the loyalist gang shot dead four men in Boyle’s bar in Cappagh just a few miles outside Dungannon. On 8th July 1996, Michael McGoldrick (31) from Lurgan who was working temporarily as a taxi driver, was murdered by the same Loyalist death squad -to teach ‘the Taigs’ a lesson. They got away with these murders and were confident they were going to get away with this one too. Sean Brown was an easy target. He could be found most nights at the Wolfe Tone ‘s GAA centre in Bellaghy.

On the night of 12th May 1997, he was left to lock up the centre -never thinking that the loyalist death squad was waiting around the building to abduct him and kill him. The documentary tells how the killers used three cars. They took him in his own car to near Randalstown, Co Antrim, ten miles away where they shot him dead and then burned his car.

We learned from the documentary that his wife had become anxious when he did not come home. She went out with a flash lamp to look for him. She saw no sign of Sean or his car and became more anxious as time went on and he had not returned home. In the early hours of the morning RUC men arrived to tell her that Sean’s body had been found in his own car near Randalstown. He had been murdered believed to be by the Loyalist Volunteer Force led by Billy Wright and Swinger Fulton from Lurgan.

The RUC came to the house in the morning to inform the family that Sean had been killed. Their daughter described their cold and callous attitude.

Last year the High Court in Belfast ordered a Public Inquiry into the murder. Then on 31st December, the last day of 2024, the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, on behalf of the British Labour government appealed the High Court decision to hold a public Inquiry. Needless to say, this has come as a shock to Sean Browns widow, Bridie and the family who have been campaigning all these years for justice and truth. It has caused outrage among all those concerned about justice and truth. And it has caused great anger within the Gaelic Athletic Association.

What kind of State do we live in when a British official can deny citizens their rights and oppose the decision of the High court? Is the British government protecting their agents in MI5 and MI6? Will they never admit their involvement with serial loyalist killers? The search for truth and justice will continue.

Urgent Appeal