On This Day / November 7, 1970
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19701107
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19701107
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Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 7th November 1970, reports quoted Major-General Tony Farrar-Hockley warning that the Army in Northern Ireland was now facing “organised terrorism”, marking the first official recognition of a coordinated IRA campaign. Meanwhile, an Ardoyne resident condemned the violence, and John Hume criticised the RUC’s “conspiracy of silence” over the assault on Sam Devenney. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Army Facing Organised Terrorism | On This Day – 7th November 1970
The Army in Northern Ireland is for the first time facing ‘organised terrorism’, Major-General Tony Farrar-Hockley, Commander, Land Forces said yesterday.
After a weekend of riots in which 41 of his men were injured – several by nail bombs – the General said: ‘Gelignite bombs have taken us to the threshold of hotter operations.’
It had only been by the grace of God that none of his soldiers had been killed, he told a press conference.
He thought the riots had been organised but he did not feel that the Army was confronted with ‘a well-oiled machine’. He did not class the terrorists as being ‘good at it’.
Ardoyne ‘Sick of Violence’
Letter to the Editor
Sir, – May I on behalf of the vast majority of the people in Ardoyne voice a strong condemnation of the vicious riots which took place last Friday night.
Last year we were terrorised by other extreme elements and now ‘the Black Beret brigade’ are terrorising us by the latest tactics of grenades and machine-guns. We want no part of this. We are sick and tired of violence. Ireland will never be united by force; and what’s more, we don’t want it united by force.
May I express my sympathy to the soldiers who were viciously wounded by grenades. I would like them to know that the vast majority of people deplored what happened to them. For God’s sake let us have some peace before it is too late.
-Yours, etc, Butler Street Resident.
Hume on Justice for Sam Devenney
The conspiracy of silence among some police officers to protect guilty colleagues in the Sam Devenney affair would hardly enhance the RUC’s attempts to be regarded as an impartial force, said Mr John Hume, MP last night.
For while those guilty of the wilful assaults on Samuel Devenney (43) and other members of his household remained unidentified, the finger of suspicion pointed at every man in uniform, Mr Hume said.
Another Derry MP, Mr Ivan Cooper said that now they had proof that policemen were responsible for assaulting Mr Devenney, the time had come for an investigation into the deaths of Mr Francis McCloskey of Dungiven and Mr John Gallagher who was shot dead in Armagh.
(Eamon Phoenix Editor’s note: Farrar-Hockley’s statement stands out as first British Army acknowledgment that it was facing an armed IRA campaign.
The Provisionals’ offensive would divide nationalist opinion, as ‘Butler Street Resident’s’ letter affirms, with the bulk of nationalists supporting Hume and Cooper in their efforts to secure the civil rights agenda by political means.
Meanwhile a ‘conspiracy of silence’ in the RUC meant that Sam Devenney’s assailants were never identified.)
On This Day – 7th November 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701107
Reference Date
19701107
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 7th November 1970, reports quoted Major-General Tony Farrar-Hockley warning that the Army in Northern Ireland was now facing “organised terrorism”, marking the first official recognition of a coordinated IRA campaign. Meanwhile, an Ardoyne resident condemned the violence, and John Hume criticised the RUC’s “conspiracy of silence” over the assault on Sam Devenney. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Army Facing Organised Terrorism | On This Day – 7th November 1970
The Army in Northern Ireland is for the first time facing ‘organised terrorism’, Major-General Tony Farrar-Hockley, Commander, Land Forces said yesterday.
After a weekend of riots in which 41 of his men were injured – several by nail bombs – the General said: ‘Gelignite bombs have taken us to the threshold of hotter operations.’
It had only been by the grace of God that none of his soldiers had been killed, he told a press conference.
He thought the riots had been organised but he did not feel that the Army was confronted with ‘a well-oiled machine’. He did not class the terrorists as being ‘good at it’.
Ardoyne ‘Sick of Violence’
Letter to the Editor
Sir, – May I on behalf of the vast majority of the people in Ardoyne voice a strong condemnation of the vicious riots which took place last Friday night.
Last year we were terrorised by other extreme elements and now ‘the Black Beret brigade’ are terrorising us by the latest tactics of grenades and machine-guns. We want no part of this. We are sick and tired of violence. Ireland will never be united by force; and what’s more, we don’t want it united by force.
May I express my sympathy to the soldiers who were viciously wounded by grenades. I would like them to know that the vast majority of people deplored what happened to them. For God’s sake let us have some peace before it is too late.
-Yours, etc, Butler Street Resident.
Hume on Justice for Sam Devenney
The conspiracy of silence among some police officers to protect guilty colleagues in the Sam Devenney affair would hardly enhance the RUC’s attempts to be regarded as an impartial force, said Mr John Hume, MP last night.
For while those guilty of the wilful assaults on Samuel Devenney (43) and other members of his household remained unidentified, the finger of suspicion pointed at every man in uniform, Mr Hume said.
Another Derry MP, Mr Ivan Cooper said that now they had proof that policemen were responsible for assaulting Mr Devenney, the time had come for an investigation into the deaths of Mr Francis McCloskey of Dungiven and Mr John Gallagher who was shot dead in Armagh.
(Eamon Phoenix Editor’s note: Farrar-Hockley’s statement stands out as first British Army acknowledgment that it was facing an armed IRA campaign.
The Provisionals’ offensive would divide nationalist opinion, as ‘Butler Street Resident’s’ letter affirms, with the bulk of nationalists supporting Hume and Cooper in their efforts to secure the civil rights agenda by political means.
Meanwhile a ‘conspiracy of silence’ in the RUC meant that Sam Devenney’s assailants were never identified.)
On This Day – 7th November 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701107
Reference Date
November 7, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 7th November 1970, reports quoted Major-General Tony Farrar-Hockley warning that the Army in Northern Ireland was now facing “organised terrorism”, marking the first official recognition of a coordinated IRA campaign. Meanwhile, an Ardoyne resident condemned the violence, and John Hume criticised the RUC’s “conspiracy of silence” over the assault on Sam Devenney. Edited by historian Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Army Facing Organised Terrorism | On This Day – 7th November 1970
The Army in Northern Ireland is for the first time facing ‘organised terrorism’, Major-General Tony Farrar-Hockley, Commander, Land Forces said yesterday.
After a weekend of riots in which 41 of his men were injured – several by nail bombs – the General said: ‘Gelignite bombs have taken us to the threshold of hotter operations.’
It had only been by the grace of God that none of his soldiers had been killed, he told a press conference.
He thought the riots had been organised but he did not feel that the Army was confronted with ‘a well-oiled machine’. He did not class the terrorists as being ‘good at it’.
Ardoyne ‘Sick of Violence’
Letter to the Editor
Sir, – May I on behalf of the vast majority of the people in Ardoyne voice a strong condemnation of the vicious riots which took place last Friday night.
Last year we were terrorised by other extreme elements and now ‘the Black Beret brigade’ are terrorising us by the latest tactics of grenades and machine-guns. We want no part of this. We are sick and tired of violence. Ireland will never be united by force; and what’s more, we don’t want it united by force.
May I express my sympathy to the soldiers who were viciously wounded by grenades. I would like them to know that the vast majority of people deplored what happened to them. For God’s sake let us have some peace before it is too late.
-Yours, etc, Butler Street Resident.
Hume on Justice for Sam Devenney
The conspiracy of silence among some police officers to protect guilty colleagues in the Sam Devenney affair would hardly enhance the RUC’s attempts to be regarded as an impartial force, said Mr John Hume, MP last night.
For while those guilty of the wilful assaults on Samuel Devenney (43) and other members of his household remained unidentified, the finger of suspicion pointed at every man in uniform, Mr Hume said.
Another Derry MP, Mr Ivan Cooper said that now they had proof that policemen were responsible for assaulting Mr Devenney, the time had come for an investigation into the deaths of Mr Francis McCloskey of Dungiven and Mr John Gallagher who was shot dead in Armagh.
(Eamon Phoenix Editor’s note: Farrar-Hockley’s statement stands out as first British Army acknowledgment that it was facing an armed IRA campaign.
The Provisionals’ offensive would divide nationalist opinion, as ‘Butler Street Resident’s’ letter affirms, with the bulk of nationalists supporting Hume and Cooper in their efforts to secure the civil rights agenda by political means.
Meanwhile a ‘conspiracy of silence’ in the RUC meant that Sam Devenney’s assailants were never identified.)
On This Day – 7th November 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.