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The shadow of the Troubles stretched long over a candlelit vigil last night, as the President of the Gaelic athletic Association (GAA) accused the British state of complicity in the murder of its own citizens. the gathering marked the 50th anniversary of a devastating gun and bomb attack on Donnell’s Bar in South Armagh.
A Community Haunted by Silence and Fear
For decades, residents of South Armagh lived under a cloud of fear, unsure who to trust amidst a web of violence and alleged state collusion.
- On December 19, 1975, a UVF unit attacked Donnell’s Bar in Silverbridge, killing three people: Trevor Bracknell, 32, Patsy Donnelly, 24, and Michael Donnelly, 14.
- GAA President Jarlath Burns stated the British state was complicit in the murders, alleging a pattern of silence and denial following the attack.
- An independent inquiry, Operation Denton, is currently examining the activities of the group believed to be responsible, with a full report expected early next year.
- Burns emphasized the importance of remembering the past, not for revenge, but for justice and to break the cycle of silence.
Q: What did the GAA President say about the state’s role in the violence?
A: Jarlath Burns directly accused the British state of being complicit in the murder of its own citizens, citing a history of unanswered questions, failures to investigate, and a deliberate enforcement of silence surrounding the events in South Armagh.
Jarlath Burns, a member of the local Silverbridge Harps GAA club, told several hundred mourners that for years after the 1975 attack, the community lived in dread, “families were left not only with grief, but with silence – a silence enforced by the state,” he added. “Secrecy was used to protect institutions, not people. Intelligence was withheld, warnings were ignored. And the price of those decisions has been paid by families year after year, especially at Christmas.”
Currently, an independent inquiry, codenamed Operation Denton, is underway to examine the activities of the Glenanne Gang. The full report, including details of the Donnell’s Bar attack, is scheduled for release early next year. Burns stressed the need for complete clarity. “What happened here must be known. Not only the violence of that night, but the injustice that followed – the silence, the denial, and the failures that deepened the suffering of families and of this community,” he said.
“Not because we seek revenge. But because justice matters. Because memory matters. And because silence has already taken too much.”
The community awaits the findings of Operation denton, hoping for a reckoning with the past and a measure of closure for those who have long suffered in silence.