In early 1975 Merlyn Rees set up elections for the Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention at which all of Northern Ireland’s politicians would plan their way forward. The existence of these talks led unionists to believe that they were about to be abandoned by the British government and forced into a united Ireland as a result, the loyalist paramilitary groups reacted with a violence that, combined with the tit-for-tat retaliations from the IRA (despite their ceasefire), made 1975 one of the “bloodiest years of the conflict”. This had meant the possible withdrawal of British troops from Northern Ireland. Their fears were slightly grounded in fact, as the MI6 officer Michael Oatley was involved in negotiations with a member of the IRA Army Council, during which “structures of disengagement” from Ireland were discussed. This move made loyalists apprehensive and suspicious that a secret accord was being conducted between the British government and the IRA, and that Northern Ireland’s Protestants would be “sold out”. At Christmas 1974 the IRA declared a ceasefire, which theoretically lasted throughout most of 1975. UK Home Secretary Roy Jenkins introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which gave the government unprecedented powers against the liberty of individuals in the United Kingdom in peacetime. The Provisional IRA were suspected by British police of bombing two pubs in the English city of Birmingham the following November, resulting in 21 deaths. During that strike on 17 May, the UVF carried out the Dublin and Monaghan car bombings, which killed 33 civilians. In May 1974 unionists called a general strike to protest against the Sunningdale Agreement – an attempt at power-sharing, setting up a Northern Ireland Executive and a cross-border Council of Ireland, which would have given the Government of Ireland a voice in running Northern Ireland. The UVF would be once more banned by the British government on 3 October 1975. This meant that both it and the UDA were legal organisations. On 4 April 1974 the proscription against the UVF had been lifted by Merlyn Rees, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The year 1975 was marked by an escalation in sectarian attacks and a vicious feud between the two main loyalist paramilitary groups, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) and the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). The conflict in Northern Ireland, known as “ The Troubles“, began in the late 1960s. They in no way reflect my own opinions and I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies or factual errors Background Political situation in Northern Ireland The views and opinions expressed in this post and page are soley intended to educate and provide background information to those interested in the Troubles of Northern Ireland. Irish Times diarist Frank McNally summed up the massacre as “an incident that encapsulated all the madness of the time” Disclaimer In a report published in the Sunday Mirror in 1999, Colin Wills called the Miami Showband attack “one of the worst atrocities in the 30-year history of the Troubles”. There are claims that those involved in the Miami Showband killings belonged to the Glenanne gang a secret alliance of loyalist militants, rogue police officers and British soldiers. It confirmed that Jackson was linked to the attack by fingerprints. The Historical Enquiries Team, which investigated the killings, released their report to the victims’ families in December 2011. According to former Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) agent Captain Fred Holroyd, the killings were organised by British Army Captain Robert Nairac (a member of 14th Intelligence Company), in collaboration with the UVF’s Mid-Ulster Brigade and its commander Robin “The Jackal” Jackson. Allegations of collusion between British military intelligence and the loyalist militants persist. Two serving British soldiers and one former British soldier were found guilty of the murders and received life sentences they were released in 1998. The other gunmen then opened fire on the dazed band members, killing three and wounding two. It has been suggested that the plan had been for it to explode en route and kill the band, who would be branded IRA bomb smugglers. While two of the gunmen (both soldiers) were hiding a time bomb on the minibus, it exploded prematurely and killed them. At least four of the gunmen were serving soldiers from the British Army’s Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) but, unbeknownst to the band, all were members of the UVF. Seven miles (11 km) north of Newry, their minibus was stopped at what appeared to be a military checkpoint, where gunmen in British Army uniforms ordered them to line up by the roadside. The band was travelling home to Dublin late at night after a performance in Banbridge.