Roy Walsh - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Roy Walsh (Irish republican)) Provisional IRA volunteer (1949–2024) This article is about the former Provisional IRA volunteer. For the English footballer, see Roy Walsh (footballer). For the British Olympic diver, see Roy Walsh (diver).

Roy Walsh
Born	c. September 1949 Lower Falls, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	16 October 2024 (aged 75) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Known for	1973 Old Bailey Bombing

Military career
Allegiance	Irish Republic
Paramilitary	Provisional IRA
Years of service	1969–1973
Rank	Volunteer
Unit	Belfast Brigade
Conflicts	The Troubles

Roy Walsh (c. September 1949 – 16 October 2024) was a Provisional IRA volunteer. He was convicted for his part in the IRA's 1973 Old Bailey bombing which injured over 200 people.

IRA activity

Walsh joined the IRA in the wake of the August 1969 riots in Belfast in which Bombay Street a Catholic/Nationalist area was burned to the ground by a Loyalist sectarian mob, 1,820 families (mostly Catholics) had to be evacuated and the British Army sent in to keep the peace.

Walsh joined the Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA, which in 1973 was allegedly Commanded by Gerry Adams at the time and Adams picked the 11-person Active service unit (ASU) to carry out the 1973 London bombings. Walsh, along with Gerry Kelly, Hugh Feeney, sisters Dolours Price and Marian Price, and six others from the Belfast Brigade made up the rest of the ASU tasked with the London bombings.

Initially six targets in London had been planned to bomb but this was scaled down to four targets, one of which had been picked to bomb was the Old Bailey courthouse - this was the target Roy Walsh was selected to bomb. On 8 March 1973 at about 06:00 am, Roy Walsh and Gerry Kelly primed their car bomb which weighed about 100 lb and drove to the Old Bailey, three other bombs were planted by other IRA volunteers around London and all timed to go off at roughly the same time.

Before the bomb went off Walsh along with nine other members of his team were caught trying to leave the country at Heathrow Airport and detained there and then. The bomb at the Old Bailey exploded at 14:49 pm and injured between 180–200 people, one person died of a heart attack attributed to the bomb.

At his trial on 14 November 1973, Roy Walsh received life imprisonment for the bombings and 20 years for conspiracy along with seven other IRA volunteers.

Walsh along with several other IRA prisoners and dozens of inmates was involved in the Albany Prison Riot of May 1983. Several prisoners, prison officers and one warder received minor injuries during the riot.

Release

Walsh was released in 1994, after having served nearly 21 years in English prisons, making him one of the longest serving IRA prisoners in an English jail. Only the members of the Balcombe Street Gang served longer sentences.

In an interview with Peter Taylor, Walsh said that he was "shocked that there was so many casualties because our intention was never, never to injure anyone" and that given the warnings, "it was the slowness of the police reactions that caused the injuries." He stated that he did not regret his involvement, but regretted getting caught.

Walsh died in Belfast on 16 October 2024, aged 75.

References

^ O'Sullivan, Jack (24 September 1998). "Daddy's coming home". The Independent. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
^ Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1973". cain.ulst.ac.uk.
Sutton, Malcolm. "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". cain.ulst.ac.uk.
Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Events: Deployment of Troops 14 August 1969". cain.ulst.ac.uk.
Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1969". cain.ulst.ac.uk.
Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1969". cain.ulst.ac.uk.
Taylor, Peter (November 1997). Behind the Mask: The Ira and Sinn Fein (Hardcover ed.). TV Books Inc. p. 181. ISBN 157500061X.
"1973: IRA gang convicted of London bombings". BBC News. 14 November 1973. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
Melaugh, Dr Martin. "CAIN: Chronology of the Conflict 1973". cain.ulst.ac.uk.
"Jail rampage hits Isle of Wight". UPI. 20 May 1983. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
Ruan O'Donnell - Special Category: The IRA In English Prisons Vol.2: 1978-1985 p.294, 297
Taylor, Peter (November 1997). Behind the Mask: The Ira and Sinn Fein (Hardcover ed.). TV Books Inc. pp. 183–184. ISBN 157500061X.
"Old Bailey bomber and IRA veteran Roy Walsh dies aged 75". Belfast Telegraph. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.

Sources

Provisional Irish Republican Army

General

Organisation

Actions

1970–1979	Battle of St Matthew's Falls Curfew 1970 Crossmaglen bombing Scottish soldiers' killings Red Lion bombing Balmoral showroom bombing Abercorn bombing Donegall Street bombing Battle at Springmartin Battle of Lenadoon Bloody Friday Claudy bombing Newry customs bombing Old Bailey bombing Honey Trap killings King's Cross & Euston bombings Coleraine bombings 1973 Westminster bombing M62 bombing Clogher attack Houses of Parliament bombing Tower of London bombing Guildford pub bombings Harrow School bombing Brooks's Club bombing Woolwich pub bombing British Airways bombing attempt Birmingham pub bombings London pillar box bombings Talbot Arms bombing Bristol bombing Telephone exchange bombings 1974 Oxford Street bombing Carlton Tower & Portman Hotel shootings Mountainview attack Bayardo Bar attack Forkhill attack Caterham Arms bombing Tullyvallen massacre London Hilton bombing Piccadilly bombing Trattoria Fiore bombing Scott's Oyster Bar bombing Walton's Restaurant bombing Drummuckavall ambush Balcombe Street siege Kingsmill massacre West Ham station attack Olympia bombing Store bar shooting Stag Inn attack Garryhinch ambush Jonesborough Gazelle downing La Mon restaurant bombing Crossmaglen ambush Warrenpoint ambush Brussels bombing Dungannon attack
1980–1989	Dunmurry train bombing Lough Foyle attacks Glasdrumman ambush 1981 Bessbrook attack Chelsea Barracks bombing Hyde Park & Regent's Park bombings Harrods bombing Royal Artillery Barracks bombing Brighton hotel bombing Ballygawley land mine attack Newry mortar attack Ballygawley attack Enniskillen mortar attack RUC Birches barracks attack Rheindahlen bombing Loughgall ambush Operation Flavius Corporals killings Lisburn bombing Aughanduff Lynx shootdown 1988 Netherlands attacks Glamorgan barracks bombing Inglis Barracks bombing Ballygawley bus bombing Jonesborough ambush Clive Barracks bombing Deal barracks bombing Mayobridge attack Derryard attack
1990–1991	Derrygorry Gazelle downing South Armagh sniper Downpatrick roadside bomb Operation Conservation 1990 Wembley bombing Carlton Club bombing London Stock Exchange bombing Honourable Artillery Company bombing Lichfield gun attack RFA Fort Victoria bombing Proxy bombings Downing Street mortar attack Paddington & Victoria station bombings Mullacreevie ambush Glenanne barracks bombing Coagh ambush Musgrave Park Hospital bombing Crumlin Road Prison bombing
1992–1997	Teebane bombing Clonoe ambush London Bridge bombing Staples Cnr bombing Baltic Exchange bombing Sussex Arms bombing Cloghoge attack Coalisland riots Forensic Science Laboratory bombing Stoke Newington Road bomb 1992 Manchester bombing Night of the Long Knives 1993 Harrods bombing Warrington bombings Cullaville occupation Camden bombing Bishopsgate bombing Finchley Road bombings Battle of Newry Road Shankill Road bombing 1993 Fivemiletown ambush Heathrow attacks Crossmaglen Lynx downing Drumcree conflict Docklands bombing Aldwych bus bombing 1996 Manchester bombing Hammersmith Bridge bombing Osnabrück mortar attack Thiepval barracks bombing Coalisland attack 1997 Northern Ireland riots

Personalities
(Volunteers)

Espionage and
Supergrasses

Eamon Collins
Denis Donaldson
Joseph Fenton
Kevin Fulton
Raymond Gilmour
Martin McGartland
Sean O'Callaghan
Freddie Scappaticci (allegedly "Stakeknife")

Associates

Derivatives

Prominent
killings

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