1970

In June 1970, three IRA members, members, Thomas McCool (40), Joseph Coyle (40) and Thomas Carlin (55), together with two of McCool’s daughters, Bernadette (9) and Carol (4), were killed in a premature explosion in Creggan.

The men had been preparing bombs following the arrest of Bernadette Devlin MP for her involvement in the Battle of the Bogside. Bernadette was to serve four months in prison.

There were further outbreaks of serious rioting in October 1970. Around the same period came the first evidence of an IRA campaign, with seven bomb explosions between 15 September and the end of that year in Derry alone.