As a result, the cargo was intercepted by a combined force of the Irish Navy and the Garda Sochna. Learn more about Martin McGartland. A 1997 article in An Phoblacht alleges that OCallaghan has been forced to overstate his former importance in the IRA and to make increasingly outlandish accusations against individual republicans.[26], OCallaghans claimed to have attended an IRA finance meeting alongside Pat Finucane and Gerry Adams in Letterkenny in 1980. He was selected and trained by the Intelligence Corps and returned to civilian life to infiltrate the IRA. [30], Journalist Kevin Myers praised McGartlands heroism and the Sunday Express newspaper described him as a real-life James Bond. It's become routine to me to not have a routine. [10], McGartland later infiltrated the IRA in autumn 1989, having been asked to join by Davy Adams, a leading IRA member and a nephew of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. His identity became publicly known after a minor court case. He took up work as a bricklayer. He was later shot six times by a gunman, but recovered from the injuries. On remand in Crumlin Road Prison, he was severely beaten by IRA prisoners. May argued that were the government to confirm in one case that a person was an agent then refused to comment in another, that would give rise to the suspicion that the person worked as an agent thereby putting his life in danger, McGartland replied that May's argument would be reasonable if "those particular horses had not bolted long ago". Eight years earlier the Belfast-born agent became the only person ever to escape from the IRAs notorious internal mole hunting unit, the so-called Headhunters or Nutting Squad. Because he is unable to claim State benefits due to security reasons MI5 had previously helped him financially; however this assistance was withdrawn after he gave an interview to the Belfast Telegraph. The interview was posted on the World Wide Web as the 2003 allegations against Scappaticci surfaced. However, the IRA gunman got more than he bargained for - once again Martin McGartland showed incredible courage by hurling himself at the terrorist even as the 9mm bullets were smashing into his body. He was shot outside his Whitley Bay home in 1999 (scene pictured). His RUC handler then applied pressure on the authorities for his release, he was freed on 1 April 1982. Belfast Books Thanks for promoting my book mate. McGartland asserts many were innocent people who had somehow incurred the wrath of a member of the IRA. When he was exposed as an agent in 1991 he was abducted by the IRA, but escaped and was resettled in This enabled him to better identify suspects who had been targeted by RUC Special Branch. To the IRA, he was a trusted intelligence officer and an integral member of an active-service unit. Martin McGartland, the ex-informer who infiltrated the IRA while working for the RUC Special Branch and later wrote about his experience in a best-selling book, is recovering in a hospital after surviving a gun attack at his home in Tyneside in Northern England. The scale of the pay-out for which he is liable is to be assessed at a later stage, See Is time running out for Freddie Scappaticci. If you did something wrong then you made amends. Menu. I am the victim of an attack and I got around 50,000 in compensation, which is not a big amount considering my injuries. . [44], McGartland responded by lambasting May, pointing out that "this is one of the daftest things I have ever heard; everyone who is interested knows my past "[n]o current security interest is at stake." [1], In Unsung Hero, Fulton claims he worked undercover as a British Army agent within the IRA. The security on the American end of the shipment was handled by Kevin Weeks and Whitey Bulger, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant. Martin McGartland went undercover for the Royal Ulster Constabulary in a bid to undermine the Belfast IRA in the 1980s. They were rejected by the High Court in January 2006. "It was my first real taste of having a life with people who weren't trying to kill me or trying to kill other people. Martin McGartland Wiki & Bio "Informer fights for his life after shooting", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martin_McGartland&oldid=1070132576, Male non-fiction writers from Northern Ireland, Provisional Irish Republican Army members, Irish spies during The Troubles (Northern Ireland), 20th-century writers from Northern Ireland, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from October 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 5 February 2022, at 21:31. [16], Gilmours former RUC handler advised him not to return, citing the 2006 murder in Glenties, County Donegal, of Denis Donaldson, a high-ranking Sinn Fin politician and activist who was revealed to have been a long-term informer.[17]. [22] Diaries of the late Detective Superintendent Ian Phoenix, head of the Northern Ireland Police Counter-Surveillance Unit, revealed that he and the other Special Branch officers had advised senior RUC officers against stopping the gun couriers vehicles as doing so would put McGartlands life at risk as well as allow the actual IRA gunmen to escape. To order a copy (P&P free . "I'm still with my partner. Its findings appear to support McGartlands claims over the past two decades that the IRA rather than a local north-eastern criminal gang was behind the murder attempt in Whitley Bay on 17 June 1999. "It's all been a rollercoaster. If someone told me all this I wouldn't believe it.". He reminded Mo Mowlam, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, that this was a condition of the early release of paramilitaries under the Good Friday Agreement. Previous Year's Net . I still have to check under my car every time I get in it. [8], McGartland has said that because he was sickened by increasing Provisional IRA violence directed at young Catholic petty lawbreakers in the form of punishment beatings (often carried out with iron bars and baseball bats) and knee-cappings, in 1986 at the age of 16 he agreed to provide information to the RUC about local IRA members, thereby preventing them from carrying out many attacks against the security forces. Martin McGartland, whose exploits as a spy within the IRA were made into a feature film, blames "years of neglect" by MI5 for leaving him traumatised and unable to work because of his secret life . His identity became known after a minor court case; he was shot by the IRA, but recovered from the injuries. Martin 'Marty' McGartland was a British Agent inside the IRA . But paranoia has probably kept me alive. Belfast-born Marty infiltrated the IRA during the height of the Troubles in the 1980s for the British Secret Service. 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[4] One of the effects of the continuous rioting and the campaign of bombings and shootings in Belfast and all over Northern Ireland was to make McGartland grow up quickly. The . The Provisional IRA issued a one-line statement saying that it had no involvement whatsoever with the murder. Northumbria Police continue to cover-up Martin's attempted murder. McGartland additionally has a contract which was signed by MI5 after he was shot in England in which the representatives of the PSNI and Northumbria Police acknowledged his service in general terms. Martin was kidnapped by the IRA in 1991 and escaped by jumping from a third floor window. On the wider implications of the reports findings, McGartland added: The Northumbria police knew the IRA had been behind my shooting, that they acted in consort with MI5, the Home Office and the then Blair Labour government (and subsequent governments) covered it up to protect not only the IRA as an organisation but the individual IRA members who tried to murder me. McGuinness said Gilmour must decide for himself whether or not it was safe to return to Derry and that he was not under threat from Sinn Fin, nor he believes from the IRA. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Save with MyShopping.com.au! Martin McGartland - Fifty Dead Men Walking - The Motion Picture & Television Technical Database. The couple had two young daughters at the time of the arrest. A statement by Northern Ireland Secretary of State Peter Hain referred to his death as a barbaric act, while ROI Prime Minister Bertie Ahern condemned the brutal murder of Donaldson. [40] McGartland criticised the police for inadequate protection but offered to testify on their behalf, saying: There are people who have been the victims of terrorist attacks, whove lost loved ones, and some of them havent been compensated. As the violent religious-political conflict known as the Troubles escalated, republican areas such as Ballymurphy increasingly came under the control of the local Provisional IRA (IRA) who, in the absence of normal policing, took on some policing functions. [13] He was also recruited by an IRA Active Service Unit (ASU) which was headed by a man known as "Spud". Kearney is a son of the civil rights and MacBride Principles campaigner, Oliver Kearney. Since the beginning of the Troubles, many Irish nationalists reported offences to Sinn Fin, a political party associated with the IRA, rather than the RUC. Nee subsequently served a long sentence in the US Federal Prison system for his role in the shipment. He has written two books about his life, Fifty Dead Men Walking: The Terrifying True Story of a Secret Agent Inside the IRA and Dead Man Running. They were subsequently released without charge. After an interlude of several months, Gilmour was instructed by his RUC handler to join the IRA. His testimony was one of the main elements of the supergrass policy, which hoped to convict large numbers of paramilitaries. If you like, you can change the digest interval below. [38], In 1997 McGartland published a book about his life, Fifty Dead Men Walking. It was initially believed that the Provisional IRA were responsible for his killing although the Real IRA claimed responsibility for his murder almost three years later. He was offered 200 a week with bonuses for arrests and weapons finds. Could reality television hit Love Island promote abusive relationships? I am also calling on him to swiftly agree to an external police force to carry out my unsolved attempted murder investigation. The animal Canada tried to destroy. [7] Ingram paints Scappaticci at this time as the crown jewels, (the best) agent handled by the FRU. [11], In November, Gilmours father was abducted by the IRA. [38], In 1997 McGartland published a book about his life, Fifty Dead Men Walking. "[35], The day after McGartland was shot, the incident, along with the murders of Eamon Collins, Brendan Fegan, and Paul Downey, was cited by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble in an interview with reporters in Belfast, to question whether the IRA ceasefire was being maintained. The assault left him confined to a wheelchair for three months. "[44], May's department the Home Office oversees MI5 and she herself had signed the application in a court case brought by McGartland and his partner, both of whom are obliged to live under secret identities that were provided by MI5. [17] He discovered how IRA sympathisers had infiltrated various public institutions and businesses, and many members acquired computer skills, thereby enabling the IRA to gain access to detailed information on a wide range of people in Northern Ireland including politicians, lawyers, judges, members of the security forces, Ulster loyalist paramilitaries, and prison officers. He commented, "Refusing to confirm or deny my role is simply a trick to avoid the State's responsibilities toward someone who has risked his life for it. [31], In 1999, he was shot six times at his home by two men receiving serious wounds in the chest, stomach, side, upper leg and hand. Every time I leave the house there could be someone sitting watching. Since then, Gilmour has been in hiding outside Northern Ireland. ROI Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell initially said that Donaldson had been shot in the head. McGartland additionally has a contract which was signed by MI5 after he was shot in England in which the representatives of the PSNI and Northumbria Police acknowledged his service in general terms. McGartland had driven the IRA gunmens getaway car and had been brought into the operation so late he had no time to advise his handlers although he had previously indicated the IRAs interest in the area. [3] Gilmour left school without sitting for his O Level exams and drifted into crime. The reason I will help Northumbria Police is that this is an injustice. One of the crewmembers, John MacIntyre, agreed to wear a wire on meeting Bulger, Weeks, and Nee. Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test by Marlene Zuk (isbn:9781324064404) for $43 - Compare prices of 336289 products in Books from 511 Online Stores in Australia. While in jail he told his story to The Sunday Times. Tipperary Tim astounding 1928 Grand National winner at 100/1 & a proud resident of Glencairn ! Over the years he witnessed the dreadful violence and intimidation used by the IRA towards their own people and community. The 49-year-old, who now lives in a secret location with a new identity, has told for the first time how happy he had been in Whitley Bay, before his cover was blown. Martin McGartland is known for Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008). [4], In 1976, aged 21, OCallaghan resigned from the Provisional IRA, and moved to London. [34], In 2000, Lord Vivian asked in the House of Lords whether the government intended to remove police protection from McGartland and was told by Lord Bassam of Brighton that Individual protection arrangements are a matter for the chief constable of the police force concerned and are not discussed for security reasons.[35], The day after he was shot, the incident, along with the murders of Eamon Collins, Brendan Fegan, and Paul Downey, was cited by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble in an interview with reporters in Belfast, to question whether the IRA ceasefire was being maintained. Martin is accepted by many to be one of MI5's best spies in Northern Ireland during the late 1980's and early 1990's. Martin's second Book, Dead Man Running, is also . He further outlined that when they arrived back at Dudley Edwards home, he was then knocked to the floor, tied with an electrical flex to a chair and then held at knifepoint while Samhan and another man proceeded to burgle the property. 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