Loyalist murderer of Miami Showband members, who was killed by his own bomb during botched attack, to be commemorated in Portadown
A loyalist murderer of Miami Showband members, who was killed by his own bomb during the botched attack, is to be commemorated in Portadown.
Members of the popular showband, who played across NI during the height of the Troubles and had just finished a gig in Banbridge, were in a minibus which was stopped just outside the Co Down town by a fake UDR checkpoint on July 31, 1975 – 50 years ago today.
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The gang, who were dressed in military uniforms, told the showband members to get out. It is believed Harris Boyle and Wesley Summerville were attempting to plant a bomb inside the minibus when it went off – killing them both.
Meanwhile other members of the bogus checkpoint fired shots at the group killing lead singer Fran O’Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty and trumpeter Brian McCoy. Des Lee and Stephen Travers were injured but survived.
Both Stephen and Des pretended to be dead after the massacre and have described the devastation following the brutal attack. "There were bits of bodies all over the place. I would never wish anybody to see that in their lives. It was absolutely horrendous,” said Des.
Des told the BBC he has ‘no problem’ with a controversial loyalist band parade that will commemorate one of the attackers, although he wishes people would ‘move on’.
He said they are ‘entitled to commemorate their dead as much as we entitled to commemorate ours’.
Mr Lee told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster people in NI should prioritise ‘giving our grandkids and their kids of the future a better Northern Ireland for everybody’.
"It's fifty years, must we continue with the childish things that are occurring all around us on all sides?"
He said his philosophy in life is to ‘forgive, forget and move on’.
"I don't hold any grudge. What happened to my friends was appalling, but I don't want to live for the rest of my life living in the past," he said.
"I have got to look forward to the future."
"There were two protestants in our band. Our job was to entertain people, and that's what we did."
Boyle is also believed to have been involved in the Dublin and Monaghan bombs in 1974 which killed 33 civilians, including a pregnant woman, and injured hundreds more.
The organisation hosting the parade for the killer is Mid Ulster/Armagh 36th Division Regimental Bands Association.
It is to start at 6pm on Saturday August 2 starting at Levaghery Orange Hall (just off Gilford Road, Portadown) however the Orange Order said it is not a parade it has sanctioned.
The route: Ulsterville Park, Festival Road, Granville Road, Gloucester Avenue, Princess Way, and ending at Gilford Road at 8pm.
They are expecting 400 participants with an unknown number of supporters. According to the Parades Commission website the following bands are expected: Armagh True Blues Flute Band, Bessbrook True Blues Flute Band, Rising Sons of the Valley Flute Band, Downshire Guiding Star Flute Band, Moygashel Sons of Ulster Flute Band, Avenue Road Memorial Flute Band, Ballynahinch Protestant Boys Flute Band, Portadown Defenders Flute Band, Portadown True Blues Flute Band, Loyal Sons of Benagh ,South Fermanagh Loyalist Flute Band, Castlederg Young Loyalists Flute Band, Cookstown Sons of William Flute Band, UVF Regimental Flute Band, Craigavon Protestant Boys Flute Band.