A SERIES of events are being held this weekend to mark the 50th anniversary of the New Lodge Six killings, when six men were shot dead by the British army.
At 11.30pm on February 3 1973, James Sloan and Jim McCann were shot dead outside Lynch’s Bar in a drive-by shooting. Four others were injured.
More local people would die in the hours that followed as February 3 turned to February 4.
As residents came on to the streets after hearing the initial shootings, they came under intense fire from the direction of Edlingham Street and by the British Army positioned on top of what were then the Templar and Alamein flats. Tony Campbell was shot dead as was Brendan Maguire – who had gone to Campbell's aid – along with John Loughran. The sixth victim was Ambrose Hardy, shot by a British Army sniper as he ventured out of a building holding a white cloth above his head. The carnage was amplified as it was the first time the British Army used telescopic night sights in the conflict.
This Friday events will begin at 6.30pm on the anniversary of the killings, with a commemoration at the top of the New Lodge Road. At 7pm people will proceed to the lighting of a 8x4m display in memory of James Sloan and Jim McCann. A recorded narration of events detailing what happened up until their murders will then be played.
A candlelight vigil will then move down the New Lodge Road behind the New Lodge Six banner and will stop at Donore Court to allow for wreaths and floral tributes to be left at the New Lodge Six mural.
A narration will then be played relaying the events which led to the murders of Tony Campbell, Brendan Maguire, John Loughran and Ambrose Hardy.
Proceedings will then continue to Duncairn Parade where North Belfast MP John Finucane will speak, after which a documentary made by filmmaker Séan Murray will be projected onto Eithne House.
The following day on Saturday February 4 there will be a New Lodge Six Exhibition at the Main Hall of the Duncairn Centre at 10am. At 2pm Paul O’Neill, former chairperson on the New Lodge Six Time for Truth Committee, will introduce the showing of the edited version of the New Lodge Six Community Inquiry.
This will be followed by a panel discussion on the proposed British Government’s Legacy Bill and how this will impact on campaigning families.
NEW LODGE SIX: (L-R) Jim McCann (18), James Sloan (19), John Loughran (35), Ambrose Hardy (26), Brendan Maguire (33) and Tony Campbell (19) were murdered on 3-4 February 1973
Speaking ahead of this week's anniversary, Rosaleen Beatty, sister of Ambrose Hardy said 50 years has been "a very long time to get justice".
"My mother and father never saw it," she said. "A few of my other brothers have now passed on and they never saw justice for Ambrose either. They were six innocent victims. I may never see justice done but my children and grandchildren will fight on.
"Ambrose was a very good man. He worked hard and at the end of the week he would have gone out and had a wee drink.
"He was quiet and never caused any trouble. He waved a white slip when he was coming out and they shot him in the back of the head. It’s something my mother and father never got over. We know the truth, that they were innocent men but we want justice to be done for them.
"My grandson is a solicitor and he is working on the case. I said to him I may never see justice but he said to me, it doesn’t matter because we’ll be there to fight on.”
MURAL: The New Lodge Six mural has been redesigned ahead of Friday's commemoration
Daniel McCready, a nephew of Jim McCann, spoke about the commemoration and the long battle for justice.
“It’s a long time without justice. It’s been a long fight but we have a lot of backing behind us. It’s not just our six families, we have have a lot of support but I think the British government don’t want to give us justice. This wait for justice wouldn’t happen anywhere else, if the British Army shot six people in the middle of Sheffield there would be inquiry after inquiry, but not for here.”
50th anniversary of the killings of 6 men in the New Lodge. Next weekend a series of community events have been organised by families. All welcome pic.twitter.com/2nVrNdFS7h
— Relatives 4 Justice #NeverGivingUp (@RelsForJustice) January 28, 2023
Filmmaker Seán Murray, who previously made the award winning documentary ‘Unquiet Graves’ which highlights the British state’s role in the killings perpetrated by the loyalist Glennane Gang in the 1970s, made the new documentary on the New Lodge Six.
“It’s a short documentary which has been made specifically for the commemoration," he said. "It’s being edited this week and will be projected onto a building on Friday. I made it using personal testimonies of family members and also eye witnesses who were there and saw the six individuals being killed. We’ve also used archive footage throughout.”
Mike Ritchie, Senior Casework Director for Relatives For Justice, who have helped in the organising of the commemoration said: “The commemoration will feature the history of what happened on 3-4 February 1973 and the unveiling of the new New Lodge Six mural. The documentary which has been made by Seán Murray should be really visually striking when it is projected onto the building. We are also producing a commemorative 24 page leaflet which will be available on the night.”
