Jim Lynagh: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|IRA member (1956–1987)}}

[[Image:jim_lynagh.jpg|thumb|'''Jim Lynagh''' ]]

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=March 2025}}

'''Jim Lynagh''' ([[1956]] – [[May 8]], [[1987]]), was a [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] member. He was killed in a [[Special Air Service]] ambush with seven other IRA men at [[Loughgall]], [[County Armagh]], [[Northern Ireland]] on May 8 1987.

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Jim Lynagh

| image = Jim_Lynagh.png

| caption = Lynagh mugshot (1973)

| office = [[Monaghan Urban District Council]]lor

| birth_place = [[Monaghan]], [[County Monaghan]], Ireland

| death_date = {{death date and age |1987|05|08|1956|04|13| df=yes}}

| birth_name = James Lynagh

| death_place = [[Loughgall]], [[County Armagh]], Northern Ireland

| branch = [[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army members|Lynagh,Provisional JimIRA]]

| branch_label = Paramilitary

| unit = [[Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade|East Tyrone Brigade]]

| rank = [[Officer Commanding]]

| native_name = Séamus Ó Laighnigh

| native_name_lang = ga

| birth_date = {{Birth date |1956|04|13| df=yes}}

| nickname = "The Executioner"

| party = [[Sinn Féin]]

| term_end = 1987

| term_start = 1979

| battles = [[The Troubles]]

| resting_place = St Joseph's Cemetery, [[Monaghan]]

}}

'''James Lynagh''' ({{langx|ga|Séamus Ó Laighnigh}}; 13 April 1956 – 8 May 1987) was a member of the [[Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade|East Tyrone Brigade]] of the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1987.html |title=CAIN Web Service |access-date=3 February 2007 |archive-date=14 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514143611/http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/sutton/chron/1987.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> from [[Monaghan Town]] in the Republic of Ireland, who was killed by British [[special forces]] whilst attacking an [[Royal Ulster Constabulary|R.U.C.]] station in Northern Ireland.

==Background==

One of twelve children, Lynagh was born and raised on the Tully Estate, a [[housing estate]] in the [[townland]] of Killygowan on the southern edge of [[Monaghan|Monaghan Town]], [[County Monaghan]], in the [[Republic of Ireland.<ref name="em">{{cite book | last = Moloney | first = Ed | author-link = Ed Moloney | title = A Secret History of the IRA | publisher = [[Penguin Books]]. | year = 2002 | isbn = 0-14-101041-X | page = 306}}</ref> He joined the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (Provisional IRA) in the early [[1970s]]. In December [[1973]] he was badly injured in a premature bomb explosion, arrested, and spent five years in the [[LongHM KeshPrison Maze|Maze Prison]] prison.<ref name="mult"/> While in jailimprisoned, he studied and became a great admirer of [[Mao Zedong]].<ref>''Armed HeStruggle: wasa releasedHistory inof earlythe [[1979]]IRA'' andby inRichard JuneEnglish, ofpage that254</ref> yearAfter his release from prison in 1979 Lynagh was elected as a [[Sinn Féin]] councillor tofor Monaghan Urban District Council, and held this position when he was killed.<ref name="mult">{{cite book | last = Urban | first = Mark | title = Big Boys' Rules: SAS and the Secret Struggle Against the IRA | publisher = [[Faber and Faber]] | year = 1993 | isbn = 0-571-16809-4 | page = 223}}</ref><ref name="mult2">{{cite news | title = True tale of IRA 'martyrs' revealed | author = Henry McDonald | url = https://www.theguardian.com/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,801151,00.html | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 29 September 2002 | access-date = 5 March 2007 | ___location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=English |first=Richard |title=Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2005 |isbn=9781405001083 |pages=254}}</ref> At the time of his death, Lynagh had been living in a flat on Dublin Street in Monaghan Town.

==East Tyrone Brigade==

Immediately afterAfter his release from prison Lynagh became active in the IRA again, servingactive with the [[Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade]]. He quickly became a unit commander and gradually built up his ruthless reputation. After a series of Loyalist[[Ulster loyalist]] attacks against Nationalist[[Irish nationalist]] politicians in late [[1980]] and early [[1981]], Lynagh retaliatedwas withsuspected of involvement in an attack on the Stronge estate near [[Middletown, County Armagh|Middletown]]. Thein unit[[County killedArmagh]], where the formerIRA unionistmurdered speakerthe atretired [[Ulster Unionist Party]] [[Parliament of Northern Ireland|Stormont]] speaker, [[Sir Norman Stronge]], and his son [[NormanSir James Stronge, 9th Baronet|James]], a [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC) officer, before burning down their mansionhome, [[Tynan Abbey]], down and shooting their way out through a police cordon.<ref name="mult"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Donaldson 'killed to avenge SAS killing' |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2006/04/09/story253316.asp |publisher=BreakingNews.ie |date=9 April 2006 |access-date=5 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120845/http://archives.tcm.ie/breakingnews/2006/04/09/story253316.asp |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref>

Lynagh was known as "The Executioner" by the Royal Ulster Constabulary.<ref>{{cite news | title = SAS prevented an outrage but now fears prosecution | author = Sean Rayment | url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/06/nsas106.xml | newspaper = The Daily Telegraph | date = 5 November 2005 | access-date = 5 March 2007 | ___location=London}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He was arrested and interrogated many times by the [[Garda Síochána]] in [[County Monaghan]] but was never charged. During this period he devised a [[Maoist]] military strategy, aimed at escalating the war against the British state in Northern Ireland. The plan envisaged the destruction of police stations and [[British Army]] military bases in parts of Northern Ireland to create "liberated" areas that would be thereby rendered under the domination of the IRA.<ref name="Moloney">{{cite book|last=Moloney|first=Ed|title=A Secret History of the IRA|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|year=2002|isbn=0-14-101041-X|pages=306, 314}}</ref> In 1984 he started co-operating with [[Pádraig McKearney]] who shared his views. The strategy began materialising with the [[Attack on Ballygawley barracks|destruction of an RUC police station in Ballygawley]] in December 1985 which killed two police officers, and in the [[attack on RUC Birches barracks]] in August 1986.<ref>{{Cite news|date=29 September 2002|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/sep/29/northernireland1|title=True tale of IRA 'martyrs' revealed|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref>

==The Executioner==

Among British security forces Lynagh became known as “The Executioner”. He was picked up and interrogated many times by the [[Gardaí]] in Monaghan but was never arrested. During this time he devised a [[Maoist]] military strategy adapted to Irish conditions aimed at escalating the war against British forces. The plan envisaged the destruction of police and army bases in parts of Northern Ireland in order to create liberated areas under IRA control. In [[1984]] he started cooperating with [[Pádraig McKearney]] who shared his views. The strategy began materializing with the destruction of two [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] barracks in [[Ballygawley]] in December [[1985]] (where two RUC officers were killed), and in [[The Birches, County Armagh|The Birches]] in August [[1986]].

==Death==

=="Loughgall Martyrs"==

{{See also|Loughgall ambush}}

Jim Lynagh was killed in an ambush by the SAS on the 8 May 1987 during an attack on [[Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade#The ambush|Loughgall]] RUC barracks which also claimed the lives of seven of his comrades: [[Patrick Kelly]], [[Declan Arthurs]], [[Seamus Donnelly]], [[Tony Gormley]], [[Eugene Kelly (Irish republican)|Eugene Kelly]], [[Pádraig McKearney]], and [[Gerry O'Callaghan|Gerard O'Callaghan]]. He was buried in Monaghan town.

Lynagh was killed by the [[British Army]]'s [[Special Air Service]] on 8 May 1987 during an attack on the isolated rural part-time police station at the small [[Armagh]] village of [[Loughgall]], the third such attack that he had taken part in. During the incident the IRA detonated a 200&nbsp;lb bomb, and attacked the station with [[automatic weapons]], and in the process were ambushed by the British Army which was lying in wait for them, having been forewarned of the IRA operation. All eight of the IRA attacking force were killed in the exchange of fire, the British forces involved incurring no fatalities. The incident subsequently became known as the ''[[Loughgall ambush|Loughgall Ambush]]''.<ref name="mult2" />

Lynagh was buried at St Joseph's Cemetery (Latlurcan Cemetery) in [[Monaghan Town]]. During his funeral, as his coffin was carried through the village of [[Emyvale]], Irish Garda Síochána officers were attacked by the crowd of mourners after they pursued three masked members of the [[Guard of honour|colour party]] who had fired a [[Three-volley salute|volley of shots]] from [[Heckler & Koch G3|H&K G3]] rifles over his [[coffin]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Three get 5 years for funeral attack on gardai |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=21 June 1988 |page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Tirghra Commemoration Committee |title=Tirghra : I nDil Chuimhne |date=2002 |publisher=Tirghra Commemoration Committee |___location=Dublin |isbn=0954294602 |page=291}}</ref><ref>[http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0372/D.0372.198705130003.html Dáil Éireann – Volume 372 – 13 May, 1987 Statements. – Incident at Emyvale, County Monaghan] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607082034/http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0372/D.0372.198705130003.html |date=7 June 2011 }} Dáil Éireann Debates</ref>

[[File:Lynagh grave.jpg|thumb|Tablet erected for Jim Lynagh.]]

==See also==

*[[The Troubles in Loughgall]]

== References ==

[[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army members|Lynagh, Jim]]

{{Reflist}}

[[Category:People killed by security forces|Lynagh, Jim]]

{{PIRA}}

[[Category:Natives of County Monaghan|Lynagh, Jim]]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:People convicted on terrorism charges|Lynagh, Jim]]

[[Category:1956 births|Lynagh, Jim]]

[[Category{{DEFAULTSORT:1987 deaths|Lynagh, Jim]]}}

[[Category:1956 births|Lynagh, Jim]]

[[Category:1987 deaths]]

[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland]]

[[Category:Irish republicans]]

[[Category:NativesPeople of Countyfrom Monaghan|Lynagh, Jim(town)]]

[[Category:People killed by security forces|Lynagh, Jimduring The Troubles (Northern Ireland)]]

[[Category:Prisoners accorded Special Category Status]]

[[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army members]]

[[Category:Republicans imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict]]

[[Category:Sinn Féin politicians]]