Ballymurphy: What happened in August 1971?

An area of Ballymurphy where parish priest Father Hugh Mullan and teenager Frank Quinn were fatally wounded. Credit: PA

A mother of eight and a Catholic priest were among ten people fatally wounded in disputed shootings involving the army in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast between August 9-11 1971.

The scenes came at a chaotic time across Northern Ireland following the controversial decision to implement internment without trial in response to the start of "The Troubles," a three decade conflict between nationalists and unionists.

A new inquest into the deaths today found that the victims of the Ballymurphy massacre were "entirely innocent of any wrongdoing" and use of the army was "unjustified."

A mural on a wall in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast where shooting of 10 civilians took place in 1971 Credit: PA

What happened over the three days?

  • August 9

Soldiers were dispatched in the early hours to arrest people regarded as IRA suspects, as internment without a trial came into effect. They were met with disorder across Northern Ireland. That evening, at Springfield Park in the Ballymurphy area of west Belfast, parish priest Father Hugh Mullan, 38, died after being caught in gunfire as he went to help a wounded man.

Frank Quinn, 19, was also fatally wounded as he tried to help Fr Mullan.

At the same time, outside an army barracks at the Henry Taggart Hall on Divismore Park, Noel Philips, 19, Joseph Murphy, 41, Joan Connolly, 44, and Daniel Teggart, 44, were fatally wounded by gunfire.

  • August 10

Eddie Doherty, 31, died after being shot on the Whiterock Road as he came across an encounter between soldiers and protesters who had erected a barricade across the road.

Eddie Doherty was one of the victims killed in the Ballymurphy massacre Credit: Family Handout/PA
  • August 11

Joseph Corr, 43, and John Laverty, 20, were shot dead in the Whiterock Road area in the early hours of the morning.

Joseph Corr, one of 10 people killed by soldiers in Ballymurphy in 1971 Credit: Ciaran Cahill/PA

Later that morning, former soldier John McKerr, 49, was shot dead on Westrock Drive close to Corpus Christi Church as he took a break from maintenance work.

An 11th person, Paddy McCarthy, 44, was shot in the hand at a community centre and died. His death was not included in the fresh inquests.


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