Brian Warfield believes there was plot to bomb bus before Miami Showband attack

Irish Daily Mirror

9 hours ago

The Wolfe Tones singer Brian Warfield has revealed he believes there was a plot to blow up the band's bus a week before The Miami Showband attack.
The 50th anniversary of The Miami Showband attack will take place on July 31, which marks the day a fake British Army patrol, comprising of UVF members and Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) soldiers, stopped the band's minibus on the A1 road near Newry.
A bomb, meant to explode later, detonated prematurely, killing two of the attackers. The remaining attackers then opened fire on the band, resulting in the deaths of three members: singer Fran O'Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty, and trumpeter Brian McCoy.
Two other band members, Des McAlea and Stephen Travers, were injured but survived. Now Mr Warfield says he believes The Wolfe Tones were also a target but the Glenanne gang but they escaped a roadblock being set up with the help of the local community.
He told us: 'We were almost caught in a roadblock by the Glenanne gang. Only for the local community who steered us away from the blockade that was somewhere down the road on the way to Warrenpoint and they took us over the Mourne Mountains.
'We were playing in a marquee at a GAA club. It was later when we came off stage after the gig, one of the organisers called me over and said, 'you can't go home the main road tonight'. I asked why and said there was a roadblock down the road, and you are in danger.
'We avoided that roadblock. The Miami (Showband) were caught on the following Wednesday at a similar roadblock. I feel what they were trying to do was plant a bomb in our bus.
'The people with the local knowledge up there…. They knew what was happening. We were lucky we had friends on the right side where they could warn us whereas The Miami (Showband) probably didn't. After The Miami event, people said we didn't go up North, but we did. We brought different ways, we were met at different borders.
'We were brought down in hay trucks, we were in an armoured car at one stage. Sometimes they would split us up so we wouldn't be all caught together.'
The Celtic Symphony hitmaker also praised Kneecap 'for their courage' – as he described Keir Starmer as a 'weak leader'.
Last week, the UK Prime Minister said Kneecap's performing at Glastonbury was inappropriate after Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was released on unconditional bail after appearing in a London court on a terror charge.
Mr Warfield said: 'The way they are attacking that young band… and fair play to Kneecap for their courage. They went out there and put their heart where they mouth was.
'I heard Keir Starmer's comments. He is kind of a weak leader. We've been talking about Palestine for years and brought Palestine flags on stage.
'It is important that we don't let bullies of this world stab people to death without mentioning a word about it. If we let the Israeli's away with stabbing those people, who is going to be next?
'I think Kneecap are a young band starting off and I'm happy that they are doing well and they are making a statement. They are doing the right thing. I mean we went through the Troubles in the North and we had to call out things back then, the wrongs that were happening.
'We got blacklisted for that, we never got played on radio. A lot of things happened that wouldn't happen to a young band if we had stayed quiet. We weren't that type of band. When we saw wrong, we called it out.'
But Mr Warfield said he has 'no regrets'. 'No absolutely no regrets. I'd do it all over again. You have to make a statement and support what you believe in.'