17-05-2025
Cop turned writer reveals story of ex-RUC detective's war against the IRA and UVF
Dr William Machett reveals amazing career of policing 'legend' Franck Murray who battled against both sides during the Troubles
PACEMAKER BELFAST MAY 1987 JH/MW MONTAGE PIC OF THE 8 IRA MEN WHO WERE SHOT DEAD BY THE SAS AS THEY TRIED TO BLOW UP LOUGHGALL RUC STATION. FROM TOP LEFT-PATRICK McKEARNEY, TONY GORMLEY,JIM LYNAGH, PADDY KELLY. FROM BOTTOM LEFT-DECLAN ARTHURS, GERARD O'CALLAGHAN, SEAMUS DONNELLY AND EUGENE KELLY. 388/87/BW
William Matchett who spent over 30 years working as a police officer with the RUC and PSNI mostly in special branch in South Armagh and Tyrone speaks to the Sunday World
A top cop's war against IRA and UVF members hiding in plain sight inside the police will be revealed in a new book.
The late Detective Chief Superintendent Francis Murray is still held in the highest esteem by his former colleagues who battled terror on the front line of south Armagh.
And now his former colleague turned academic and Troubles author Dr William Machett will lift the lid on Frank's amazing career as a senior Catholic police officer serving in the RUC.
DCI Frank Murray – Stopping the Serial Killers is in the final stages of completion.
And speaking to the Sunday World, Dr Machett told us: 'By any standards, Frank Murray was a remarkable man. But he was also a remarkable police officer who believed the public should be protected against republican and loyalist terrorism.
'Murray's knowledge of the motivation which drove the terrorists was second to none. But he also firmly believed republican and loyalist violence couldn't be defeated by conventional policing methods.
Frank Murray
'He developed his own ideas and he believed intelligence-led policing coupled with a greater military muscle than the terrorists could offer would work. And he set about winning over others to his point of view.
'It should never be forgotten, it was Frank Murray who also rooted out anti-Catholic officers and criminal law-breakers inside the RUC. He used his superior intellect to arrest them and see that they were jailed for life.'
Dr Machett added: 'Frank Murray masterminded a plan to neutralise the Provisional IRA at Loughgall. It was a dreadful incident and innocent people were also killed, but it led to the IRA eventually calling off its campaign of violence.'
On 7 July 1975, Det Sgt Murray – as he was at the time – was one of a number of RUC officers investigating a break-in at Carrick Primary School in Lurgan.
Acting on information, he opened a drawer on the headmaster's desk. A booby-trapped bomb immediately detonated, killing Murray's colleague, 26-year-old Constable Andrew Johnston.
Both officers took the full force of the blast and Sgt Murray lost an eye, a hand and a leg.
Murray had been tricked into opening the drawer by an IRA informant who left Northern Ireland immediately to live out his life in the Republic.
Murray was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery, but wasn't expected to live.
Against all odds, he pulled through and despite his horrendous injuries, three years later he returned to policing duties.
'This proves Frank Murray's commitment to the community he served,' said Dr Machett.
'And almost immediately he became known to his police colleagues as 'The Bionic Man' after a popular TV series.' .
By this stage, Frank Murray – who died of cancer in 1997 aged 51 – had been posted to the Orange Citadel of Portadown. And it was there he first encountered the loyalist terrorists RJ Kerr and Robin 'The Jackal' Jackson.
Robin Jackson
UVF killer Jackson – who had led the Miami Showband Massacre – made no secret that he hated Murray with a passion.
But Jackson was also terrified of the RUC detective and he avoided him as much as possible.
'Jackson even refused to refer to Frank Murray by his name. He would only called him 'that Big Fenian F***er' or BFF for short, he never called him Frank Murray,' said Dr Machett.
aware
In 1980, Murray became aware that a number of his officers were members of the mid-Ulster UVF.
He recruited the assistance of Kevin Sheehy – another Catholic police officer from Belfast – and together they planned a strategy to bring the terrorist cops to book.
Days before Christmas, Murray arrested Sgt Billy McCaughey, a Protestant who had been a member of the Reverend Ian Paisley's Protestant Volunteers.
Murray also arrested John Weir, a Monaghan-born member of an RUC Special Patrol Group.
'During a pre-arrest briefing, one officer told Frank Murray he believed the police officers appeared to be sympathetic to the UVF,' said Dr Machett. 'But Frank Murray told the officer, 'They are members of the UVF.'
Dr Machett says Murray knew the importance of psychology and knew McCaughey was a heavy drinker. His officers arrived at the McCaughey house just before Christmas. The presents were under the tree and decorations were around the house.
'And after arresting McCaughey, Murray also arrested his parents. This had a devastating effect on McCaughey and he soon confessed to involvement in a string of murders,' said Dr Machett.
The author also revealed how Murray outwitted John Weir.
'Having extracted a confession from McCaughey, Frank Murray allowed McCaughey to speak to John Weir to explain why he made a confession which named him.
'Despite both being police officers, Weir and McCaughey had no proper understanding of the law. They were unaware a co-accused isn't allowed to testify against an accomplice. And as a result, they both made full confessions and they were sent to jail for a long time,' said Dr Machett.
In the late 1980s, the IRA stepped up its campaign and it was enjoying great success against the security forces.
In a six-month period in 1987, it carried out 22 attacks with considerable loss of life. And yet in the same time period, the IRA only lost three members and two of them were accidents.
When the IRA blew up an elderly judge and his wife on their way back to Northern Ireland, it began to look as though the IRA was winning.
Following an attack on the RUC at Dungannon on May 7, Chief Constable Jack Hermon said the response would be 'tougher, different and sharper'.
By this time, Murray was Detective Superintendent in charge of the RUCs Special Branch. The attack at Dungannon was an attempt on his life.
Through one of his sources, Murray discovered the IRA planned to attack the RUC station in Loughgall, Co Armagh, where the Orange Order had been founded. Murray threw all of his resources into planning a counter-attack and he enlisted the SAS.
At 7.20pm on 8 May 1987, a digger driven by the IRA with a bomb in its bucket smashed through the gate of Loughgall RUC station. A van carrying heavily armed IRA men followed.
All eight IRA men died as state forces fired 1,200 rounds.
'We didn't know it at the time, but Loughgall was the beginning of the end of the IRA campaign. And in the new book,' said Dr Machett. 'In policing terms, Frank Murray was indeed a legend.'
