Miami Showband 40 years ago, July 31st, 1975. (Irish Band)

[Path_Finder]

I stumbled on this quite by accident but I looked at the date, this happened July 31st, 1975.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Showband_killings

Excerpt:

The Miami Showband killings (also called the Miami Showband Massacre)[1] was an attack by the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary group, on 31 July 1975. It took place on the A1 road at Buskhill in County Down, Northern Ireland. Five people were killed, including three members of The Miami Showband, who were then one of Ireland’s most popular cabaret bands.

This was as the documentary says, during the Troubles.

Video:

Documentary: youtube.com/watch?v=3MbDcHjWkio
Song: youtube.com/watch?v=wCTxtjhLhW4

Rest In Peace

Miami Showband: Massacre devastated Northern Ireland live music scene

When three young musicians lost their lives on 31 July 1975, the heart was torn out of Ireland’s showband community.

It also devastated the burgeoning live music scene in Northern Ireland.

Forty years later, the Miami Showband massacre remains one of the darkest atrocities of the Troubles.

Lead singer Fran O’Toole, guitarist Tony Geraghty and trumpeter Brian McCoy were shot dead on a country road after a gig in Banbridge, County Down.

Singer Des Lee and guitarist Stephen Travers survived the tragedy despite being shot.

bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-33727399

 

[CaptFun]

Terribly sad story. Thanks for posting it and the sites though Path Finder.

Made me think back to where I was in 1975. Apparently I am the same age as some of the victim band members.

Things have gotten better over there it seems. Don’t hear much about this sort of thing anymore.

On vacation there in 1989, we rented a car in the North and toured throughout the south.

The military checkpoints on both sides of the border unnerved us, getting stopped by armed guards and such.

 

[Path_Finder]

Thank you for your responses! :tiphat: