Making Sense of the Troubles: A History of the Northern Ireland Conflict

by David McKittrick

In one UVF killing spree on a single day in October 1975 twelve people died in an unprecedented wave of shootings and bombings. Most of those killed were Catholic, though the death toll included four UVF members killed when their own bomb exploded prematurely. Thirteen UVF bombs went off during the day. One of the UVF members involved in the killings was Lenny Murphy, who was later to be killed by the IRA. He was leader of the Shankill Butchers gang, a collection of UVF members responsible for a large number of murders which together make up what are probably the most notorious sequence of killings in Northern Ireland. The deaths, which stretched over many years, included both sectarian killings and many loyalist feud deaths. They included shootings, bombings and in particular killings carried out with knives and by savage beatings. The most infamous were those of seven Catholics who between 1975 and 1977 were picked up at random during the hours of darkness. The victims were selected solely for their religion. They were then killed with implements such as cleavers, axes and the butchers’ knives which earned the gang their nickname. Some had their throats cut and others were tortured.