James McDade
Encyclopedia
James Patrick McDade was a volunteer
and a lieutenant in the Birmingham Battalion of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) who was killed in a premature explosion while planting a bomb at the Coventry
telephone exchange in 1974.
area of north Belfast
, McDade was educated at Holy Cross Primary School, Belfast and at St Gabriel's Secondary School. McDade's family of five brothers and two sisters were highly musical, and he was an accomplished singer. McDade enjoyed sporting activities was a talented Gaelic football
player. McDade moved to England
and Sparkhill
, Birmingham
, where he married and had two sons, Gerard and Anthony.
Gerard McDade, James' brother, was also an IRA volunteer
(reported to be Quartermaster with A company, 3rd Battalion, (Belfast Brigade
). He was shot in the back by a British Army soldier on 21 December 1971.
; Coventry and Belfast Cumann
, Sinn Féin; Command Staff, Óglaigh na hÉireann
, England; and GHQ staff.
The Republican Movement in England planned to honour McDade a with local paramilitary guard of honour
but Archbishop of Birmingham
George Dwyer
forbade a funeral service in the local diocese
. Sinn Féin declared there had never been an intention to bury him locally.
The Home Secretary
Roy Jenkins
resisted attempts to ban the IRA but declared an aggressive stance towards paramilitary displays. Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull Councils banned all processions connected to the death of McDade for one month in the West Midlands under the Public Order Act 1936
. Ground staff at Belfast International Airport
refused to handle the coffin; The Times reported evidence of their intimidation. Instead his remains were flown to Dublin.
Liam Hannaway, a senior member of the Republican Movement, gave the oration at the funeral. His coffin was draped in the same Tricolour flag of Ireland
that was used for the funerals of Terence MacSwiney
and Michael Gaughan. IRA volunteers fired three volleys at his graveside. He was buried in the Republican plot at Milltown Cemetery, Belfast on 23 November 1974.
, five of which were from North Belfast, with John Walker from Derry, knew McDade through the Birmingham Irish community. Five of them were arrested on their way to the funeral, whilst the sixth was arrested in Birmingham.They were found guilty of carrying out the 21 November 1974 bombings in August the following year and received life sentences
,but released from prison on 14 March 1991 after the Court of Appeal quashed their convictions.
Volunteer (Irish republican)
Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
and a lieutenant in the Birmingham Battalion of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) who was killed in a premature explosion while planting a bomb at the Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
telephone exchange in 1974.
Early life
Born in Oakfield Street in the ArdoyneArdoyne
Ardoyne is an Irish nationalist, working class and mainly Catholic district in north Belfast, Northern Ireland. It gained notoriety due to the large number of incidents during "The Troubles". It is home to approximately 20,000 inhabitants...
area of north Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, McDade was educated at Holy Cross Primary School, Belfast and at St Gabriel's Secondary School. McDade's family of five brothers and two sisters were highly musical, and he was an accomplished singer. McDade enjoyed sporting activities was a talented Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
player. McDade moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Sparkhill
Sparkhill
Sparkhill is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England, situated between Springfield, Hall Green and Sparkbrook.-Etymology:Sparkhill takes its name from Spark Brook, a small stream that flows from Moseley to the River Cole in Small Heath. It was, as the name suggests, a hill that was situated...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, where he married and had two sons, Gerard and Anthony.
Gerard McDade, James' brother, was also an IRA volunteer
Volunteer (Irish republican)
Volunteer, often abbreviated Vol., is a term used by a number of Irish republican paramilitary organisations to describe their members. Among these have been the various forms of the Irish Republican Army and the Irish National Liberation Army...
(reported to be Quartermaster with A company, 3rd Battalion, (Belfast Brigade
Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade
The Belfast Brigade of the Provisional IRA was the largest of the organisation's command areas, based in the city of Belfast. Founded in 1969, along with the formation of the Provisional IRA, it was historically organised into three battalions; the First Battalion based in the...
). He was shot in the back by a British Army soldier on 21 December 1971.
Republican activities
McDade joined the IRA in England and was involved in the bombing campaign based in Britain. He was killed on 14 November 1974 in a premature explosion while planting a bomb at a telephone exchange and postal sorting office at Salt Lane, Greyfriars, Coventry.Obituary and funeral
The 16 November 1974 edition of the Irish News carried many tributes to McDade. Respects were paid by London and Birmingham Comhairle Ceantair, Sinn FéinSinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
; Coventry and Belfast Cumann
Cumann
A cumann is the lowest local unit or branch of a number of Irish political parties. The term cumann may also be used to describe a non-political association....
, Sinn Féin; Command Staff, Óglaigh na hÉireann
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
, England; and GHQ staff.
The Republican Movement in England planned to honour McDade a with local paramilitary guard of honour
Guard of honour
A guard of honour is a ceremonial event practice in military and sports as a mark of respect.-Military:In the military a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, or the fallen in war, or a ceremony for public figures who have died.The commander is three paces...
but Archbishop of Birmingham
Archbishop of Birmingham
The Archbishop of Birmingham heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in England. As such he is the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Province of Birmingham....
George Dwyer
George Patrick Dwyer
George Patrick Dwyer was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham from 1965 to 1981.-Life and ministry:...
forbade a funeral service in the local diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
. Sinn Féin declared there had never been an intention to bury him locally.
The Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Roy Jenkins
Roy Jenkins
Roy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
resisted attempts to ban the IRA but declared an aggressive stance towards paramilitary displays. Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull Councils banned all processions connected to the death of McDade for one month in the West Midlands under the Public Order Act 1936
Public Order Act 1936
The Public Order Act 1936 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed to control extremist political movements in the 1930s such as the British Union of Fascists ....
. Ground staff at Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport
Belfast International Airport is a major airport located northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It was formerly known and is still referred to as Aldergrove Airport, after the village of the same name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with...
refused to handle the coffin; The Times reported evidence of their intimidation. Instead his remains were flown to Dublin.
Liam Hannaway, a senior member of the Republican Movement, gave the oration at the funeral. His coffin was draped in the same Tricolour flag of Ireland
Flag of Ireland
The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green , white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2...
that was used for the funerals of Terence MacSwiney
Terence MacSwiney
Terence Joseph MacSwiney was an Irish playwright, author and politician. He was elected as Sinn Féin Lord Mayor of Cork during the Irish War of Independence in 1920. He was arrested by the British on charges of sedition and imprisoned in Brixton prison in England...
and Michael Gaughan. IRA volunteers fired three volleys at his graveside. He was buried in the Republican plot at Milltown Cemetery, Belfast on 23 November 1974.
Birmingham Six
The Birmingham SixBirmingham Six
The Birmingham Six were six men—Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Joseph Hill, Gerard Hunter, Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker—sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 in the United Kingdom for the Birmingham pub bombings. Their convictions were declared unsafe and quashed by the Court of...
, five of which were from North Belfast, with John Walker from Derry, knew McDade through the Birmingham Irish community. Five of them were arrested on their way to the funeral, whilst the sixth was arrested in Birmingham.They were found guilty of carrying out the 21 November 1974 bombings in August the following year and received life sentences
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
,but released from prison on 14 March 1991 after the Court of Appeal quashed their convictions.