Joe Bratty
Encyclopedia
Joe Bratty was a Northern Irish
loyalist
activist and a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association
's South Belfast Brigade. The head of UDA activity in the area during one of the organisations most active phases Bratty was suspected by security forces of playing a role in, or at least orchestrating, around 15 killings.
) as a teenage street-fighter battling with local Catholic
/republican
youths and was responsible for altering the Workers' Party of Ireland
slogan "Sectarianism Kills Workers" on the side of Havelock House
to "Sectarianism Kills Taig
s". During his years as a street-fighter, Bratty, who had distinctive oriental shaped eyes, was given the nickname 'Chinky
' by his Catholic opponents. Given the proximity of the two communities on the Ormeau Road, Bratty had grown up alongside Catholics and as such had for a number of years been accused of terrorising people he knew to be Catholic with beatings and intimidation before becoming involved in murder around 1990.
, who had first conceived of the action. In addition to the Sean Graham massacre, Bratty's unit was thought to be involved in the murders of Catholic Emmanuel Shields, Catholic Michael Gilbride, and Protestant Donna Wilson, who was said to have been beaten to death by Bratty's henchmen for playing music too loudly in the Annadale flats. Bratty was also identified as the getaway driver for the attack in which Teresa Clinton, the wife of a Sinn Féin
election candidate, was murdered in her lower Ormeau home.
(PIRA) when they decided to adopt the tactic of focusing on prominent loyalists rather than the British Army
, a strategy similar to that employed by the Irish People's Liberation Organisation
. Bratty's Annadale flats home was attacked on the 13th November, but Bratty was not at home and no one was hurt. However, Bratty and Raymond Elder were killed by the PIRA on Sunday, 31 July 1994 in an act seen as one of a number of 'revenge attacks' immediately prior to the ceasefire. The pair had been drinking in a loyalist band hall unaware that two gunmen were waiting outside in a van, and both died at the scene of the attack. The gunmen were armed with AK-47 assault rifles. The van was pursued by a Royal Ulster Constabulary
(RUC) car that was in the area but eventually the chase was stopped when the car was impeded by a crowd of republicans.
leader Ray Smallwoods
earlier the same month, played a central role in delaying the Combined Loyalist Military Command
ceaefire. The CLMC had been considering declaring a ceasefire following the Loughinisland massacre but reversed their decision after these three killings as they argued any cessation of violence would have been seen by the PIRA as a sign of weakness. Certain hardline elements with the UDA would later claim that Bratty's killing had been sanctioned by members of the CLMC who were eager to see a ceasefire as Bratty had been an outspoken opponent of the initiative. The allegations were never proven however.
Pastor Kenny McClinton
, a dissident former UFF gunman who was variously associated with the Ulster Independence Movement
, the Loyalist Volunteer Force
and the Orange Volunteers
, even suggested in a pamphlet that Bratty's killing had been arranged by the Progressive Unionist Party
. This was part of a wider theme in McClinton's writing arguing that the PUP was a front for MI5
activity.
In 2007, a banner honoring Bratty during Twelfth celebrations by members of the Orange Order was met by outrage from the relatives of those Bratty is thought to have killed.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
activist and a leading member of the Ulster Defence Association
Ulster Defence Association
The Ulster Defence Association is the largest although not the deadliest loyalist paramilitary and vigilante group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in September 1971 and undertook a campaign of almost twenty-four years during "The Troubles"...
's South Belfast Brigade. The head of UDA activity in the area during one of the organisations most active phases Bratty was suspected by security forces of playing a role in, or at least orchestrating, around 15 killings.
Early years
Bratty first came to attention in his native Ballynafeigh (an area of south BelfastBelfast
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...
) as a teenage street-fighter battling with local Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
/republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
youths and was responsible for altering the Workers' Party of Ireland
Workers' Party of Ireland
The Workers' Party is a left-wing republican political party in Ireland. Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970 after a split within the party, adopting its current name in 1982....
slogan "Sectarianism Kills Workers" on the side of Havelock House
Havelock House, Belfast
Havelock House, located on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, is the current headquarters of UTV Media plc . The building is home to the company's television and local radio services UTV and U105, and Internet service provider, UTV Internet...
to "Sectarianism Kills Taig
Taig
Taig is a derogatory term for an Irish Catholic. It is mainly used by sectarian loyalists in Northern Ireland and Scotland. It has been used in sectarian slogans such as "Kill All Taigs" , "All Taigs Are Targets" and "Any Taig Will Do"...
s". During his years as a street-fighter, Bratty, who had distinctive oriental shaped eyes, was given the nickname 'Chinky
Chinky
In the United Kingdom, a chinky is a slang name for a Chinese takeaway restaurant or the meal that one buys from such a restaurant. The name "chinky" is the adjectival form of chink and, like chink, is an ethnic slur for Chinese and other Asian people...
' by his Catholic opponents. Given the proximity of the two communities on the Ormeau Road, Bratty had grown up alongside Catholics and as such had for a number of years been accused of terrorising people he knew to be Catholic with beatings and intimidation before becoming involved in murder around 1990.
UDA activity
Eventually Bratty became head of the UDA in south Belfast. Bratty ordered the attack on the lower Ormeau branch of Sean Graham's bookmakers on 5 February 1992, an act resulting in the death of five men. Bratty was widely believed to have been present along with his right-hand man Raymond Elder during the attack, although the team that Bratty sent was made up of UFF members from east Belfast rather than local members. Another gunman had been provided by west Belfast UFF leader Johnny AdairJohnny Adair
Jonathan Adair, better known as Johnny "Mad Dog" Adair is the former leader of the "C Company", 2nd Battalion Shankill Road, West Belfast Brigade of the "Ulster Freedom Fighters" . This was a cover name used by the Ulster Defence Association , an Ulster loyalist paramilitary organisation...
, who had first conceived of the action. In addition to the Sean Graham massacre, Bratty's unit was thought to be involved in the murders of Catholic Emmanuel Shields, Catholic Michael Gilbride, and Protestant Donna Wilson, who was said to have been beaten to death by Bratty's henchmen for playing music too loudly in the Annadale flats. Bratty was also identified as the getaway driver for the attack in which Teresa Clinton, the wife of a Sinn Féin
Sinn 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...
election candidate, was murdered in her lower Ormeau home.
Death
A notorious figure, Bratty was first targeted in late 1991 by the Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional 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...
(PIRA) when they decided to adopt the tactic of focusing on prominent loyalists rather than the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, a strategy similar to that employed by the Irish People's Liberation Organisation
Irish People's Liberation Organisation
The Irish People's Liberation Organisation was a small Irish republican paramilitary organization which was formed in 1986 by disaffected and expelled members of the Irish National Liberation Army whose factions coalesced in the aftermath of the supergrass trials...
. Bratty's Annadale flats home was attacked on the 13th November, but Bratty was not at home and no one was hurt. However, Bratty and Raymond Elder were killed by the PIRA on Sunday, 31 July 1994 in an act seen as one of a number of 'revenge attacks' immediately prior to the ceasefire. The pair had been drinking in a loyalist band hall unaware that two gunmen were waiting outside in a van, and both died at the scene of the attack. The gunmen were armed with AK-47 assault rifles. The van was pursued by a Royal Ulster Constabulary
Royal Ulster Constabulary
The Royal Ulster Constabulary was the name of the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2000. Following the awarding of the George Cross in 2000, it was subsequently known as the Royal Ulster Constabulary GC. It was founded on 1 June 1922 out of the Royal Irish Constabulary...
(RUC) car that was in the area but eventually the chase was stopped when the car was impeded by a crowd of republicans.
Reaction
In the short-term the murder of Bratty, who was a notorious hate figure amongst south Belfast Catholics, was greeted as a triumph even by some normally opposed to violence. However the immediate aftermath saw three Catholics killed by the UDA in separate attacks with these sparking a series of PIRA bomb attacks on loyalists bars, thus bringing about a temporary return to the spiral of tit-for-tat killing. Indeed the killings of Bratty and Elder, along with that of Ulster Democratic PartyUlster Democratic Party
The Ulster Democratic Party was a small loyalist political party in Northern Ireland. It was established in June 1981 as the Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party by the Ulster Defence Association to replace their New Ulster Political Research Group...
leader Ray Smallwoods
Ray Smallwoods
Raymond "Ray" Smallwoods was a Northern Ireland politician and sometime leader of the Ulster Democratic Party. A leading member of John McMichael's south Belfast Brigade of the Ulster Defence Association , Smallwoods later served as a leading adviser to the UDA's Inner Council...
earlier the same month, played a central role in delaying the Combined Loyalist Military Command
Combined Loyalist Military Command
The Combined Loyalist Military Command was an umbrella body for loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland set up in the early 1990s, recalling the earlier Ulster Army Council and Ulster Loyalist Central Co-ordinating Committee....
ceaefire. The CLMC had been considering declaring a ceasefire following the Loughinisland massacre but reversed their decision after these three killings as they argued any cessation of violence would have been seen by the PIRA as a sign of weakness. Certain hardline elements with the UDA would later claim that Bratty's killing had been sanctioned by members of the CLMC who were eager to see a ceasefire as Bratty had been an outspoken opponent of the initiative. The allegations were never proven however.
Pastor Kenny McClinton
Kenny McClinton
Kenneth McClinton is a Northern Irish pastor and sometime political activist. During his early years McClinton was an active member of the Ulster Defence Association...
, a dissident former UFF gunman who was variously associated with the Ulster Independence Movement
Ulster Independence Movement
The Ulster Independence Movement was an Ulster nationalist political party founded on 17 November 1988. The group emerged from the Ulster Clubs, after a series of 15 public meetings across Northern Ireland...
, the Loyalist Volunteer Force
Loyalist Volunteer Force
The Loyalist Volunteer Force is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed by Billy Wright in 1996 when he and the Portadown unit of the Ulster Volunteer Force's Mid-Ulster Brigade was stood down by the UVF leadership. He had been the commander of the Mid-Ulster Brigade. The...
and the Orange Volunteers
Orange Volunteers
The Orange Volunteers or Orange Volunteer Force is an Ulster loyalist and Protestant fundamentalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.-Origins:...
, even suggested in a pamphlet that Bratty's killing had been arranged by the Progressive Unionist Party
Progressive Unionist Party
The Progressive Unionist Party is a small unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was formed from the Independent Unionist Group operating in the Shankill area of Belfast, becoming the PUP in 1979...
. This was part of a wider theme in McClinton's writing arguing that the PUP was a front for MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
activity.
In 2007, a banner honoring Bratty during Twelfth celebrations by members of the Orange Order was met by outrage from the relatives of those Bratty is thought to have killed.