No doubt this is all sickening reading, and it brings to mind what someone said recently, “..I am not asking you to forget the past.. but to remember it differently”. I am not sure what that means, brush the bad bits under the carpet, fudge and re-write history?. But whatever was meant by it I can only feel that the suggestion is to not relate history as it happened, and to tell the story of the McMahon Murders other than how it happened would indeed be an exercise in deceit and omission, for here was the ultimate act of terrorism, even the British press abhorred it. The “Belfast Telegraph” covered it extensively.

Owen McMahon, respected Catholic publican lived with his family at 3 Kinnaird Terrace, off the Antrim Road, at 1.20 am on 24^th March 1922, the family were in their beds, loud bangs were heard then running footsteps on the staircase. On the landing armed men snapped out orders for the males to get downstairs, they herded the females into a back room. Insert Picture No 19 The male members of the family, along with a barman, Edward McKinney, from Donegal, who was stopping with the family were taken into the large front downstairs room and one of the most evil and shocking events of the troubles took place.

The front door of the McMahon home had been burst in with a sledge hammer, according to Constable Furlong, who later reported to the I.R.A that two members of the murder squad, Constables Sterritt and Gordon had went to a Corporation workman’s hut at Carlisle Circus and took away a sledge hammer. Having gained excess to the house and gathered all the males together shots rang out and the intruders ran from the building led by D.I. Nixon.

District Inspector John William Nixon R.I.C. Was described in the Michael Collins Intelligence files as “ an arrant coward, and never ventures abroad unless accompanied by an escort in civilian clothes“. The cowards had left five dead and two dying. Owen McMahon.(Father) (50) Thomas McMahon (15) Frank McMahon (24) Patrick McMahon (22) Edward McKinney (25) Wounded.. John McMahon (21) Bernard McMahon (26) , Both John and Bernard died later.

All innocent Catholic people, sacrificed in an orgy of bigotry and sectarianism so that Carson’s “Northern Ireland” could be established with its built in majority and a fearful, frightened Catholic minority, brutalised and intimidated to the point of total acceptance that this was to be their lot in the Orange Statelet, they were to be second class citizen’s of a six county “Ulster” ,but the reality was that the treatment dished out to them made them First Class Citizens Of Ireland, they now had something to hope and live for...the fall of the Orange Statelet, the end of bigotry and discrimination and they held the dream of a United Ireland in their hearts. A country where all people could live in peace and harmony, where all the children of the nation would be treated equally, free from the manipulation of an English Government Another human sacrifice was that offered up on the High Altar of Carsonia , which should and must be recalled is the murder of Constable. J. Turner, shot dead by Nixon’x murder squad and the incident made to appear as if Turner had been shot by Catholics from Carrick Hill, this so that the murder gang could have an excuse to storm into the area in ‘pursuit of the gunman’.

Again I would draw your attention to that Intelligence Report supplied to Collin’s Government at the time by R.U.C men who wished to distance themselves from the acts of Nixon and his squad. The Confidential report reads, “.... Saturday, 2^nd April 1922, on the Old Lodge Road, a policeman was doing duty alone at the corner of a loyalist street. The Brown Square Barracks is six storeys high and commands the entire locality and policemen have often been witnessed sniping from the barrack roof into the adjoining nationalist area. A shot was fired and the policeman(Turner) fell dead. From the position he was standing in it would have been impossible for the shot to have been fired from the nationalist district which, at the period, was under the control of the 2^nd Battalion, Belfast Brigade; all arms and ammunition and movements of all volunteers in the district were faithfully accounted for. So it must be taken that this man was shot by some of his fellow policemen to provide the desired excuse for the ‘reprisal’ which immediately followed “.

An R.I.C Informant related the following as to what happened next....

The man beat to death as he lay in his bed was ex-soldier Joseph Walsh his son Michael was also shot dead 14 year old Frank later died of his wounds. 40 year old Joseph MacRory was shot at 15 Stanhope Street, Bernard McKenna was shot dead at 26 Park Street, 70 year old William Spallin was shot dead in his bed at 16 Arnon Street, he had that day just buried his wife. Ironically Nixon had to order the shooting of a policeman to justify this orgy of death.. and the policeman was a Protestant !. Many other Carrick Hill residents were murdered in the 1920 troubles. All this in no backwoods region of the world, for remember here in Belfast at that time they were turning out the biggest ships afloat, had the biggest Linen and Rope industry in the world.

On 16^th February 1973 a funeral procession weaved its way through Philadelphia on its way to the Good Shepard Church, an old lady was being buried, but a wreath carried an inscription, “Suffer Little Children”, the old lady was Robina Ryan, a Tricolour draped her coffin, a guard of honour marched alongside. Robina was being given the respect and honour of a first class Irish Citizen living in America, but in that part of Ireland where she had immigrated from they deemed her a Second Class Citizen of Ulster.. merely because she was a Catholic.Insert Pic No. 25 Robina was indeed lucky to even reach old age for as a child in Belfast, as she played skipping with her little friends in Weaver Street in 1921 a unionist threw a bomb wounding many of the children. She carried a serious neck scar inflicted all those years earlier in Carsonia to her grave in Philadelphia. U.S.A.

One year later, in 1922, a unionist once again threw a bomb among children playing in Weaver Street, killing two instantly and wounding twenty, some of whom died later from their wounds. Weaver Street off York Road, just a short distance from “Buck Alec’s” home area, came in for repeated unionist attacks from R.I.C/unionist murder gangs who never let up until the whole Catholic community fled the area. The very priest, Fr. McGrath was shot and wounded while he attended his duties visiting elderly and sick parishioners in their homes.

Shore Street ran alongside Weaver Street and it was from here a young family, the Williams, were burned from their home despite the heroic efforts of the uncle Richard Fay, the Williams first were housed in rooms at Lancaster Street then eventually were re-housed in a new house at Amcomria Street, Beechmount, it was here the mother , Mrs Williams gave birth to her son, Tom. The houses as the name “Amcomri” suggests, was built by American funds to relieve the plight of the burned out Catholic families in Ireland. That young baby, Tom Williams, in adulthood joined the Irish Republican Army and was executed at Belfast’s Crumlin Road Prison 2^nd September 1942. His very remains were kept in captivity at Crumlin Goal for 60 years before being released, to be interred with his loved ones at Milltown Cemetery. The removal of Tom’s remains were due to the closure of the infamous Prison where earlier in the 1867 another Irish Patriot, Fenian, William Harbinson had died whilst in captivity there. Insert Pic.30 One man who helped greatly raise the money in the U.S.A to build the houses in Amcomria Street was the much loved local patriotic writer, and author of “As I Roved Out”, Cathal O’Byrne, who toured the states in the 1920’s giving concerts at which he would sing and recite some of his many great poems. My uncle, Richard Graham, an accomplished musician was living in Los Angeles at that time and was part of the musical back up that supported Cathal at the concerts throughout the Western States. Richard’s son and daughter, Richard Jnr. and Doris., and grand daughter Cathy Graham were instrumental in setting up my own tour of the Californian Radio and Television Stations in April/May1981 to counteract the black propaganda touring British politicians were spreading out there on the Hunger Strikers, particularly Bobby Sands who was in the last days of his life. Thankfully we were able to enlighten many American people as to the historic and ongoing injustices perpetrated against northern Catholics. Richard Graham Senior immigrated firstly to Canada, from where he lived in Dromore Street, Ballinahinch, during the 1920’s troubles and recorded much on the sectarian attacks on Catholic’s and their homes in that town.

County Inspector Harrison who also played a leading and active part in the Murder Squad, was promoted to City Commissioner of the new Royal Ulster Constabulary, (R.U.C) on the formation of that body, his accomplishes, those who lived, all received promotion and awards, D.I. Nixon was even awarded an “M.B.E” (Member Of The British Empire). in 1923. “..for services rendered by him during the troubled period”, his murder of Catholic men women and children were considered “valuable” to the British Empire?. He had a falling out with his unionist partners later when he felt they had not offered him a suitable promotion in the new R.U.C, he actually threatened to expose those in the Unionist Cabinet who had a hand in organising or turning a blind eye to the actions of the state’s Police Murder Squad in murdering innocent Catholic people. These are not mere allegations I am making here, for now after two generations many secret and confidential files are available to any who wish to seek the truth and hopefully grow from the experience. Simply burying ones head in the sand or carefully sanitising history will not make the truth go away, truth is The lesson is there for Catholic people and indeed working class Protestants who sadly allowed themselves to be manipulated by those in high positions both politically and commercially. Fears were created in the minds of those workers by an exploitive ruling and upper class, big land owners, Mill Owners, Ship Builders and such like Financial Giants. These working class people sold their souls to a class other than their own and went out and protestant people died, either in error or otherwise, at their hands. These men became “A”, “B” and “C” Special Police Constables, many of them illiterate, as we will see, these then were the “Soldiers Of Carsonia”. They could loot, burn, terrorise or murder almost at will, that is, ...until their Masters decided to throw them away.... !.