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Divis Tower

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54°36′00″N 5°56′32″W / 54.6000°N 5.9422°W / 54.6000; -5.9422

Divis Tower, Belfast, 2004
The Divis Flats in July 1992

Divis Tower is a 19-floor, 200-foot-tall (60-metre) tower in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is located in Divis Street, which is the lower section of the Falls Road. It is currently the fifteenth-tallest building in Belfast.

History

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The tower was built in 1966 as part of the now-demolished Divis Flats complex, which comprised twelve eight-storey blocks of terraces and flats, named after the nearby Divis Mountain. The tower, a vertical complex of 96 flats housing approximately 110 residents, was designed by architect Frank Robertson for the Northern Ireland Housing Trust.[1] The site on which the Tower stands was previously the location of the Charles Lanyon-designed Falls Road Methodist Church, which opened in 1854 and closed in 1966. The site was sold to Belfast Corporation for approximately £11,000. A television documentary has been made about the tower.[2]

The Troubles

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British Army observation post

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Divis Tower was a flashpoint area during the height of the Troubles. A stronghold of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), the building was referred to as the "Planet of the Irps" (in reference to the film Planet of the Apes; IRSP supporters are referred to as "Irps")[3][4]

In response to Provisional IRA and INLA activity in the area, the British Army constructed an observation post on the roof in the 1970s and occupied the top two floors of the building. At the height of the Troubles, the Army was only able to access the post by helicopter.[5]

Shootings

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On 15 August 1969, nine-year-old Patrick Rooney, the first child killed in the Troubles, was killed in the tower during the 1969 riots, when the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) fired a Browning machine gun from a Shorland armoured car into the flats.[6] The RUC claimed that it was coming under sniper attack from the tower at the time. Rooney's death occurred during a day of street violence in the area. Chairman of the enquiry into the riots, Mr Justice Scarman, found the use of the Browning machine gun "wholly unjustifiable".[7]

On 17 April 1972 soldiers of the Parachute Regiment, shot dead an 86 year old civilian Patrick Donaghy through the window in his home in Divis flats, killing him instantly. Patrick Donaghy was one of the oldest victims of the entire conflict and the oldest victim killed by the security forces.[8]

On 25 February 1975, Official IRA operations officer Sean Fox was shot dead by the INLA on Cullingtree Row within the flats complex as part of a feud.[9][10]

On 12 May 1981, a British Army sniper killed INLA member Emmanuel McClarnon from the top of Divis Tower, on the night that Francis Hughes died on hunger strike.[11][12]

On 26 June 1981, a 29 year old civilian named Vincent Robinson was found shot dead at the Divis Flats. The Provisional IRA carried out the killing claiming he was an informer after he was picked up by the RUC at his Andersonstown home on 17 June.[13][14] It was later suspected that the killing was orchestrated to protect the identity of a British agent known as 'Stakeknife' and is being re-investigated as part of Operation Kenova.[15][16]

On 24 July 1981, a 36-year old Catholic civilian, Peter Doherty, was shot in the head with a rubber bullet by a Royal Marines Commando. Doherty died in the Royal Victoria Hospital a week later on 31 July.[17][18]

INLA 1982 bombing

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Main article: 1982 Divis Flats bombing

In September 1982, an INLA unit detonated a bomb hidden in a drainpipe along a balcony, killing British soldier Kevin Waller, who was aged 20, and two boys, Stephen Bennet (aged 14) and Kevin Valliday (aged 12); three other civilians and another soldier were injured in the blast.[19]

Dismantling of the post

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Following the IRA's statement that it was ending its armed campaign, the Army decided to dismantle the observation post, dubbed a 'spy' post by Sinn Féin. Removal of the observation post commenced on 2 August 2005.[20] In 2009, the top two floors of the tower were reinstated as residential properties. As part of a £1.1 million refurbishment programme by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, eight extra flats were provided.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "A towering mistake?". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. Archived from the original on 7 July 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  2. ^ "Divis Flats Belfast". Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  3. ^ "Preventing a return to conflict: A discussion by ex-combatants Archived 8 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine," compiled by Michael Hall, Island Publications, August 2009
  4. ^ Hanley, Brian; Millar, Scott (2010). The Lost Revolution: The Story of the Official IRA and the Workers' Party. Penguin Books. p. 290. ISBN 978-0141028453.
  5. ^ a b "Former Army post at Divis Tower gets £1m transformation". Belfast Telegraph. Belfast. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  6. ^ Sutton, Malcolm (2013). "An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland 1969". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  7. ^ The Hon. Mr. Justice Scarman (April 1972). Violence and Civil Disturbances in Northern Ireland in 1969: Report of Tribunal of Inquiry (Report). Vol. 1. Belfast: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2025 – via Conflict Archive on the Internet.
  8. ^ Sutton, Malcom. "CAIN Sutton Index Of Deaths 1972". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  9. ^ "Paramilitary Feuds in Northern Ireland - List of people killed". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Compiled by Martin Melaugh; Researched by Fionnuala McKenna. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ Breen, Martin (29 August 2000). "Power fuels terror feuds of all shades". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  11. ^ Sutton, Malcolm (2013). "An Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland 1981". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  12. ^ Preston, Allan (8 October 2021). "PSNI investigating INLA gun salute video". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  13. ^ Sutton, Malcom. "CAIN Sutton Index Of Deaths 1981". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  14. ^ Conroy, John (2 August 1981). "ULSTER'S LOST GENERATION". The New York Times. p. 17. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  15. ^ Morris, Allison (22 October 2015). "Victims were 'sacrificed' by agent known as Stakeknife". The Irish News. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  16. ^ Ware, John (15 April 2017). "How, and why, did Scappaticci survive the IRA's wrath?". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  17. ^ Jackson, Michael (2 June 2021). "Divis man to feature in new documentary 40 years after plastic bullet death". Belfast Media Group. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  18. ^ Melaugh, Martin; Sutton, Malcolm (15 August 2024). "Violence - List of People Killed by 'Rubber' and 'Plastic' Bullets". Conflict Archive on the Internet. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  19. ^ Sutton, Malcolm. "CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths". cain.ulst.ac.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  20. ^ "Army begins removing Divis post". London: BBC News. 2 August 2005. Retrieved 9 August 2013.