Mairéad Farrell

Mairéad Farrell (born March 3, 1957 in Belfast , † March 6, 1988 in Gibraltar ) was a Northern Irish terrorist in the Irish Republican Army (IRA). It was in March 1988 in Gibraltar by the British Special Forces Special Air Service murdered (SAS).

IRA activity

Her grandfather fought on the IRA side in the Irish War of Independence in the 1920s.

Around 1975 Farrell joined the IRA and was first arrested in 1976 by the Royal Ulster Constabulary . A fighter from Farrell's IRA unit - Sean McDermott - was shot dead when he was arrested. In the subsequent trial, she refused to be recognized by a British court in Ireland, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and detained in Armagh Women's Prison.

The Gibraltar-Three case

After her release in 1986, she rejoined the IRA. Together with the IRA terrorists Seán Savage and Daniel McCann , she was sent to Gibraltar, which is under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom , to carry out an attack on British military facilities.

The British secret service monitored the terrorists and sent a command from the Special Air Service to thwart the attack. McCann, Savage and Farrell were shot from behind on March 6, 1988 by soldiers of the SAS in Operation Flavius . The three people were unarmed. Farrell was hit by eight bullets.

They were buried ten days after their death in Milltown Cemetery in west Belfast . At this funeral, the loyalist Michael Stone shot into the mourners and threw hand grenades; three people were killed and 60 injured.

In a case before the European Court of Human Rights , the court found in 1995 that the access by the SAS was a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights .

Mairéad's brother Niall Farrell is a founding member of the Galway Alliance Against War and has been involved in the Irish peace movement for many years.

personal data
SURNAME	Farrell, Mairéad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Northern Irish terrorist from the IRA
DATE OF BIRTH	March 3, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH	Belfast
DATE OF DEATH	March 6, 1988
Place of death	Gibraltar