Site of the Miami Showband massacre, Buskhill

Image: © Dean Molyneaux Taken: 5 Apr 2010

This is the location of what has become known as the "Miami Showband massacre". In the early hours of 31st July 1975, the Miami Showband - at the time one of the most popular cabaret bands in Ireland - were returning to Dublin from a gig in Banbridge. Not long into their journey they were flagged down at a checkpoint (a common occurrence at the time) by loyalist paramilitaries posing as British Army soldiers. The band members were lined up and were questioned as was typical at such checkpoints - meanwhile the loyalists loaded a bomb onto their minibus - with the intention of it to explode further into their journey. This would have made it appear that the band were bomb smugglers and caused embarrassment to the Irish government. As it happened, the bomb exploded as it was being set, killing the two loyalists. The remaining loyalists then opened fire on the band members - killing three and injuring the other two. It later transpired that the loyalists (who represented the outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force) were also members of the Ulster Defence Regiment - a British Army division made up of local men and women. Thus it was concluded that there had been collusion between the U.D.R. and the loyalist paramilitaries. This section of the A1 was bypassed in 2007.

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