I think World In Action was one of the best, if not the best, investigative current affairs programs of all time. Sadly missed and much needed today. Best intro and outro music as well.
Some of the comments here are so sick and pathetic and have no place in the 21st Century. The notion that previous atrocities by the British somehow justifies these bombings is an insult to humanity and also to the millions of Irish people and their children who live in Britain. Two wrongs don't make a right.
The PIRA bombed Birmingham. Member of Parliament, and former press reporter Chris MIllins, set out to investigate this case. His investigations were carried out in Ireland and resulted in the six imprisoned men being declared innocent. While in Ireland, he claimed that he had found out the true bomber(s). He refused to name who it was that committed the Birmingham murders. The courts, unfortunately, protected Mullins from prosecution supporting his claim of protecting his press sources. It seems sick that this could happen: I wonder how the USA would have reacted to anyone seeking to protect sources who identified the 9/22 perpetrators.
Chris MULLIN. One of the bombers he spoke to was Michael Murray (died in Ireland in 1999) who was charged with conspiracy to cause explosions but not the pub bombings. He was jailed for 9 years but this was to run concurrently with the sentence he was already serving
A friend of mine was in the tavern in the town 15 minutes before it went up he walked down the stairs got to the bar the barman refused to serve him because he didn't look 18 he didn't have any I'd to prove his age so he left the pub just before it was blown to smithereens I still see him around today how lucky was he
Before Covid I would walk past what was the Tavern in the Town every night on my way home from work and I never knew it til watching this. It's a £5 all you can eat Chinese buffet now. I wonder how many people in our wonderful city live in comfortable ignorance of the events of that terrible night. Justice for not just the 21, justice for the 27!
@@loyalistu.y.m big child, history is written, no amount of lies or propaganda will change the fact that the British are responsible for the deaths of MILLIONS of irish, MILLIONS, yet you can tap on about less than 2k mostly occupying soldiers it's nothing to the death toll the British created, worse than the Nazis, when Ireland is free from British rule completely then are countries can get along just fine, it's the loyalists in the north of IRELAND that are living in the 17 century that is keeping the hate alive because they want to be masters in another man's country, at the same time costings the British on the mainland over ten billion a year and holding them back and holding Ireland back since the north was partioned
thanks for this! My parents taped this off the telly years ago and i've been trying to work out what it was called for ages so thanks....what's with the American woman at the start of it tho??? thought it was made by Granada?
It's a UK documentary, but most of the US audience wouldn't be familiar with the subject, so a US presenter introduced it for them when it was shown there.
Matt Field, I couldnt agree with u more. Shot ur man down quick enough lol. Im 2nd gen english too & my parents missed that bomb by minutes, purely by chance. & it easily could've been either of my grandads arrested, just for being irish. And quite a few of the family were treated like shit for months afterwards. But they, like yourself, prefer to encourage tolerance and rational thinking... well done mate : )
@@telstar9 @housecarl6 7 years ago One of the 6 was certainly involved in bombings around Birmingham, not the pub bombings but others. Thats mans name was Walker. *This couldn't be one of your many aliases could it Marty* ?
Who bombed Birmingham? The Birmingham police, using their informers, as ordered by the state. The evidence is right before your eyes as it is before mine. Then the police picked up six men, knowing them to be innocent, beat and tortured confessions out of them, as they did this the police showed them their orders on a sheet of paper which also promised these cops that their arses would be covered by those at the very top of the police and government. Paddy Hill said that some of the alleged guilty men were still (at that time) walking around the streets of Dublin. The Birmingham police had never issued an extradition warrant, nor formally asked the Irish police to question these men, the British government neither, as they were so very quick to do in other cases - why? The answer is so very obvious. A standard (text book) counter insurgency method, used by many states in internal conflicts: Commit an atrocity. Blame the atrocity on the insurgents. Repeat. Support and funding for insurgents gradually dries up. That was the reason for the Birmingham atrocity. That is what I will always believe happened in Birmingham that terrible night, and the aftermath.
😐 the Ku klan klux duh 🙄 so let me tell u. They thought it was the grownups turn to be in the church but the children were still in the church and Joetta and Kenny were playing and Kenny brought joetta outside so she wasn’t hurt but her family start looking for her but Kenny the one who found her
Keraten Dutchess11 You are talking BS , circumstantial evidence is the best evidence. An eye witness could be lying or could be confused. But Circumstantial is a fact, and there was a lot of it against them.
The period of 1969-1996 aka the Troubles had many victims ,victims killed by the IRA and the Loyalists Paramilitaries, UVF-UDA-UFF-LVF. . INLA all of whom carried out many atrocities .The IRA carried out the "Kingsmill massacre" the Loyalists produced the Shankill Butchers the biggest murder gang in UK history they killed in the most gruesome way, cutting their victims and jabbing knives into them while they strung them up on ropes, their Leader Lenny Murphy who was so insane he was given to the IRA ,while Murphy was released from jail the IRA were watching him they called his name and shot him with a Machine gun using 30 plus rounds to his head and face, Murphy got a quick death compared to his victims he tortured to death, It was very much a war of madness ,both the British Army and IRA admitted they couldn't defeat each other .The Hunger strikes were a waste of young lives not one of the ten were over 30. one was 23, The IRA were much more committed to their cause than the Loyalists ,i don't think one loyalist prisoner ever escaped while the IRA escaped from the H-Blocks one of the most secured prisons in the world, it was 8 prisons in a prison it was also known as the Maze, and Long Kesh. In 1983 the IRA managed to find a way out and 38 escaped when they discovered a lorry bringing in food wasn't searched ,half were caught outside during the escape but 19 remained on the run for years. As an Irishman living in Dublin I never believed the war would end and was happy it did but the IRA accepted a deal that was pretty much what they were offered in the mid 70's. Now almost 25 years after the war ended both Catholic and Protestant must live side by side or die side bu side, I vote Live.
Well the same happened to the English when the French Normans invaded England in 1066 and before that when the Romans came. So why can't the Irish accept invasion?
english identy has been eroded and mixed over last 1000 years ... romans anglo saxans normans ........ were in ireland we held on to our language and history..... we will never .. I repeat never accept british rule in lreland
@@littlebrayutd All of Ireland was in the UK for 120 years from 1801. The politicians of Britain & Ireland decided to merge the 2 countries to form the UK.
And before you rant to me about that shit, I actually come from Cornwall, and I know smoe guys want to break from England and have their own Assembly. I KNOW first hand what the Celtic Nations are all about; how they feel about the English, but never would any group be supported by the Cornish peoples. Wouldn't find that happening in Wales, nor even Scotland. But in Ireland...pftt they think the worl revolves around them...well it don't mate. Scotland proved it can be attempted by peaceful means
+David Watkins They were not innocent types, they were republicans and terror sympathizers within the city and as such were rightfully held as suspects. The DNA evidence let case down, but still did not explain how explosive residue caught on their clothing.
Read the evidence against them, most of them were involved in running weekly raffles to raise money for the IRA. They all knew the bomber who killed himself planting a bomb in Coventry. They knew the other 3 people at their trial who were correctly convicted of involvement in the pub bombings. Hugh Callaghan was the only one who I would say was completely innocent.
