Joe MacManus | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 May 1970 |
| Died | 5 February 1992(1992-02-05) (aged 21) Belleek, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland |
| Allegiance | Provisional Irish Republican Army |
| Years of service | 1987–1992[1] |
| Rank | Volunteer[2][3] |
| Unit | Sligo Brigade[citation needed] |
| Conflict | The Troubles |
Joseph Edward "Joe" MacManus (often incorrectly spelt Joe McManus) (IrishSeosamh Mac Mághnais; 23 May 1970 – 5 February 1992), was avolunteer in theSligo Brigade of theProvisional Irish Republican Army. He was killed during a shoot-out after his unit attempted a killing in Mulleek nearBelleek, County Fermanagh,Northern Ireland.[4]
MacManus was born inHarlesden, north-west London, which at the time had a largeIrish community.[citation needed] His father,Seán MacManus, a native of Gubaveeney, nearBlacklion,County Cavan, had moved to London in the 1960s to find work. There he met and married Helen McGovern, a native ofGlenfarne,County Leitrim. In 1976, the family returned to Ireland to live in theworking-class Maugheraboy area ofSligo town so that the boys could be educated in Ireland.[5]
He was educated to primary level atScoil Ursula Primary School,Strandhill Road, Sligo and St. John'sMarist Brothers National School, Temple Street, Sligo to secondary level atSummerhill College and at third level atSligo RTC. MacManus played football for local junior teams Collegians and Corinthians, andGaelic football for both Saint Mary's GFC of Maugheraboy and Coolera GFC ofStrandhill.[1]
His father Seán, who at the time was a leading republican, later became Mayor of Sligo. He was the secretary of theCounty Sligoanti H-Block Committee in the 1980s. He was the firstSinn Féin Mayor in theRepublic of Ireland since the beginning ofThe Troubles in 1969. His father was also involved in the negotiations leading to theGood Friday Agreement. Joe's younger brother,Chris, was a Sinn Féin Councillor for Sligo Borough Council and Sligo County Council for many years and is anMEP since March 2020.[6][7]
In 1987, MacManus attended the funeral ofJim Lynagh, one of those killed in theLoughall ambush. In 1988, at the age of 18, he joined theProvisional IRA's Sligo Brigade.[1]
In 1991, he joined aBallyshannon-based active service unit which replaced the West Fermanagh Brigade, disbanded after theEnniskillen bombing. Initially, he carried out minor operations including moving munitions between arms dumps, passing intelligence between operatives and attending training camps in the region.[8] On 2 February 1992, he and the rest of his unit, James Hughes, Conor O'Neill and Noel Magee, met at a safe house in Ballyshannon,County Donegal to make final arrangement for an operation which was to take place later in the following week.[citation needed]
On 3 February, MacManus and his unit crossed the border and took over the house of farmer Pat Loughran. Loughran was ordered to lure Eric Glass, anUlster Defence Regiment soldier and part-timeFermanagh District Council dog warden, to his home on the pretence that his dog had attacked a family member.[4]
Corporal Eric Glass of the4th (Co Fermanagh) Battalion, Ulster Defence Regiment (4 UDR), a former member of theB-Specials, arrived at the farmhouse on the morning of 5 February. When he arrived at the gate of the farmhouse he was ambushed by the unit and ordered to get out of his van. The unit opened fire on Glass, who then reached for his handgun, which he always had ready, loaded and placed on the passenger seat of the van. A gun battle ensued in which Glass was badly injured: his thigh bone was shattered and the bone partially penetrated his skin. He managed to fight off his attackers, killing MacManus in the process.[4] Corporal Glass later received both theQueen's Gallantry Medal andDistinguished Conduct Medal for bravery, making him the "most decorated" UDR soldier.[9] An account of the attack on Corporal Glass was carried in theBelfast News Letter.[10]
Eric Bullick,Alliance Party spokesman forFermanagh-South Tyrone, commenting on the shooting said:
...the fact that an active service unit of the IRA had been taken out of operation should be a relief to the whole community because it meant that further loss of life would be avoided. Within four days of a meeting between senior members of the Alliance Party and senior officers of the Garda Siochana in Phoenix Park in Dublin, we have an example of cross border security co-operation at its very best.[11]
In 2002, a dispute resulted after a monument to Joe MacManus and fellow volunteersAntoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde andKieran Fleming was sited close to the place where Protestant workmen William Hassard and Frederick Love were murdered by the IRA in 1988.[12][13][14]
A Sinn Féin spokesman stated that "The families of Ciaran Fleming, Joseph MacManus and Antoine Mac Giolla Bhrighde, the three IRA men commemorated by the monument, had given the go-ahead for the structure to be moved".[15]
The Sligo TownCumann ofSinn Féin is named theNoble Six/O'Flanagan/MacManus Cumann in honour of MacManus and in previous years lectures have been held in his name which has been addressed byCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin,Pat Doherty,Pearse Doherty,Aengus Ó Snodaigh andGerry Adams.[16][17][18]
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