Leading IRA figure Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane has died - top figures in Sinn Fein pay tribute to man who helped slaughter five people in the Bayardo Bar attack
One of the leading figures in the IRA has died, Sinn Fein has announced.
Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane had been one of the IRA team behind the Bayardo Bar attack in 1975, when the IRA bombed and shot up the pub on the loyalist Shankill Road in Belfast.
According to the book Lost Lives, all five of the people killed in that attack were Protestant civilians, ranging in age from 17 to 63.
The book states that “the attack was carried out by three IRA men who first sprayed people on the road with gunfire from an Armalite rifle before throwing a duffle bag containing a bomb through the open door of the packed pub”.
He was jailed for his role in that attack, in which scores of people were injured.
McFarlane was one of the leaders of the IRA inside the Maze prison at the time of the 1981 hunger strike.
He was also one of the central figures involved in the 1983 Maze breakout, during which IRA prisoners rose up and shot and stabbed their guards, with 38 of them escaping.
He was later caught in Holland and extradited.
After his escape in 1983, he was allegedly involved in the kidnap of supermarket executive Don Tidey; he was tried unsuccessfully for this in 2008.
North Belfast MLA and convicted IRA bomber Gerry Kelly said: “I have just learned of the sad passing of my friend and comrade Brendan ‘Bik’ McFarlane, a lifelong Republican activist who has died after a short illness earlier today.
“My first thoughts are with his loving wife Lene and their children, Thomas, Emma and Tina.
“Bik was a Republican activist all his life right to the end and gave all that he had to the struggle for a united Ireland.
“He was a huge figure within Republicanism and particularly at the time of the hunger strike in 1981 when 10 of our comrades lost their lives in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh.
“Bik was a talented singer, songwriter and musician, and previously sang at many events and occasions including at previous Ard Fheis.
"He will be sadly missed by the many, many people who knew, respected and loved him.”
And Mary Lou McDonald said: “Bik was dedicated to the struggle for the freedom and unity of Ireland, and the equality of its people.
“Bik was, and will always remain, a giant of Irish republicanism. A proud son of Ardoyne in Belfast, he was part of a generation who rose up against oppression, the British occupation and the sectarian Orange state.
“He proved to be a formidable, thoughtful leader. That leadership was never more needed than in the brutality of the H-Blocks, and especially during the extremely difficult days of the 1981 Hunger Strikes.
" Bik always carried the memories of his ten brave comrades who laid down their lives with him. He never forgot the depth of their sacrifice.
"He often reflected on the political and social impact of the Hunger Strike, how it changed the course of Irish history, and decisively influenced the direction of Irish republican politics.
“Bik was a deep thinker, incredibly analytical, and always had his eye on the bigger picture. He was an important influence on the development of the peace process which brought about the achievement of the historic Good Friday Agreement.
“His life was about activism, about the uplift of working people, about the nationhood of Ireland. His life was also about music. He had the mind of a revolutionary but the heart of a poet.
"Bik loved connecting with others through song and storytelling. He was a talented singer and songwriter. So many will remember him for his music.
“Today, we have lost a great patriot who lived his life for the freedom and unity of Ireland. We are absolutely heartbroken but we will remember Bik forever.
"We will remember him by continuing to work for the Republic that inspired him every day, by walking the path that he and others of his generation paved for us.
"We will remember him in song and story too, because that is how his rebel spirit took air.
“I want to send my heartfelt condolences to Bik’s beloved wife Lene and their children, Thomas, Emma and Tina.
"I hope that they find some small comfort in knowing that their husband and father was so loved and so cherished by republicans throughout Ireland and beyond.
“Bik McFarlane lived his life in pursuit of freedom, peace and equality. It was a life well lived, a life that shaped a legacy that will inspire generations to come.”