'Sectarian hatred' of UVF pub bloodbath that killed six - mainly Protestants - recalled on 50th anniversary
A UVF attack which killed six people – mostly Protestants – has been remembered as an act of “sectarian and ethnic hatred”, 50 years on.
Victims campaigner Kenny Donaldson has said that in the half-century since the attack on the Catholic-owned Ramble Inn, its victims have received “precious little focus”.
The anniversary of the attack fell today.
In the attack, a UVF gun gang burst into the pub off the Ballymena Road just to the north of Antrim town and opened fire indiscriminately.
Mr Donaldson, the director of the charity SEFF, described it as a “horror” which was “a supposed act of retaliation for the Walker Bar attack perpetrated a week earlier by Provisional IRA terrorists”.
He said: "Three innocent Protestants were brutally murdered in The Walker Bar attack and the UVF resolved that they would avenge that attack – not for the care of the families left grieving their loved ones, but for their own warped reasons.
"Six innocents were savagely cut down at The Ramble Inn – five of the victims were from a Protestant background and one was from a Roman Catholic background.
"The Ramble Inn and Walker Bar attacks have received precious little focus or resource over the years, yet the impact for the bereaved families, injured survivors and the broader community of Antrim was stark and grave."
He said the victims were Frank Scott (75), Ernest Moore (40), James McCallion (35), Joseph Ellis (27) and James Francey (50) – all Protestants – and Oliver Woulahan (20), a Catholic.
Mr Donaldson said: “The pub was owned by Roman Catholics but in a rural area of Co Antrim which was mostly Protestant.
"Most of the pub’s customers were Protestants from the surrounding area.
“Frank Scott, Ernest Moore, James McCallion and Oliver Woulahan died on July 2, while Joseph (James) Ellis died of his wounds on July 7 and James Francey surved until July 14.
“To date, no one has been convicted of the attack.
"We stand with all innocents impacted by this brutal terrorist action upon a mixed group of men socialising in a pub.
"There was no justification for either attack: both were wrong, both were motivated by sectarian and ethnic hatred.
“We would wish to hear from bereaved relatives of those murdered and also injured survivors from both the Ramble Inn and Walker bar attacks, there are a range of schemes available to those impacted by these atrocities, including the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme/Victims Pension.
“We encourage people to reach out and contact us as soon as possible on: 028 677 23884, option one."
According to the book Lost Lives, the attack happened just before closing time.
It involved two gunmen in boiler suits – one with a pistol and one with a submachine gun – who had travelled there in a hijacked car.
In all, nine people were shot by them.
The book reports the coroner of the day saying: “This was a cold-blooded terrible slaughter.
"It is horrific to think that people who call themselves Christians would attempt such an act.”
By the book’s tally, the UVF murdered 547 people.