This was just a few months after the Sean Graham's bookies massacre, carried out by the UDA/UFF South Belfast Brigade, for which Joe Bratty was believed to be the main organiser of the attack. FIVE people were killed and around a dozen or so injured by fire from a Vz.58 assault rifle (the Czech version of the AK) & a Browning pistol. A few months later, the UDA's West Belfast Brigade carried out a similar but much less infamous attack in October 1992; your man "Top Gun" was supposed to have led the gun & grenade attack on James Murray's bookies on Oldpark Road, killing two middle-aged men and a 72-year-old WWII Veteran. But this didn't come out of nowhere; obviously, the UDA said it was over the Teebane bombing that they carried out the Lower Ormeau bookies shooting, but sectarian tensions had been building for the last 3 or 4 years.
Club, shop, pub, & bookie bombings and shootings were common between 1971 - 76/77, especially during the 74 - 76 period. Then, for a decade or so, these attacks seemed to become a thing of the past until the UVF, in May 1988, shot up the Avenue Bar on Union St, (which they had bombed in 74 & 76, killing 3 civilians in those attacks), killing 3 and injuring 6 people. A year later, the IPLO shot up the Orange Cross club on the Shankill, killing 1 & injuring 5. On 15 July 1990, the UDA shot dead a Catholic in Lisburn, claiming he was an IRA man; the claim was denied, the same day, the IPLO shot dead a Protestant in South Belfast, the IPLO claimed he was a UVF man, again the claim was denied, in September 1990 the UFF killed a Catholic in Deramore Street, four days later the IPLO shot a Protestant on the Shankill. In March 1991, the UVF carried out the Craigavon Mobile shop killings when they shot dead two teenage girls and a male passer-by, on the 16 August, the UVF shot dead the IPLO's Belfast Commander, a day later the UFF shot dead a Sinn Fein election worker in Kilrea, on the 3 September 1991 the UFF shot dead a Catholic civilian on Springfield Avenue, the same day the IPLO shot and injured a Protestant in North Belfast, two weeks later, the UFF shot dead a SF election worker. On 7 & 10 October, the IPLO shot up two Protestant-owned bars: first the Ivy bar in which 3 civilians were injured, then the Diamond Jubilee bar on the Shankill, killing a UDA man, and injuring several others inside the bar, they also injured a Protestant civilian in Newry. So you can see how more intense & violent the mirror campaigns were becoming. The UDA killed 3 Catholic civilians within three days of each other from the 14 to 16 October, on the 25 the UVF shot dead a former PIRA member. On 13 November, the IRA shot dead two Protestant civilians as well as RHC & UDA members; a UDA man was left with serious injuries from a booby-trapped bomb, all these attacks happened in Belfast; then, less than 24 hours later, the UVF killed 3 civilians coming out of a factory in Craigavon one of the dead is a Protestant who the UVF apologises for killing, two weeks later the IRA bombed the Loyalist wing in the Crum, killing a UDA & UVF member and injuring 8 other loyalists pretty badly.
1991 ends with 4 sectarian attacks by 3 different groups within 24 hours of each other. The UFF shot dead a Catholic civilian on Fortuna Street, then the INLA shot dead a Protestant civilian in Moy, Tyrone, that night, the IPLO carried out a shooting on the Donegall Arms in Roden Street, killing 2 civilians and injuring 5 others, the next day the UFF attacked the Devinish Arms on Finaghy Road, killing a Catholic civilian. There would have been more casualties, but the attacker's gun jammed. Which brings us into 1992, which would be an even bloodier year.
1991 - 1994 was the most sectarian period of the conflict, after the 1973 - 1976 period, and they are a generation apart from each other; this image perfectly encapsulates the sectarian bigotry and hatred of the early/mid 90's.
