Gino Gallagher (c. 1963 – 30 January 1996) was an

Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed various tactics and identities, simultaneously elective and militant and has been both w ...

who was Chief of Staff of the

Irish National Liberation Army The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA, ) is an Irish republicanism, Irish republican Socialism, socialist paramilitary group formed on 8 December 1974, during the 30-year period of conflict known as "the Troubles". The group seeks to remove ...

(INLA).

INLA

In August 1983, Gallagher and Paul "Bonanza" McCann were arrested by the

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the ...

(RUC) shortly after collecting four sticks of

gelignite Gelignite (), also known as blasting gelatin or simply "jelly", is an explosive material consisting of collodion-cotton (a type of nitrocellulose or guncotton) dissolved in either nitroglycerine or nitroglycol and mixed with wood pulp and Potassi ...

. Gallagher was a central figure within the INLA's

Belfast Brigade "Belfast Brigade" is an Irish folk song to the tune of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". Context The song is about the Belfast Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and in particular the 1st, or West Belfast battalion, during the Irish ...

by 1994. On 9 July 1994, Gallagher acted as a scout during the INLA's killing of the UVF's

Trevor King James Trevor King, also known as "Kingso" (1 July 1953 – 9 July 1994), was a British Ulster loyalism, Ulster loyalist and a senior member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF). He was commander of the UVF's "B" Company, 1st Belfast Battalion, ho ...

. When Hugh Torney was captured in April 1995, he announced a cessation of all armed activity. Torney was then ousted from leadership and expelled, with Gallagher succeeding him as chief of staff. Torney was later expelled from the organisation. In June 1995, Gallagher, acting as spokesman for the

IRSP The Irish Republican Socialist Party or IRSP () is a minor communist, Marxist–Leninist and Irish republican party in Ireland. It is often referred to as the "political wing" of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) paramilitary group.

, met the

Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

at the

Northern Ireland Office The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; , Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of S ...

Michael Ancram Michael Andrew Foster Jude Kerr, 13th Marquess of Lothian, Baron Kerr of Monteviot, (7 July 1945 – 1 October 2024), commonly known as Michael Ancram, was a British politician and peer who served as Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party fr ...

which resulted in a controversial handshake in the media. Gallagher became more openly critical of the

peace process A peace process is the set of political sociology, sociopolitical negotiations, agreements and actions that aim to solve a specific armed conflict. Definitions Prior to an armed conflict occurring, peace processes can include the prevention of ...

and its role in the armed struggle, with rumours of the

Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...

threatening Gallagher.

Murder

On the morning of 30 January 1996 Gallagher attended a social security office on the Falls Road where he signed on every two weeks. As he stood at the counter he was shot four times in the back of the head by a gunman and died instantly. Gallagher's killing followed internal disagreements over the future of the republican socialist movement. The opposing "INLA-GHQ" faction, led by Hugh Torney, disbanded on 9 September of the same year following Torney's killing. In March 1996, John Fennell, a founding member of the INLA who had joined the INLA-GHQ faction, was beaten to death and tortured in retaliation at a caravan park in

Bundoran Bundoran () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. The town is located near the N15 road near Ballyshannon, and is the most southerly town in Donegal. The town is a tourist seaside resort, and tourism has been at the heart of the local economy s ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

. Kevin McAlorum, who was paid to kill Gallagher by Torney's faction, was himself murdered in 2004, although this was not linked to any political dispute.

References

External links

Digital archive for Gino Gallagher
The Independent, 31 January 1996 * 1963 births 1996 deaths Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland Irish National Liberation Army members Irish republicans People killed during The Troubles (Northern Ireland) {{Ireland-paramilitary-bio-stub

INLA

Murder

References

Further reading

External links