The Miami Showband Massacre: A survivor’s search for the truth

by Stephen Travers, Neil Fetherstonhaugh, Viv Young (Foreword)

On 31 July 1975, members of The Miami Showband were returning to Dublin after a gig in Banbridge when they were stopped at a military checkpoint. For Stephen Travers, the band’s new bass player, it was an unusual experience but he wasn’t too worried. This was during The Troubles, after all.
However, as the musicians were lined up beside their van, Stephen noticed that the atmosphere had suddenly changed – something more sinister was happening.
In a flash, their lives were dramatically altered when a bomb that was being placed in their van exploded prematurely. The events of that night would never leave Stephen Travers – being hurled into the air by the explosion, listening to the cries of his friends as they were mercilessly gunned down and the steps of the gunmen getting closer as they approached to finish him off…
This atrocity is now known to have been carried out by The Glenanne Gang, a British protected assortment of serving police officers, locally recruited British Army soldiers and well-known assassins and Loyalist paramilitaries. As such, The Miami Showband Massacre stands as an obscene monument to Collusion between official British security services and Loyalist terrorists. At the time the very notion of Collusion was often thought of as “conspiracy theory”. Now of course, even mainstream media considers Collusion as the last untold story of The Troubles. This book is testament to that fact but more importantly is also testament to the indefatigable courage of the survivors and their supporters.
One of this book’s authors, survivor Stephen Travers, searches in these pages for the truth. Who carried out the murders of his fellow band members, Tony Geraghty, Fran O’Toole and Brian McCoy? Who ordered them to do it? Who has covered up the truth – and continues to cover up the truth – about The Miami Showband Massacres? And what depths of hatred could “inspire” human beings to carry our such an appalling act?

Genres: Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2007

Reviews

[Steve Ellerhoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's so much worth saying about this astonishing book, more than I can articulate just yet. But the main thing is that Stephen Travers models here a firm, mature decency that seems a real rarity in the world. Reading what he went through and has survived and lived with since 1975 is deeply moving. Taking to heart the way he does not carry hatred for those who hurt him, his bandmates, and everybody else touched by the attack is quite incredible.

I was blessed to live in Bray, Ireland, for several years, the home of Fran O'Toole who was lead singer of the Miami Showband. He is buried there. My friends in Bray would from time to time tell the tale of the tragedy that befell the band. As a naive American, I had not heard about this horrible event before then, and it was impressed upon me that it was one of the worst moments in the Troubles. I never knew much about this period of time and still do not. One thing I did learn is that the whole set of dynamics at play were far more complicated than I could ever easily grasp. So when I recently discovered a personal connection to this unthinkable event, I had to order and read this book to find out more.

Stephen Travers and his coauthor Neil Fetherstonhaugh do a superb job telling the story and presenting Travers's journey to find out what had happened and why. As a foreign reader ignorant of much of what was going on in the 1970s in Ireland, I come out feeling like I have learned a lot of context.

There is much more to be learned from Mr. Travers though than history. In particular, his abilities to carry what he has, face what he has, and keep going is extremely inspiring. There is a quieting dignity about him that is altogether uncommon. That he has the fortitude to meet and enter into discourse with people involved in the organization(s) that did this, and openly disagree with them from a place of respect, very much amazes me. He says he just wanted to be a bass player in a band but, in addition to accomplishing that, I find a man who is a profound teacher in surviving trauma and the quest for truth. Divisiveness, collusion, lack of accountability -- these have all cropped up in my own country the past many years. Mr. Travers sets quite an example in how it's possible to confront such forces without crumpling -- or giving in to hate.

I very much recommend this book, even to the casually curious. You will learn so much. As a good follow-up to this book, you can also watch the Netflix documentary episode of Remastered on the Miami Showband Massacre (2019) to learn more about Mr. Travers's recent efforts and his legal case to get the Crown to admit to its involvement all along.

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tragic retelling of the Miami Showband massacre who on the night of July 31st 1975 were brutally butchered on their way back from a concert.
In seconds the young mens lives were shattered and their families worlds blown apart, this is the story as it happened recounted by one of the survivors, Stephen Travers ably aided by the co author Neil Fetherstonagh, responsible for other true life accounts of crimes and memorable happenings in Ireland over the years.
This is a chronological narrative of all the events leading upto, including that night and the aftermath of the atrocity.
Chilling, moving and finally a quest for peace for the tortured survivor, Stephen.
Well worth reading though shocking and very graphic at the brutality inflicted on the victims.

[Jason Blean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This not a read for the faint hearted. Yet, if there is no reconciliation without justice and there is no justice without the truth, then it is a must-read for anyone interested in peace and reconciliation in Ireland. People suffering from severe trauma are helped by talking about the event rather than avoiding it. This book appears to have played a healthy role in Stephen's life in him coming to terms with the trauma which was inflicted on him; it can have a similarly healing effect on its readers if they are interested in peace and reconciliation as it fearlessly uncovers the truth. Neil Fetherstonhaugh does an excellent job as an investigative journalist in taking the reader on a journey, setting the context for Stephen Travers' joining "The Miami" as a bass player in the mid 1970s, his life on the road with them and into the terrible, life-changing events which occurred in the early hours of 31st July 1975 on a dual carriageway between Banbridge and Newry, Northern Ireland, when the gang were massacred by British Army soldiers who were also members of the loyalist parmilitary terror group the UVF. The story however does not stop there; the book recounts in detail how three of the terror gang involved in the attack were traced by the police/RUC, apprehended, put on trial and convicted of the murders, although this process took some years for the third member convicted. There is also a fascinating look inside the mind of someone prepared to kill for their cause and an exposé of the twisted logic of wanting to confess terrorist crimes only to God but not to law enforement officers. If ever there was a case of "don't judge a book by its cover", this is it: it is certainly not simply a gruesome story of gratuitous violence, though elements of psychopathic violence form elements of it; it serves as an in-depth autobiography of how a terrorist atrocity survivor came to terms with being shot and at death's door, through his rehabilitation, return to work as a musician, emigration and repatriation, meeting via a mediator a UVF member for an in-depth discussion of the outrage, but also an insider's view of the bands scene in Ireland in the 1960s and 70s. The book continues to take the reader on Stephen's continuing journey for truth and reconciliation, as he faces up to authorities, challenging them convincingly to uncover the truth for Troubles victims, always with a sense of loyal duty to his murdered bandmates, yet devoid of any malicious revenge, as can be seen in his dialogue with the UVF member. The humanity in Stephen's account towards those who caused so much suffering and even after the event continue to compound his grief with lies, and his attitude is exemplary. His self-control and compassion when meeting the UVF member are remarkable - that is also a story in itself. At a time when there is so much despair, bitterness, anger and grief over the thousands who died needlessly, without any justice during the period of The Troubles, this book is a light shining in the darkness that says there is hope and that the truth can be found, though the path to it may be painfully slow and long.

[Marie R McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreak but fascinating insight

Would definitely recommend. Well written in an easily accessible from. Stephen Travers is obviously a generous and brave man to tell his and his friends' story along with his co-author in such an eloquent style.

[David Durnin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vivid account from a survivor

Provides an account of the killings and trauma from the perspective of Miami bassist Stephen Travers. A good read on the incident and Stephens quest to see the truth.