Winter In Dublin...Lynch's Gamble

1st October 1969 2.11 AM

"RUC Newry"

"This is the duty manager at the gasworks. There's been a bomb"

"Anyone hurt"

"No but the whole place is ablaze. The fire brigade are on their way"
 
BBC Radio 4 News 7am 2nd October

Widespread damage has been done to the Gasworks in County Newry, Northern Ireland after a bomb exploded earlier this morning.

No-one has been hurts but gas supplies to the town and the surrounding area have been stopped. The Royal Ulster Constabulary are investigating...
 
Winter sat in the snug of the bar. He looked round at the books about Wolfe Tone and 1916 and the roaring fire. He was struck about how far he was from the heat of his native Sailsbury.

Things were going well. The attack on the gas works had been a huge success. He was especially pleased with the way in which the "mauraders" as he nicknamed his Irish unit had got the jobs done so quickly. Flannery was relieved that they had entered and vacated the barn with barely a noise.

The lack of casualties was especially gratifying. Winter had made it clear to everyone from Lynch to Flannery that the attacks were to be against infrastructure only. He was a soldier, not a monster, even though he'd met a lot of monsters.

He also knew that this was just the start. But he also knew it had started...
 
8th October 1969 8.16 AM

Falls Road, Belfast

Jane knocked on the door...

"Morning Jane"

"Sarah, is your power off?"

"Yes it is. Is yours?"

"Yes"

"Same here" said Jane's neighbour. "Its out along the road"
 
Jack Lynch sat in his office at Lenister House deep in thought. Many things were on the line, his career, his standing in the eyes of the public and maybe even his freedom. There had been moments where he fantasised about the British Army marching on the Dail to arrest him for war crimes.

Certainly his current situation had left him wide open to all sorts of incredible endings to this matter.

The plan seemed so simple. Winter's unit would commit acts of sabotage against infrastructure in the North in the style of the Maquis during the war. The plan being that over time the Brits would get so demoralised by the actions of what they thought were Northern dissidents that they would call on Dublin to act as interlocuters.

The initial results seemed promising. Attacks on gas and electricity supplies had certainly caused disruption but so far no major ructions.

Lynch had made it clear that no people were to be harmed and that was happening.

Yet still he worried. Just one slip up and shots could be fired.

Every Taioseach since partition had dreamed of being the one to reunify Ireland. Lynch knew this wouldn't happen in his tenure or maybe even his lifetime. Yet if his plan worked and caused the British to turn to him...
 
Gallagher sat in the Barracks listening to RTE Radio. There was a discussion about the recent turmoil in the North. There was an "down the line" interview with Callaghan.

"Smarmy bastard" thought Gallagher. "He sits on his arse in London and acts as if he knows what he's talking about"

Gallagher had had his doubts about Winter's plans but admittedly it was a real thrill giving the unionists a bloody nose.

Winter was a bit of a cold fish but he knew what he was talking about.

Gallagher also had some internal conflicts as well. He was a staunch Roman Catholic and well remembered being given a crack by his dad when he broke a window as a kid. But this was different. He was being a patriot acting on behalf of his country. As far as he was concerned he was right.
 
Glad you're liking the thread. Can I just say something here. I'm English and have studied Irish and Northern Irish politics for a long time. There's no racism or prejudice in this thread. Its just a story :)
 
Glad you're liking the thread. Can I just say something here. I'm English and have studied Irish and Northern Irish politics for a long time. There's no racism or prejudice in this thread. Its just a story :)
they're going to die aren't they,
(by the way, it's all good, I myself am american and just really proud of my ancestors
 

Deleted member 94680

Are the BBC offices not guarded by the British Army in this scenario?

EDIT: I see you've replaced the Beeb with the power grid, my bad.
 
17th October 2.23 PM

Ravenhill Stadium. Ulster's game with Munster called off due to flooded pitch. Investigations show that pipework had been deliberately cut.
 
Released under the thirty year rule...
MINUTES OF MEETING BETWEEN JAMES CALLAGHAN PC MP (HOME SECRETARY) JAMES CHICHESTER-CLARK (PRIME MINISTER OF NORTHERN IRELAND) SENIOR MEMBERS OF ULSTER SPECIAL BRANCH AND MARTIN FURNIVAL-JONES (DIRECTOR GENERAL MI5)

The situation of infrastructure damage was of great concern to those present. There was a general consensus that the disruption was not isolated incidents but part of a concerted campaign by person or people unknown designed to cause widespread turmoil in the province

JCC felt that the damage was being caused by Republicans from the south of the province and felt that they must face severe punishment.

MFJ then produced results of an investigation pointing to a more disciplined underpinning to the attacks.

It was the opinion of MFJ that the attacks were being carried out by an organisation of para-military basis.

JC asked if the organisation was a reformed IRA. MFJ said he wasn't sure.

JCC feared that this was a threat to the state.
 

Pangur

Donor
Nezza, that last post is a tad unrealistic. The first port of call for JCC and the RUC would have been the IRA. That's how they were at the time. The fact that at the IRA for all intents and purposes did not exist, they were way to disorganized.
 
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