Battle at Springmartin

Springmartin witnessed the bloodiest urban fighting in Northern Ireland since direct rule began when a loyalist car bomb struck Kelly's Bar on 13 May 1972. UVF snipers fired on survivors from an abandoned tower while IRA units clashed with the British Army along the estate boundary. Seven people died, including four teenagers, and at least sixty-six were wounded before the guns fell silent. The pub's memorial still names the staff who bled for that ordinary Saturday night.