Customer Reviews

The Shankill Butchers

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Martin Dillon deserves great credit for writing this informative account of Lenny Murphy and his band of murdering thugs. It details the rise of Murphy as a school bully who`d rob classmates at knifepoint , how the Irish " Troubles " led to Murphy forming The Shankhill Butchers , the atrocities they commited , and The Butchers eventual downfall .

There is nothing to admire about secterian murder in Northern Ireland and reading this book it becomes quite clear that- Unlike consuming large amounts of alcohol- politics and religion did NOT play a big part in The Butchers lives , it was only an excuse to torture , mutilate and murder people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Courage also had no place in The Butchers lives , wait till you read about hardman William Moore trying to blame his accomplances for the murders.

My only complaint is that my edition is from 1990 and I`ve no idea if the author is planning to do a revised book. THE SHANKHILL BUTCHERS` possibly needs to be updated : Can the likes of Mr A , Mr B , etc now be named ? What happened to the likes of Moore after their release under the Good Friday agreement ? How are The Butchers regarded by people in Belfast nowadays ? As a footnote Robert " Basher " Bates was executed by the Ulster Freedom Fighters in the Summer of 1997

This is one of those books which one finds hard to put down, but on the other hand many time has to stop and take a deep breath, during the reading!! It is written well with a great understanding of the issues in Belfast and The North. After one is finished it leaves a memory which is hard to erase. This is a must read for anyone on either side who is interested in the Irish/Ulster question.

The shocking truths about the Shankill Butchers is detailed well in this book. Dillon describes what Lenny Murphy, William Moore, Robert "Basher" Bates, "Big Sam" McAllister and the gang got upto in the mid-seventies. Most of their crimes were committed in the early hours of the morning under influence of alcohol. They seemed to possess a hatred of Catholics, especially Murphy, but killed Protestants as well in what became nothing more than blood lust after a few beers. The real problem is that none of the men in question could be described as psychopaths.

I also believe that Dillon gives a good insight into the collusion that exists between Loyalist and Republican terrorists, which gives the impression that the politics of the terrorists are really a sham and that these people are gangsters, nothing more. Full marks to Dillon with this book, he certainly gains my respect as a historian.

This is a deeply distressing book that succeeds in taking the reader into the heart of this particular horror. This was but one of many terrible outrages in Northern Ireland and is at times difficult to read, such is the author's ability to draw you in to the fear and atmosphere of the time.
Reading the book left me with a feeling of utter sadness and despair which took a few days to lift. Very powerful writing with little light at the end of the tunnel.
Dillon is the preeminent writer on 'The Troubles' and his 'Dirty War' is one I would also highly recommend. It's no exaggeration to say that he has helped me to clarify many of my thoughts on the subject. Growing up in Ireland during the storm of the Northern Ireland problem, it was difficult to find objective writings; consequently and regrettably it was common to be indoctrinated in tribal rhetoric. Writers like Dillon have given much to create a clearer understanding of what happened and who was responsible.
Highly recommended but not for the faint-hearted.

Based on obviously painstaking research, Martin Dillon's book is an incisive study of the psychopathology of political murder. The brutality of Lenny Murphy's savage murder campaign is placed squarely in the context of strife-torn Belfast. Each incident is described and examined in excruciating gory detail, and it is not for the squeamish, but Dillon never fails to draw a link between the attacks and the conditions that permitted them to continue. A stunning book.

I enjoyed this book immensely. That out of the way, this book is very well written on a very interesting topic (gruesome, but still interesting.) The author clearly distinguishes between recorded facts and conclusions drawn. The evidences backing his conclusions are thorough and well researched.

The author also gives only a cursory background into the "political" strife and tribulations of the area and the time. This helps one gain insight on the claimed reasons for the actions recorded in this book. Just enough info, not an overload of who did snubbed who in 1253 A.D. (I know, I know, this is just an exageration).

Not politically or religiously driven, but focusing of the topic named on the cover, this book is an excellent read. The only problem is that you come away knowing what one human will do to another...

Well written and well researched book on a Ulster Paramilitary Unit that basically goes nuts on bloodlust and murder. Taken from actual transcripts, news and army reports and testimony from both the killers, cops and victims that managed to get away from their attackers.

I've personally never read much about the Protestant side of the Irish Troubles until this book, so this was an eye opener about their side of things and it shows what can happen when the violence becomes an important part of the culture all on its own.

If you're looking for a true crime book that's a little out of the oridnary, you've found it.

I was at the start a little dissappointed with this book as i was led to believe from local media reports in n.ireland that this time the author was going to reveal the identity of Mr A and Mr B. Despite this, i think that Martin Dillon leaves enough clues for the reader, and i now have my own idea about the identity of Mr A. Coming from N.ireland, the book is even more frightening when you can go out for a walk and realise that not too far away is a spot where the butchers abducted there victims. I also believe that the conflict that was going on at the time when the butchers were active served only as an excuse for them to carry out the things they did and i believe that if there was not a war on then these men would still have done what they done.

This is a great book that details the activitys of one of the sickest, and most sadistic terror gangs in the history of the war in Northern Ireland.

The Shankill Butchers were an offshoot of the Loyalist Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), during the mid 1970's these evil killers, abducted and tortured to death, 19 innocent Catholics.
The UVF and UDA (Ulster Defense Association) rarely targeted actual IRA members, since the IRA had a policy of killing two UDA or UVF men for every one IRA member killed. At this rate the Loyalist groups knew they wouldn't last long against the professional soldiers of the IRA. The Buthers knew this too, which as Sean Dillon points out "Is why they only targeted unarmed Catholic civillians".
Eventually the Butchers were brought to justice, and imprisoned for their horrific crimes.
In subsequesnt years, as the individual members of the Butchers were released, they were targeted for death by IRA hit teams.
The leader of the Butchers Lenny Murphey, was shot dead in front of his home in the early 1980's by the IRA.

The history of the Ulster Volunteer Force (of which the Shankill Buthers were members) is that of brutal but highly amateurish terror organization. from 1971 to 1996 thay managed to kill five hundred unarmed Catholic civillians with the explicit help of the British Army and Northern Ireland police (the RUC). By 1996 however, their leadership had been decimated by a ruthless IRA and INLA assassination campaign, which forced them into a ceasefire.

By that time, most of the remaining Shankill Buthcers had been assassinated by the IRA, or killed by fellow UVF members who by that time, saw them as an embarrassment.

This is a highly reccommended book by a good author, who exposes the Shankill Butchers for the cowardly terrorists they really were.

This book is about a gang of serial murderers who belonged to the Ulster Volunteer Force a Protestant terrorist organization in northern Ireland. Throughout the 1970's and early 80's they randomly abducted, brutally tortured and then murdered dozens of innocent Catholic boys and men. Commanded by a 5 foot 6 inch sociopath named Lenny Murphy who did this to compensate for his rumored Catholic origins by becoming a 'super-Prod'. This is not an easy read, several times I took brakes to shake off the mild feeling of despair that had rolled over me, after reading how victim after victim was tortured using methods that would have made Jack the ripper proud. Ultimately this orgy of murder was brought to an end when the police captured the butchers, and the IRA made Lenny Murphy into a receptacle for many many large caliber rounds.

Lastly I didn't write the above review to excuse or diminish the acts of terrorism committed by the IRA many of which were also sectarian.