View source for Michael McVerry

{{notability|date=January 2025}}
{{Short description|IRA member}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
'''Michael McVerry''' (1 December 1949 – 15 November 1973), was a [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] [[volunteer (Irish republican)|volunteer]] and [[Officer Commanding]] of the First Battalion of the [[Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade]]. He was killed in [[Keady]] in 1973.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070225062614/http://burnsmoley.com/volunteers/mcverry.php Vol. Michael McVerry]}}</ref>

McVerry was born and raised in the townland of Skerriff near [[Cullyhanna]], [[County Armagh]], [[Northern Ireland]]. He attended [[Cullyhanna Primary School]] and later [[Bessbrook]] Technical College before starting work on building sites throughout [[Ireland]].

Michael McVerry joined the IRA in August 1971. He was imprisoned in [[Mountjoy Prison]] and later [[The Curragh]] camp, both in the [[Republic of Ireland]], where he took part in a hunger and [[thirst strike]].  On Sunday, 29 October 1972 he and six other republican prisoners (Colm Murphy, James Hazlett, Tommy Corrigan, Paddy Carty, James McCabe and Christopher Murphy) audaciously escaped from The Curragh through a tunnel and returned to IRA active service.

He gradually became the most experienced [[guerrilla]] fighter in the IRA at that time and a legend among the local republican population in south [[County Armagh|Armagh]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Harnden | first = Toby | author-link = Toby Harnden | title = Bandit Country | publisher = [[Hodder & Stoughton]] | year = 1999 | pages = 517–523 | isbn = 0-340-71736-X}}</ref> In 1973 he lost his hand while testing grenades.

On 15 November 1973 he was killed during an attack on the [[Royal Ulster Constabulary]] (RUC) barracks in Keady. He was shot by British soldiers after placing a 100&nbsp;lb bomb against the gable wall of the barracks during the IRA attack.  The resulting explosion badly damaged the station and surrounding properties. A second device failed to detonate.  A gun battle started as the IRA unit withdrew after attack between them and members of the RUC and [[British Army]] in which a policeman was shot in the shoulder. One member of the IRA was also hit.  The IRA unit escaped towards Carnagh Custom Post on the border, where they hijacked two cars and set fire to the Custom Post before escaping across the border.  McVerry was taken to St Mary's Hospital in [[Castleblayney]], [[County Monaghan]], but was found to be dead on arrival from a bullet wound in the stomach.<ref name="LL">Lost Lives, 2007 edition, {{ISBN|978-1-84018-504-1}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>
{{PIRA}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:McVerry, Michael}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Escapees from Irish detention]]
[[Category:Irish republicans]]
[[Category:People from County Armagh]]
[[Category:People killed by security forces during The Troubles (Northern Ireland)]]
[[Category:Provisional Irish Republican Army members]]
[[Category:Republicans imprisoned during the Northern Ireland conflict]]


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