Armagh bar owner shaken after mob attack

Published Tuesday, 11 December 2012

The owner of an Armagh pub that was attacked on Monday night said there was mayhem as fireworks were thrown into the property.

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A crowd of around 200 loyalists smashed windows after they broke away from the main protest in the city shortly before 9pm.

"Within seconds the door was booted open and there was a lot of cursing and shouting, vulgar language, 'no surrender' and that there," explained Bernard Rafferty, owner of Rafferty's Bar.

Mr Rafferty and two women who had been in the bar held the front door closed while members of the crowd smashed windows.

Two fireworks thrown through the window exploded with loud bangs, filling the bar with smoke. One of the fireworks narrowly missed a tourist who was in the bar at the time of the attack.

"That tourist, if he had had his head a millimetre in the other way he would have been hit up the face by one of those fireworks. He was a very lucky man," he told UTV.

"He left straight after. I don't think he will be in Armagh or the north again. He was in quite a bad state."

Although there are smashed windows and damaged floors to be repaired, Mr Rafferty said he was relieved that no one had been seriously injured in the attack.

"These things can be replaced and repaired and we will remain in business," he added.

Less than an hour after the attack three men were hit by a car in the Newry Road area of Armagh.

They suffered minor injuries in the hit and run. A 17-year-old boy was arrested in the Cavancaw Road area.

He was questioned about the crash and has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Comments

4 Comments

conair in belfast wrote (163 days ago):

Pure naked sectarianism is all this was, And Ryan i don,t agree with you..the longer these protests carry on the more loyalism is exposed to the rest of the world for what it is..loyalists have this knack of shooting themselves in the foot, you just have to look at the worlds revulsion when the seen loyalists protest outside Harryville chapel in Ballymena..or outside a catholic cemetery in Carnmoney..or attacking school children at holy cross primary school...When the main speaker at the city hall protest was exposed as a bnp fund raiser it told you all you needed to know about who was behind these protests and the violence.

Colin in Belfast wrote (163 days ago):

Must be so easy to be reporter here... Jus make it up as you go along!!! Need reporters to grow a set and tell the truth about here... Never ins taking the easy option of jus writing what republicans want!!! Two sides here

stephen mc cleary in armagh wrote (163 days ago):

its not surprising that these sectarian bigots were given a free hand in Armagh last night!! when did you ever see the psni/ruc batonin or firing plastic bullets at loyalists???

Ryan in Belfast wrote (163 days ago):

Its time these "protests" were banned, their nothing more than an excuse for violence. Loyalists are not above democracy, no one is, so get use to it.