On 12 October 1984 the IRA detonated a long-delay bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton in an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet during the Conservative Party Conference. Five people were killed and more than thirty injured; Thatcher was uninjured. IRA member Patrick Magee was convicted in 1986 and sentenced to eight concurrent life terms.
Close-up of the damage caused by the Brighton Bomb — Credit: D4444n at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
On 12 October 1984, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) attempted to assassinate members of the British government, including Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, by bombing the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England, during the Conservative Party Conference. The explosion killed five people, including Conservative MP Sir Anthony Berry, and injured more than thirty others. Thatcher herself was uninjured.
The bombing followed the IRA leadership's decision, taken during the 1981 Irish hunger strike, to try to kill Thatcher because of her refusal to restore Special Category Status to republican prisoners, a stance that contributed to the deaths of ten hunger strikers. After roughly two years of planning and reconnaissance of the 1982 and 1983 Conservative Party conferences, IRA member Patrick Magee checked into the Grand Hotel under the false name "Roy Walsh" on 15 September 1984 and planted a long-delay bomb concealed behind a bath panel in room 629, weeks before the conference began.
The device exploded at 2:54 am on 12 October 1984, while most guests were asleep. The upward force of the blast dislodged a five-long-ton chimney stack, which crashed through several floors and caused much of the loss of life and injury. Those killed were Sir Anthony Berry MP; Eric Taylor, North-West Area chairman of the Conservative Party; Roberta Wakeham, wife of chief whip John Wakeham; Lady Jeanne Shattock, wife of Conservative official Sir Gordon Shattock; and Muriel Maclean, who died of her injuries about a month later. Norman Tebbit and his wife Margaret were seriously injured; Margaret Tebbit was left permanently paralysed. Thatcher continued with the conference as scheduled, receiving a standing ovation roughly six and a half hours after the explosion.
The police investigation lasted eight months. Forensic examination of hotel registration cards and rubble sent for analysis led investigators to a false registration under the name "Roy Walsh." A partial palm print on the card matched prints taken from Magee following an earlier 1967 arrest in Norwich. Rather than seek extradition, British authorities had Irish police keep Magee under surveillance until he returned to Britain. He was arrested in Glasgow on 22 June 1985 alongside other IRA members as part of a wider investigation into a planned 1985 bombing campaign.
Magee, along with co-defendants Peter Sherry, Gerry McDonnell, Martina Anderson and Ella O'Dwyer, was tried between May and June 1986. He was convicted and sentenced to eight concurrent life sentences, with a recommendation that he serve at least thirty-five years before parole. He was released under licence in June 1999 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.
The bombing occurred against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations between the British and Irish governments, which continued despite the attack and led to the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement. In 2000, Magee met Jo Berry, daughter of Sir Anthony Berry, at her request; the two later co-founded an organisation aimed at reconciliation dialogue.
Jeanne Shattock, Eric Taylor, Margaret Tebbit, Roberta Wakeham, Norman Tebbit, Sir Anthony Berry, Muriel Maclean
Date
1984
Location
Grand Hotel, Brighton, England
Case status
solved
Case timeline
1981-03
Bobby Sands begins hunger strike at the Maze prison over Special Category Status; the IRA later decides to try to assassinate Thatcher during this period.
1982
IRA volunteers reconnoitre the Conservative Party conference in Brighton as part of planning.
1983
Patrick Magee and another IRA member visit Blackpool ahead of that year's Conservative Party conference.
1984-01
An IRA arms and bomb-making cache, including long-delay timers, is found buried in Salcey Forest.
1984-09-15
Patrick Magee checks into the Grand Hotel, Brighton, under the false name 'Roy Walsh' and books room 629.
1984-09-17
Magee and accomplices finish assembling and concealing the bomb behind a bath panel in room 629.
1984-10-09
The Conservative Party Conference begins in Brighton.
1984-10-12
The bomb explodes at 2:54 am at the Grand Hotel, killing five people and injuring more than thirty; Thatcher is uninjured and the conference continues later that day.
1985-01
A partial palm print on the hotel registration card is matched to Patrick Magee.
1985-06-22
Magee is arrested in Glasgow along with Peter Sherry, Gerry McDonnell, Martina Anderson and Ella O'Dwyer.
1985-11-15
The Anglo-Irish Agreement is signed between the British and Irish governments.
1986-05-06
The trial of Magee and co-defendants opens.
1986-06-11
The trial concludes; Magee is convicted and sentenced to eight concurrent life sentences with a minimum of thirty-five years recommended before parole; other defendants are also sentenced.
1999-06
Magee is released under licence as part of the Good Friday Agreement.
2000
Magee meets Jo Berry, daughter of victim Sir Anthony Berry, at her request.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
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People
Jeanne Shattock
VICTIM
Wife of Conservative official Sir Gordon Shattock, killed in the bombing
Eric Taylor
VICTIM
North-West Area chairman of the Conservative Party, killed in the bombing
Margaret Tebbit
VICTIM
Injured in the bombing, left permanently paralysed
Shaun McShane
CONVICTED
IRA sympathiser convicted of aiding and abetting by providing premises; sentenced to eight years, reduced to six on appeal
Roberta Wakeham
VICTIM
Wife of chief whip John Wakeham, killed in the bombing
Martina Anderson
CONVICTED
IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign
Ella O'Dwyer
CONVICTED
IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign
Patrick Magee
CONVICTED
IRA bomb maker convicted in 1986 of planting the device; sentenced to eight concurrent life sentences
Norman Tebbit
VICTIM
Secretary of state for trade and industry, seriously injured in the bombing
Sir Anthony Berry
VICTIM
Conservative MP and deputy chief whip, killed in the bombing
Gerry McDonnell
CONVICTED
IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign
Peter Sherry
CONVICTED
IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign
Muriel Maclean
VICTIM
Wife of Sir Donald Maclean, died of injuries from the bombing about a month later
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Close-up of the damage caused by the Brighton Bomb
Credit: D4444n at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
archival location
Grand-Hotel-Following-Bomb-Attack-1984-10-12
Credit: D4444n at en.wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
On 12 October 1984 the IRA detonated a long-delay bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton in an attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet during the Conservative Party Conference. Five people were killed and more than thirty injured; Thatcher was uninjured. IRA member Patrick Magee was convicted in 1986 and sentenced to eight concurrent life terms.
Where did the bombing happen?
Grand Hotel, Brighton, England.
Who was convicted?
Shaun McShane (IRA sympathiser convicted of aiding and abetting by providing premises; sentenced to eight years, reduced to six on appeal), Martina Anderson (IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign), Ella O'Dwyer (IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign), Patrick Magee (IRA bomb maker convicted in 1986 of planting the device; sentenced to eight concurrent life sentences), Gerry McDonnell (IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign), and Peter Sherry (IRA member convicted in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with the related 1985 bombing campaign).
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