Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
The Darkley killings or Darkley massacre was a gun attack carried out on 20th November 1983 near the village of Darkley in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Three gunmen attacked worshippers attending a church service at Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church, killing three Protestant civilians and wounding seven. The attackers were members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) acting on their own. They claimed responsibility using the cover name "Catholic Reaction Force", saying it was retaliation for recent sectarian attacks on Catholics by the loyalist "Protestant Action Force".The attack was condemned by the INLA leadership.
The Weapons were supplied by Dominic McGlinchey.
On the evening of Sunday 20 November, about sixty people were attending a church service at Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church. The small, isolated wooden church was outside the village of Darkley, near the border with the Republic of Ireland and several miles from Armagh. As the service began, three masked gunmen arrived,at least one of whom was armed with a Ruger semi-automatic rifle and opened fire on those standing at the entrance.Three church elders were killed: Harold Browne (59), Victor Cunningham (39) and David Wilson (44). The fatally wounded Wilson staggered into the service, where he collapsed and died.The gunmen then stood outside the building and sprayed it with bullets, wounding a further seven people, before fleeing in a car. The service was being tape-recorded when the attack took place. On the cassette tape, the congregation can be heard singing the hymn "Are You Washed in the Blood?", followed by the sound of gunfire.All of the victims were Protestant civilians
The Darkley killings or Darkley massacre was a gun attack carried out on 20th November 1983 near the village of Darkley in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. Three gunmen attacked worshippers attending a church service at Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church, killing three Protestant civilians and wounding seven. The attackers were members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) acting on their own. They claimed responsibility using the cover name "Catholic Reaction Force", saying it was retaliation for recent sectarian attacks on Catholics by the loyalist "Protestant Action Force".The attack was condemned by the INLA leadership.
The Weapons were supplied by Dominic McGlinchey.
On the evening of Sunday 20 November, about sixty people were attending a church service at Mountain Lodge Pentecostal Church. The small, isolated wooden church was outside the village of Darkley, near the border with the Republic of Ireland and several miles from Armagh. As the service began, three masked gunmen arrived,at least one of whom was armed with a Ruger semi-automatic rifle and opened fire on those standing at the entrance.Three church elders were killed: Harold Browne (59), Victor Cunningham (39) and David Wilson (44). The fatally wounded Wilson staggered into the service, where he collapsed and died.The gunmen then stood outside the building and sprayed it with bullets, wounding a further seven people, before fleeing in a car. The service was being tape-recorded when the attack took place. On the cassette tape, the congregation can be heard singing the hymn "Are You Washed in the Blood?", followed by the sound of gunfire.All of the victims were Protestant civilians
