Gerry Adams' Close Ties to IRA Prisoners Revealed in High Court Proceedings
The High Court has heard detailed evidence that former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has consistently surrounded himself with individuals convicted of IRA-related offences, including a long-time bodyguard involved in a notorious 1988 attack on two British Army soldiers. On the seventh day of a civil trial examining Adams' alleged membership of the IRA and involvement in three separate bombings, the court focused on his associations with convicted IRA members.
Bodyguard's Role in Infamous Funeral Attack
Adams was questioned about his relationship with Terence Clarke, his former bodyguard and driver, whom he described as a "good friend." The court heard that Clarke was sentenced to seven years for assault related to the attack on Army corporals Derek Wood and David Howes. The soldiers had accidentally driven into an IRA funeral in 1988, were mistaken for loyalist gunmen, dragged from their vehicle, stripped, and shot dead on nearby waste ground.
This incident, filmed by television news crews and broadcast globally, became one of the most defining and harrowing moments of The Troubles. Clarke served multiple prison sentences for IRA activity throughout his life. In a written tribute following Clarke's death in 2000, Adams revealed he kept a framed photograph of them together on his wall, calling Clarke "one of my heroes" and stating he "loved him like a brother."
Current Security Head's Explosives Conviction
Sir Max Hill KC, representing three bomb survivors suing Adams, also questioned the former Sinn Féin leader about John Trainor, his current head of personal security who has attended each day of the trial. The court was informed that Trainor had previously been convicted of IRA-related explosives offences and served a prison term. Adams acknowledged he was aware that "Big John" had been convicted of IRA activity.
Further questioning revealed that another member of Adams' personal security team is the brother-in-law of Sinn Féin politician Gerry Kelly, who was convicted for his role in the 1973 Old Bailey bombing—one of the attacks central to the current proceedings. Adams stated he "didn't know" this connection and would need to verify it.
Allegations of Surrounding Himself with Violent Offenders
Sir Max directly accused Adams of having "surrounded yourself with IRA men who have served time for very serious crimes including murder." Adams responded, "Yes. There were others who weren't former prisoners." The civil trial sees Adams being sued for vindicatory damages of £1 by three individuals: John Clark, a victim of the IRA's Old Bailey attack; Jonathan Ganesh, injured in the 1996 Docklands bombing; and Barry Laycock, injured in the Manchester Arndale shopping centre attack the same year.
They allege that due to his senior role in the IRA, Adams was "directly responsible" for these attacks. Adams has consistently denied any involvement in the bombings or being a member of the IRA throughout the proceedings.
Friendship with Former IRA Commander Brendan Hughes
During his second day of evidence, Adams was questioned about his close friendship with former IRA commander Brendan Hughes, with whom he was imprisoned in Northern Ireland during the 1970s. The court was shown a photograph of the two men together in Long Kesh prison in 1973, which Adams confirmed he still possesses. He told the court he was present when Hughes died in 2008 at age 59 from complications related to his hunger strike.
Sir Max described the image as demonstrating "a lifelong friendship between you and Brendan Hughes." Hughes had previously claimed that "the dogs on the street" knew Adams was a leading IRA member, adding "and he's standing there denying it." In taped interviews scheduled for release after his death, Hughes alleged that Adams sent IRA members to the United States to purchase Armalite rifles and helped organize "Bloody Friday," a 1972 bombing campaign in Belfast that killed nine people.
Adams' Response to Allegations and Defense of IRA
When asked if Hughes had fabricated these allegations, Adams replied, "Yes." He suggested Hughes was motivated by seeing Adams and others "as traitors... saw us as winding down the war, as selling out." Adams stated Hughes "ended up a very sorry figure, alcohol dependent. I retain a fondness for him even though he should not have done what he did and I was disappointed in what he did."
Earlier in the proceedings, Adams was accused of being "in denial" about his IRA role. Sir Max asserted, "You were a major, major player in the war, yet you deny it." Adams responded by acknowledging his influence while defending his transition to peace efforts: "I obviously was president of Sinn Féin for 35 years, was deeply involved in the struggle, defended the use of armed struggle where I thought it was appropriate, looked to build Sinn Féin and the peace process."
He added, "I don't deny – I just don't go round boasting – that I was a person of influence and used that as best I could to move from war to peace and that thankfully is what we are enjoying." Adams appeared to defend the IRA's historical role, stating, "They were undefeated, they defied all attempts to criminalise them, to coerce them, they made the right call when they eventually made the call and they had the maturity and intelligence to choose the right way forwards."
Gerry Adams has now concluded giving evidence in the High Court civil trial, which continues with further proceedings examining the allegations against him.
