Joe Mills (b. 1948) and Eileen Mills (b. 1947)

Joe Mills (b. 1948) and Eileen Mills (b. 1947)

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Joe Mills, his wife Eileen and their son Jonathan run a filling station and an oil distribution business in Trillick, a business begun by Joe’s father Andrew Mills before WWII. Joe became a part time member of the UDR in the 1970s and he speaks of the many threats he received from the IRA. In particular, he recalls being on duty one night and intercepting four members of the IRA who were on a mission to highjack a van to transport a bomb to be exploded in the town of Enniskillen. He arrested these men who were later sentenced and served prison sentences. In doing so, he effectively broke up a local IRA unit and thereafter was a marked man. Eileen Mills explains that the family lived over two miles from Trillick, and on the evening of 23 March 1991, she and her son were waiting for her husband to return home from work. At the end of their driveway, Joe was ambushed by three IRA men who fired at his truck; although wounded, he managed to get to safety. The details of that traumatic event and its aftermath are clearly set out by both Joe and Eileen; although they both have a clear idea of the identity of the perpetrators, nobody was ever brought to justice.

This collection, carried out by Irish Life and Lore on behalf of Cavan County Library Service, is funded by the EU Special EU Programmes Body Peace IV fund under the objective to build positive relations with people from different backgrounds and communities to support peace and reconciliation.

Download the recording free of charge by adding it to the basket and checking out as normal or listen to it online at this link: CDVOT01-50-Mills

Additional information

Type:

MP3

Audio series:

Voices of the Troubles

Download time limit:

48 hours

Number of files:

1

Recorded by:

Maurice O'Keeffe – Irish Life and Lore

Product ID:

CDVOT01-50

Length:

74 mins

Location of Recording

Trillick, Co. Tyrone

Date Recorded

12/9/2017

File size(s):

67.4 MB