For three decades the Europa Hotel in Belfast hosted more journalists than tourists, survived 33 bombings by the Provisional Irish Republican Army and held the dubious honour of being Europe’s most bombed hotel.
It was both a target and a reporters’ refuge during the bloody conflict in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. One of the reasons the hotel became a focus of attack was that it was a base for the world’s media and reporters covering the conflict. Some of these journalists – Martin Bell, Robin Walsh, Henry Kelly and Gerald Seymour – recall those grim times, while Professor Kenneth Morrison and Martin Mulholland, who worked at the hotel for 18 years, recount the remarkable story of this war hotel.
Built as a symbol of late 1960s optimism and modernity in the city centre, the Europa was a recurrent focus for the IRA’s attacks in the armed struggle between the Protestant Unionist majority, who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom, and the Catholic Republican minority. The hotel withstood these devastating bomb blasts and also saw successful evacuations and complex bomb disposal work. It was managed by the indomitable Harper Brown for much of this time, who oversaw the endless cycle of bombs, repairs, rebuilding and more bombs.
Amid the blasts, journalists thrived on the gossip and intrigue that fluttered around the hotel, from whispers in the dining room to the odd spy story and the comings and goings of various players in the conflict, all part of the cut and thrust of reporting the “Troubles”. The hotel was a hub of communication and at times almost a newsroom for them. With few tourists in these troubled times, the Europa survived on these journalists too, and they all share a deep fondness for this extraordinary hotel, which played its own part in Northern Ireland’s complex history.
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this is what Boris and his brexiteers want to come back to
UP the RA 🇮🇪
You mean up the Terrorists you mean
Had a pint in it recently, £4.80… outrageous
What do you expect from a hotel?
How recently the sister hotel is 8 quid for a Guinness
I stood in awe looking at this hotel today. Wow. Just wow. Got a train to catch.
Absolutely great piece, but if I ever have to listen to that Scottish historian calling it the ‘Hotel Europa’ again, I swear by all that’s holy, I’m going to hunt him down and re-arrange his……. words lol
This is an oddly inaccurate way to frame the Troubles… Progress and its symbols were never the issue – it was, and is, colonialism, and its impact
Thanks Allah at that time no Islamic group is fighting,otherwise the blame blindly goes to it…
You mostly walk/drive past it in Belfast if you know where it is
Wish we had a toll road on the motorway keep yas from stinking up our motorways having us in traffic jams
@jackie Mainz I don’t drive but let me apologize for though that do that has to drive to and from work especially those that work as care workers 😒 you might aswell but one in every town and city then better get you’re tools out then them tolls isn’t gonna build them
Looks like the only guy coming out ahead in Belfast during this time is window guy must of made a killing
The UK has to leave the area of Northern Ireland. I support the Irish people in their just cause. Leave them alone brits that’s not your fu*king land. We all stand for a United Ireland 🇮🇪
That’s Northern Irelands choice not yours
That’s not your choice dude.
Had a University formal there, was lovely, no bombs, all good.
Yea I had a NYE formal party there once.
Jaegerbombs maybe
@Brian McKee 😂
may this dark chapter of history never repeat itself.
@jake wallace oh yeah, not like the 70’s but I know certain areas of NI are still classed as red zones
CRAM MARC now this is come from a friend that actually lives in the are but Ardglass is still classed as a red zone due to it being a completely Catholic town.
@Reece Cridland wouldn’t the split towns be more dangerous?
@Reece Cridland Ardglass was never much affected by the troubles – no such thing as a red zone anyway
History is continually repeating itself worldwide
That was fascinating.
Funny how this news channel reporting about some pro christian documentary
what?
I pased by it today . I new it was bombed a few times but didnt no how much. Structural engineer should be given an award
The exact count: Between 1970-1994, it was bombed a total of 33 times.
Me at Belfast airport calling a taxi:
Take me to my hotel…. The most bombed hotel in Europe. I have my bomb proof vest on…. 😃😃
The window contractor struck a gold mine.
We had are own contractors, because every day maybe two three windows would blow out 😍
Yup, he found out it paid better than tying a note to a brick, saying “Brick through the window? Call Murphy’s Glazing!” and then chucking it through people’s windows…
i literally live less than 500 meters away from the Europa
I’m sorry
That’s fine, they don’t have a bomb big enough.
Stayed there once. I had a blast.
That’s nice and all but do they rent out the floors on the bottom floor?
Ironic. Europe was the goal. Brexit is the reality. Ireland unite soon.
Jeremy Kaleb ireland is united in all but colonial domination refusal to admit.
Europa means Europe in German
Also in Dutch
A one letter difference
I thought this was in Yugoslavia😅.
It was miltery target,
Army had commucations, and jamming devices to stop radio signals, observation post to,
They cgave comfort to vistinging british politicians and miltery,, so that why it was targeted, no place is safe,, and plus ready made proganda with Journos all there
I’ll never comprehend why anyone turns to violence simply because of someone’s different ideas
So, you think the violence stems only from “someone’s different ideas”? I think you would benefit greatly from reading up on the history of Ireland.
You’re not very well informed on the British then
And president bill Clinton stayed at it 🤣
I mean just give northern Ireland back to Ireland. Why keep a smidget of it? *Why?*
I really don’t see why they would keep it, it barely contributes to the economy and is just a hassle.
@Haroldinho Democracy mean anything to you?
The funny thing about is there was a clothes shop across the road from it that sold bomber jackets 😂😂😂
“Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.”
(1 Samuel 15:3)
The British should have never been in Ireland
I’m surprised it was never called civil war; it may not have killed as many as modern wars ( Iraq, the current situation in Israel, etc.).
For the intensive purpose it was one some it spilt into the republic and mainland Britain
One side seen it as a Civil War, the other side seen it as a war against a foreign enemy. Hard to classify a name for that, so they settled with “The Troubles”.
Mainland Britain? What are you taking about. Majority of people in the north’s mainland is the e.u. typical uneducated comment. Its the 21st century not the 18th century
It was a phycological terrorist war…. We kids of that time had no compassion of rest of UK or world but now a terrorists or promoter of such cry and get world sympathy..
The civil war was in the 1920s. The ‘Troubles’ seen here were not a civil war as the British army were a foreign occupying army.
@musashidanmcgrath They wouldn’t have been here had they not been invited by nationalists……… Welcomed as freedom fighters, “Operation Motorman” ended that notion when the British army refused to accept that certain nationalist areas were “no-go”. The barricades were demolished &, suddenly, Brits became the enemy.
may the prots leave, its not their land anyway
I clicked on this video thinking “bombed” was a metaphor
After staying you can nip over to the Crown Bar which must be “the most shrapnel hit bar in Europe”
Very pretty bar
“A symbol of progress” Lol the word progress and the country United Kingdom have never been Compatible. Britain’s history is despicable and rather sad but deserving. You wouldn’t let anybody in Northern Ireland that didn’t go along with your imperialistic ideology have a say in politics at all treated the Irish as second class citizens and still do. The empire that never could🥲, a country that use to control 24% of planet earth now controls less than 1% . your fall from quote unquote “greatness” is visible!🤣😅
Bias English reporting
imean, a fiery exit from a hotel would have been fun
I worked there in the 80s the second floor I worked has a ghost in room 212 apparently a teacher took her life by jumping out the window
I hope you pray for God’s mercy upon her soul. She sounds sad and lost. She needs your prayers.
GHOST 🦇🦇💯💯💯
more fluffy coverage of the troubles from journalist who are too scared or too thick to talk to the actually people involved in them
We will never forget the murderous campaign that the IRA did on our people In Northern Ireland, UK 🇬🇧
Have you forgotten the murders carried out by the loyalist paramilitaries and the army?
Love how you people always conveniently leave out the fact that the B.A.F was murdering civilians in Ireland decades before the troubles even began.
Bombs
Just checking in after seeing they had a “small fire” in the building, add that one to the list of accidents
Stayed theyre last night, unbelievable service, staff are really friendly, wouod highly recommend it to anyone,, had a great night 💯👌
Speaking as someone who lived there, and was evacuated from the Europa twice, i can tell you: there was no sectarian war in Northern Ireland. This was what the British government in collusion with the media called the conflict. The war in Northern Ireland was between the IRA and Crown Forces.
Speaking as someone who knows more than you do. What occurred was a sectarian terrorist campaign by criminal gangs who got rich on drugs, prostitution etc etc with one knee on their own people, that is still on their people’s necks.
@Mike dirty brit spreading your dirty lies. Up the ra
Sinn Fein tried to destroy us British of Northern Ireland and NI itself, anyway here are the official numbers.More than 3,500 people were killed in the conflict, of whom 52% were civilians, 32% were members of the British security forces and 16% were members of paramilitary groups. Irish Republican paramilitaries were responsible for some 60% of the deaths, loyalists 30% and British security forces 10%.
0:32 did he say ira instead of I R A lmao
Maybe it was something to do with Pedo ring witch was operating there ….
When was the new stone facade built then?
When you hear this kind of stories, it makes you appreciate a city, where you grew up, being safe. In my case, it was a very big, but completely safe and not poor city. P.S. The attackers were insane.
Believe it or not it was safer back in the day. Now Belfast is full of people taking drugs in the city centre. You wouldn’t have got that years ago. But I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Grew up in the troubles and it was normal for us.
You should know that a great number of the people of the 6 counties never saw any trouble at all. Just like in America (where we also have a home) one can live peacefully, as long as one stays out of gang-controlled areas, etc, it was the same in Ireland. As my mother used to say if there was a news report of rioters getting injured, “If they’d been at home, under their own roof or doing good somewhere, instead of throwing petrol bombs or bombing businesses belonging to BOTH catholics & protestants, they wouldn’t have been there to get into the crossfire in the first place”.
@Carte Postale yes I imagine that’s true, but a lot of people were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. If you lived in certain areas, it wasn’t really avoidable. I grew up down the falls, seen a lot, was caught up in a few hairy situations through no fault my own, some of them were at my place of work. Still, it was the norm for us, and we survived and knew no different. I still love Belfast. Catholics and Protestants have more in common than they think, and my best friends are Protestant and I love them dearly. We all eventually move on.
Was walking about fifty yards past it with Girlfriend when it was blown up, felt pressure on back of legs and glass from windows above fell around us but we did not get hurt.
“The Irish Minority who saw themselves as oppressed”
Saw themselves? By every definition of the word – they were.
Thankfully, no longer a minority either.
The Troubles in Belfast were a result of British occupation in Ireland – no two ways about it.
The Irish were oppressing Protestants, killing mothers, fathers and children though Sinn Fein say there was no alternative
Yes, including by their armed criminal masters, the PIRA.
@D S that was after it started go Learn some history little orange man ye should have stayed home
Colonial conflict.
criminal drugs gangs terrorising their own communities.
@Mikeprovisional ira were not involved in the sale of drugs same with the official ira and old ira. Unionists account for 60 percent of intimidation and drug sales still to this day
@Mikeuvf uda we’re backed by the British government it’s not a gang it’s a proxy for the royals
11:15 “massive damage to the nearby grand victoria railway station.” That should be Great Victoria Station.
Enormous shame it was not left in rubble with every unwanted British invader buried underneath it
We know it well
Still standing.
I stayed there last year cause I got a room bought as a gift. The fire alarms went off shortly after dinner service. Phenomenal stuff.
That’s no longer the case now.
Unionists are the clear minority in NI now therefore a United Ireland is inevitable.
@Mike Love stating the obvious … especially when the Unionists are living in denial after single handedly annexing themselves from the UK voting for Brexit..
You thought yous were getting a hard border but Westminster screwed yous over
Just Paddies in their eyes. 😄😄
People who identify as protestant are the minority, but more people still class themselves as British than people that class themselves as Irish and those that class themselves as Northern Irish are also more likely to vote remain part of U.K since many nationalists can’t even say Northern Ireland they say the North so no it doesn’t mean a United Ireland is inevitable it just means more people have stopped being Bible bashers
@ianestit has nothing to do with religion anymore anyway it’s nationality
@c Unionists aren’t the clear minority as more people in the census said they were British compared to those that said Irish, my point was the person with the original comment was getting the stats mixed up as there was a protestant minority in the census but not a unionist minority
@ianest did i say they are a minority? Why write all that when it has nothing to do with what I’m saying
I worked on the electrical installation way back then
The ira tryed to bomb us into a United Ireland and it never worked and the polls say nobody wants to leave the uk
No they didn’t the ira formed to protect catholics from Protestant violence then to push British soldiers out of Ireland. All of this was successful and got a shared government as a bonus.
Lol I played a gig in here. lovely Hotel !
The IRA didn’t target the hotel because “it was a symbol of progress in Belfast”🤦🏽♂️
My office is alongside The Europa, I can see it as I type. Billy Hastings really was amazing for just keeping on despite what happened.
I have to say though, I would have thought there would be a hotel in Beirut during the 1982 Lebanon War that got it worse in a shorter period! But that’s not Europe of course.
Stayed there in 1998.
Cess pool
Biased piece of journalism
Henry Kelly ravaged by booze? A test pilot for Johnnie Walker? What a wreck LOL
🇮🇪🇮🇪 psni nazis uvf ss battalions and your German royals should have stayed home. go mbeannaí Dia clann Éireann. ní bheidh an bua riamh ag ionróirí
Cringe
@Luke Anthony Evans go join your Jews. Ya supporting Jews in tons of comments Isn’t cringe no?😂
🤔Was haben die 72 versucht zu vertuschen??!!
finally a documentary on this
A completely bias documentary made by Brits
I hate how people use religion for pretext for war, god would never have created this beautiful planet and created life for all us to start killing each other, evil is connected with the devil 😈 and i belive its the devil and evil powers that create war and all things evil and we should resist doing evil things including war.
Wasn’t religion was equal rights and national liberation
Get your facts right ! The loyalist in Ireland are a minority group !
Nowadays the room pillows have mints on them rather than bombs under them.
Why is there still a lack of security in one of the most “bombed” hotels in Europe?
and now you got brexit 🙄 back to the Civil war potentially
Ireland wasn’t torn apart by a sectarian conflict, it was torn apart by British imperialism
I came up from Dublin in the 60’s to do s job in Belfast. We stayed in that hotel. Had a great time there. No problem.
The pints in that place were brutal
Londonderry is the only word in the English language with six silent letters🇮🇪🇮🇪
All this “documentary” did was highlight just how little British people know about the history of there own country. They love to teach there children about the atrocities committed by america or the ones committed by the ira but never about the ones committed by themselves in a vain attempt to sweep the empire under the rug.
May we never go back to these times 🇮🇪🇬🇧
I stayed there many years back and thought it was actually one of the best hotels I’ve been in. Very modern and sharp now.
Dr Phil brought me here.
THE MAN IS A GIANT. LOVE THE HOTEL AND THEIR STAFF.. SECOND TO NONE. HOSPITALITY SKILLS TO EVERYONE TREATED LIKE ROYALTY.. FREE BATH DUCK LOVED.. NO ONE FREE TO GROOM THEIR KIDS FOR GENERATIONS VIA FREE UK EDUCATION SYSEM BY SELECTION OF APHREID FAITH SCHOOLS DENIGHED THEIR CHILDREN EVER TO MIX EVEN IN 2023 WITH FELLOW CITIZENS KIDS THEIR WHOLE LIFE.. DIVISION SAME IN PARTS OF UK MAINLAND DOES NOT INCUR TEAM NI OR ANYWHERE ELSE.
Aren’t we blessed, we didn’t lose any of these wonderful journalist’s
I remember hearing Billy connolly talking about this hotel in 1 off his stand up shows years ago
As hard as Republican death squads tried, they could never break the resolve of the business community. And never will.
Irish Hotels are so full of migrants knock yourself out !
4:17 Martin bell said Derry. It always was Derry!
I love the Europa Hotel lots off fond memories x
For such a small province it was mayhem people getting abducted off the streets and slaughtered
A bomb is some kind of joke
Might want to stay the f&ck out of other countries G. Britain. Have a look see of Ukraine with Russian’s occupation. Happy St. Patrick’s Day though.
I’ll give that to the fenians, they made fcking great bombs.
Mostly Brit bombs , false flag
This is a beautiful documentary ..I’ll never be there my self but the video made it feel like it. Great watch ! Thank you
Nice documentary
I hope this video blows up
Hopefully we get an episode of this from newly freed Ukraine. I can only imagine the horrors going on in those hotels😢