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Welcome to the Ludlow family's website for the Seamus Ludlow Truth and Justice Campaign.
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On right is a photograph of Seamus Ludlow (47), Thistlecross, Mountpleasant, Dundalk, County Louth, who was abducted and murdered in County Louth, by UDR/Red Hand Commando on 2 May 1976.
This page features some press reports of Seamus Ludlow's murder from May 1976. These reports indicate how quiet and kind that Seamus Ludlow was in life. They also give an impression of the tense atmosphere that was prevalent along the border during the 1970s.
The first report is John Keane's article from the Sunday World, 16 May 1976. This report links Seamus Ludlow's murder to the activities of the SAS or the UVF at that time and points to Seamus Ludlow's alleged resemblance to a leading Provisional who was said to be his "double".
Mistaken identity theory in Santa Claus killing
He was the "double" of top Provo
From John Keane in Dundalk
Seamus Ludlow, the Dundalk "Santa Claus" whose bullet-riddled body was found near the border, two weeks ago, may have been murdered as a result of mistaken identity.
For I learned from inquiries that the popular sawmill worker, who had no involvement in politics, was the "double" of a top Provisional IRA man who is on the wanted list of both the S.A.S. and the outlawed Ulster Volunteer Force.
The Provisional to whom the dead man bore such a remarkable resemblance served for nine years in the British Army before joining the I.R.A. He is reckoned to be the Provos' top marksman.
The killer or killers are believed to have spotted Mr. Ludlow hitching a lift homewards from Dundalk while they themselves were driving towards the Border a few miles away.
Local people to whom I have spoken say that the sleeves of the murdered man's coat were ripped out. This could be relevant to the mistaken identity theory, for the Provo marksman they may have thought they had "lifted" is tattooed on both arms.
When I asked a Garda Spokesman if this could be confirmed, he replied: "After checking, this appears to have direct relevance to the State Pathologist's findings and we think it inappropriate at this stage to give details of the victim's clothing."
Both Official and Provisional Sinn Fein members living along the Border in County Louth say they are extremely worried about cross-Border incursions by both the U.V.F. and the S.A.S.
The U.V.F. are known to have highly accurate intelligence files on republicans in the Dundalk area.
It is believed that the Gardai are in possession of a British Army map of the North Louth area with the houses of republicans clearly marked out on them, and the Provos believe that the S.A.S. have a "death list" naming 30 of their members living in the Omeath, Flagstaff and Edentubber area.
Official I.R.A. sources say that members of their intelligence unit in Dundalk are aware of three "dummy runs" by would-be bombers from north of the Border over the past four weeks
On each occasion the selected target has been a bar in Dundalk's Clanbrassil St. which is known to be a republican meeting place.
The Officials say their men spotted a couple behaving suspiciously after entering the bar together and leaving by separate exits. They believe that the woman was in fact a man dressed up.
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This plaque now marks the spot where Seamus Ludlow's body was discovered on Sunday 2 May 1976. The photograph links to the recent independent report produced by British Irish RIGHTS WATCH.
This second article appeared in the Sunday Press, 9 May 1976, under the headline:
"Santa" NO CLUE Town is outraged.
The murderers of "quiet man" Seamus Ludlow - shot three times in the chest at close quarters and left slumped across a hedge a week ago - have left the children of Dundalk without their favourite Santa Claus.
For Seamus, a 48-year-old worker in a timber yard, was the man who for many years acted as Father Christmas to hundreds of young children in the Border town. He used to go from door to door in the big Marian Park estate for a number of years distributing presents on behalf of the local tenants' association. And he was also the number one Santa Claus in demand for functions throughout the town.
But it was not only the children of Dundalk who were appalled by his mystery murder last week. For Seamus Ludlow was a man with no enemies, who worked tirelessly on behalf of charitable organisations and was a friend to anybody who needed his help.
He was last seen alive shortly after midnight on Saturday night last outside Smith's garage just north of Dundalk. He was thumbing a lift, as he had done countless times before, to his home at Thistlecross, Culfore, a few miles away.
But this time he never reached home. His body was found around three p.m. on Sunday thrown across a hedge in a narrow laneway about half a mile from his home, on the Dundalk-Newry road.
About £7 was found in his pocket, his shoes were clean and there were no signs of a struggle - facts which lead the 30-strong murder investigation team operating from Dundalk Garda Station to believe that he may have been murdered elsewhere and dumped near his home.
No idea
Supt. Dan Murphy of Dublin Castle, one of the principal officers involved in the investigation, said in Dundalk yesterday: "We still have no idea of the motive of this murder. We are conducting house to house inquiries by way of questionnaires over a wide area.
The late Mr. Ludlow, who was not married, lived with his 80-year-old widowed mother, Mrs. Annie Ludlow, and one of his three sisters, Mrs. Nan Sharkey. Every week when he got his wages, he dutifully handed them to his mother and she gave him back an "allowance". Said Mrs. Sharkey, mother of ten children, yesterday: "It has been a terrible shock to all the family and, indeed, to the town. Seamus was so good, he never did anybody any harm in his life. He was always playing jokes on the children, who adored him.
"He had a bad chest and had been off work for six weeks, only returning to work over a week before his death. He was a great singer and mouth organ player and loved to go and have a couple of pints after work."
Narrow lane
One of his two brothers, Mr. Kevin Ludlow of Marian Park, said: "Seamus was too good to live. He was so well-known and loved and had no enemies. He was not involved in any organisations, political or otherwise. Personally, I think whoever killed him knew him because only somebody from around the area would know of the existence of this narrow laneway, which was almost covered with briars. I also think more than one person was involved, from the way my brother's body was thrown onto the hedge, I cannot understand why anybody would want to do such a terrible thing to him."
The dead man's nephew, Jimmy Fox (16), who worked with him at the timber yard of Mr. Danny Phillips at Ravensdale, said: "Uncle Seamus never got into arguments and was an honest hardworking man. If they had known him for half a day, they would never have killed him. He was full of fun and trickery."
Appeal
Meanwhile, as the gardai last night stepped up their investigations, Supt. Murphy renewed a garda appeal for help from the public in solving the mystery murder. He said: "Mr. Ludlow was thumbing a lift on the road for some time, he had to be picked up, killed and then dumped from the car. Somebody must have seen or heard something. No matter how trivial any information may seem, we would like to have it.
"From our investigations so far, nobody heard any shots. The crucial period would seem to be between midnight and 1.30 a.m. and around that time about 600 people would have been leaving a dance at nearby Ballymascanlan Hotel.
"We still hope somebody may have heard something," said Supt. Murphy, who is heading the murder hunt, together with chiefs Supt. Andrew Murtagh and Supt. Richard Fahy.
In
this photograph Kevin Ludlow examines the above quoted newspaper cuttings from
1976 which carried reports of his brother's murder. Kevin is the
only surviving brother of Seamus Ludlow. He has spearheaded the search for truth
for many years. On many occasions he was told lies by gardai in Dundalk. They
told him that a named member of the Ludlow family was involved in the murder of
his brother; that the IRA was responsible for the crime; and that there was no
new evidence linking the murder of Seamus Ludlow to any other group. In fact,
there was new evidence as far back as 1979, if not much earlier. Kevin Ludlow
demands an explanation and an apology for these foul lies.
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Copyright © 2001 the Ludlow
family. All rights reserved.
Revised: March 20, 2001 .