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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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.
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😢
Former BBC propagandist 4.30
Pedo hotel
In the mid 90's the owners spent £8m on renovations that made it bomb proof. Shortly after there was a ceasefire and then the peace process. 🤷
Oh to be a glazer back then , imagine the kick backs 😂
I dare to arguem, how about Sarajevo's Holiday Inn hotel…
“The Irish minority who saw themselves as oppressed” ? They were oppressed.
I pooed my pants cos of bad pint of Guinness…Poo (human) smeared all over…chunks in it….poor cleaner …chunky n runny n hot
Most bombed hotel in the world not europe
English man Oliver Cromwell legacy Northern Ireland
💣😧
i had lunch in the Europa belfast today
“The IRA bombed it because it was a symbol of progress” followed by posh English accents talking about how much they loved it. Rly disappointed by this coverage
RIP Henry Kelly who only died two weeks ago.
they're only doing this because it's not a person being wronged, the energy supplier is the "victim" and it's the public that tells them where to raid.
It was more about national identity than religion/sectarianism imo
At 17:40 a bird falls from the sky after the blast the back of the Europa. Right side of the screen right in front of the camera.
AJ zi's puppets
No hope for the future until BRITS OUT OF IRELAND. Funny to me that many, many brits have Irish ancestry.. not so much on the opposite side. Realpolitik though, what interest does the UK even have in 2025 at keeping Ireland divided? They essentially gave up all of their colonial empire but still want to stick it to their own brothers. I'm roughly half Irish, half English, germanic/swede a bit. So this lives within me haha
Gerri Adams
It wasnt sectarian it was a response to colonization