The old Gortin bank bombed many times during the Troubles

WHAT began as a quiet Church of Ireland rectory in Gortin survived decades of turmoil and transformation.

Located on the village’s main street, the building was once the rectory for St Patrick’s Church and later became the site of a bank that endured some of the most turbulent years of the Troubles.

The earliest records show the house marked on an Ordnance Survey map in the early 1800s as the Church of Ireland rectory.

It served in that role for over 100 years, even as St Patrick’s Church itself was replaced during that time.

The first known resident was Reverend Mervyn Wilson, the parish curate. In its early days, the house was valued at £10 – equivalent to around £1,030 today.

After renovations in 1856, the house was occupied by various people, some clergy and some not, including dispensary doctor George R Givens around the turn of the 20th century.

Then, in 1911, the rectory was handed over to Ulster Bank. However, plans to convert the premises into a bank were delayed by strikes and shortages of materials, and it wasn’t until six years later, in 1917, that the branch finally opened.

William J Wilson was appointed its first manager.

Over time, the building was expanded to include new manager’s offices, toilets, a cloakroom, kitchen, pantry and five bedrooms.

The bank did not avoid the political tensions of the times.

In July 1921, a crowd gathered outside a couple’s home following a local ambush the previous day.

Among the crowd were Special Branch officer Robert Watson and Gortin Ulster Bank clerk Robert Foster.

Foster – with his face covered – allegedly barged into the house and demanded the husband be brought down ‘to be shot’.

Recognised by the man’s wife, Foster was told that a bank official ‘should not involve himself in politics’ – a remark which prompted him to flee.

As the Troubles escalated in the early 1970s, the Gortin bank became a frequent target.

In Christmas week of 1971, three armed men robbed the bank just after opening, ordering manager Samuel Crowe to open the safe.

They made off with ‘some hundred pounds’.

Two years later, a 45-pound bomb, placed in a five-gallon oil drum, destroyed the bank lobby and damaged nearby houses.

A masked man issued a warning via a local shopkeeper, who contacted manager William Hardy.

Hardy spotted the device on the windowsill and evacuated the premises.

Just a month later, another bomb – this time thrown from a car window – caused further destruction while the building was still undergoing repairs.

The bank survived multiple bombings through the 1970s, but the worst came in April 1980 when two devices exploded within ten minutes of each other.

The resulting fire gutted the building. Firefighters battled the blaze for seven hours, and manager Billy Hardy and his family were left homeless.

In 1987, gunmen stormed the bank, stole a sum of cash, and planted another bomb.

The quiet Tuesday afternoon raid was interrupted when an off-duty security force member opened fire as the men attempted to flee.

The assailants hijacked a car and fired shots during their getaway. The bomb, left inside a beer keg, exploded 15 minutes later. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries.

That marked the last of the violent attacks on the building.

In the years that followed, the branch became known for community involvement – organising fundraisers and supporting local sport.

But by the early 2010s, Ulster Bank announced plans to reduce its rural footprint, including the closure of 350 jobs and several smaller branches.

Gortin’s branch was one of those earmarked for closure and shut its doors in 2015, ending nearly a century of service in the village.

Today, a coffee shop – aptly named ‘The Auld Bank’ – now occupies the building,