Eddie Copeland

{{Short description|Irish republican}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox military person

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1970}}

| birth_place = Ardoyne, Belfast, Northern Ireland

| nickname = Bubbles{{Cite news |last=Manley |first=John |date=10 September 2015 |title=Who are the three republicans arrested? |url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/2015/09/10/news/who-are-the-three-republicans-arrested--257580/ |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=The Irish News}}

| branch = Provisional IRA

| branch_label = Paramilitary

| rank = Officer Commanding

| unit = 3rd Battalion, Belfast Brigade

| battles = The Troubles

| battles_label = Conflict

}}

Eddie Copeland is a prominent Irish republican from Belfast, Northern Ireland.{{Cite news |date=31 August 2001 |title=Prominent Republican denied bail |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2001/0831/18344-republican/ |access-date=19 July 2007 |work=RTÉ News}}

He joined the Provisional Irish Republican Army after the fatal shooting of his father by the British Army. John Copeland died on 31 October 1971, two days after being shot near his home in Strathroy Park in Ardoyne. John Copeland was not known to be affiliated with any paramilitary group.{{Cite web |last=Sutton |first=Malcolm |title=CAIN: Sutton Index of Deaths - C |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/victims/humanface/alpha/C.html |access-date=28 June 2017 |website=Conflict Archive on the Internet}}

Copeland has been the target of loyalist paramilitaries due to being an Officer Commanding of the Belfast Brigade's 3rd Battalion.{{Cite news |last=Holland |first=Jack |author-link=Jack Holland (writer) |date=16 February 2011 |title=A View North It’s 3 strikes — and they’re out |url=https://group.irishecho.com/2011/02/a-view-north-its-3-strikes-and-theyre-out-2/ |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=The Irish Echo}} In December 1996 he was seriously injured in an Ulster Defence Association car bomb attack at his home.{{Cite news |date=25 September 2002 |title=North Belfast woman on UDA hit list |url=https://republican-news.org/archive/2002/September19/18nord.html |access-date=19 July 2007 |work=An Phoblacht/Republican News}} He suffered leg and arm injuries but escaped with his life when loyalist paramilitaries planted a booby-trap beneath his car.{{Cite news |date=13 March 2003 |title=A series of articles from the Irish News marking the fourth anniversary of the murder of Rosemary Nelson. |url=https://mail.patfinucanecentre.org/cases/rosemary/030313in.html |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=19 July 2007 |work=The Irish News |via=Pat Finucane Centre}} The bomb had been made by Frankie Curry, who had been a leading figure in the Red Hand Commandos before becoming an independent dissident.{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Henry |author-link=Henry McDonald (writer) |title=UDA – Inside the Heart of Loyalist Terror |last2=Cusack |first2=Jim |publisher=Penguin Ireland |year=2004 |isbn=978-1844880201 |pages=287-88}} Copeland later received £60,000 in compensation for the injuries he received.{{Cite news |date=24 August 2001 |title=Senior Republican figure charged with kidnap |url=https://www.rte.ie/news/2001/0824/18138-republican/ |access-date=19 July 2007 |work=RTÉ News}}

On 8 February 1995, Andrew Clarke (27), a private in the British Army, was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court to ten years' imprisonment for the attempted murder of Copeland when he opened fire on mourners outside the home of deceased Provisional IRA Volunteer Thomas Begley in Belfast in October 1993.{{cite web |last=Melaugh |first=Martin |date=20 November 2024 |title=A Draft Chronology of the Conflict - 1995 |url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch95.htm |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=Conflict Archive on the Internet}}{{Cite news |date=10 September 2015 |title=Eddie Copeland: Provo godfather survived shooting by rogue soldier |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/eddie-copeland-provo-godfather-survived-shooting-by-rogue-soldier/31515140.html |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=Belfast Telegraph}}

On 19 May 1999, the Ministry of Defence was found guilty of negligence at Belfast High Court and Copeland was awarded £27,500 compensation for the injuries he received.{{Cite BAILII|litigants=Copeland v. Ministry of Defence|court=NIHC|year=1999|num=12|date=19 May 1999}}{{Cite news |last=MacDabhaid |first=Padraig |date=27 May 1999 |title=British held liable for soldier attack |url=https://republican-news.org/archive/1999/May27/27eddi.html |access-date=19 July 2007 |work=An Phoblacht/Republican News}}

In 2001, Copeland was refused bail at Belfast High Court on charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault and threatening to kill another person. The charges arose from the abduction of a man from a betting shop in Ardoyne. Copeland was later granted bail when the defendant retracted a sworn affidavit.{{Cite news |date=15 September 2001 |title=Kidnap charge man is bailed |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/kidnap-charge-man-is-bailed/28300766.html |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=Belfast Telegraph}} The charges were withdrawn in August 2002.{{Cite news |last=Oliver |first=Joe |date=22 June 2003 |title=IRA bosses force out godfather of terror |url=https://www.nuzhound.com/articles/Sunday_People/arts2003/jun22_top_republican_stood_down.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610203008/http://www.nuzhound.com/articles/Sunday_People/arts2003/jun22_top_republican_stood_down.php |archive-date=10 June 2015 |access-date=16 October 2016 |work=Sunday People |via=nuzhound.com |quote=But when the case came to trial last August the charges were withdrawn.}}

In December 2004, Copeland's house was searched by the Police Service of Northern Ireland as part of an investigation into the Northern Bank robbery.{{Cite news |date=24 December 2004 |title=Republican slams PSNI for bank raid house search |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-30181867.html |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=Irish Examiner}}{{Cite news |date=24 December 2004 |title=Police Target IRA Over Bank Heist |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2004/12/25/police-target-ira-over-bank-heist/7e9d1a25-1c86-4714-8219-bcb30254203a/ |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=The Washington Post}}

In September 2015, Copeland was arrested alongside Bobby Storey and Brian Gillen in relation to the murder of former Provisional IRA member Kevin McGuigan.{{Cite news |last=Moriarty |first=Gerry |date=13 September 2015 |title=Bobby Storey: The IRA is ‘stood down’ and has left stage |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bobby-storey-the-ira-is-stood-down-and-has-left-stage-1.2350112 |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=The Irish Times |quote=Mr Storey and two other senior republicans, Brian Gillen and Eddie Copeland, were arrested last week in connection with Mr McGuigan's murder and then released "unconditionally".}} All three were later released without charge.{{Cite news |date=10 September 2015 |title=Kevin McGuigan murder: Bobby Storey, Eddie Copeland and Brian Gillen released unconditionally |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/kevin-mcguigan-murder-bobby-storey-eddie-copeland-and-brian-gillen-released-unconditionally/31517624.html |access-date=6 April 2025 |work=Belfast Telegraph}}