ESPN 30 for 30 Soccer Stories - Ceasefire Massacre

Running on the treadmill, I watched Ceasefire Massacre. This is one of the 30 for 30 soccer stories that ESPN was running leading up to the 2014 World Cup. An episode guide is here.


On June 18, 1994 in Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Ireland had its opening World Cup match against Italy. At the half, the Irish have taken a surprising 1-0.

The electrifying mood of the Irish fans in the stadium is shared by the supporters watching the match in the Heights Bar, a tiny pub in the tiny Northern Irish village of Loughinisland, 24 miles south of Belfast. Shortly after the second half begins, two masked gunmen belonging to a Protestant terror group burst into the Heights Bar. Thirty rounds are fired and six innocent men watching a soccer match were killed.

Twenty years later, the killers have not been found. Additionally, the film suggests that there are lingering questions about the British Governments role in the attack.