james mcdade, we believe, - was laying a bomb at the telephone exchange in coventry when it blew up,nstantly. - i'm michael buerk, and in november 1974, i was a young network television new reporter on duty for the bbc. the ira were the irish republican army. they were a republican terrorist group whose political purposes were to achieve a united ireland and who, for six years by then, had instigated a campaign of terrorism, of bombing and murder. and there was a general air of tension right across the west midlands on the day. huge numbers were at the airport expecting something to happen, i and in the event, it happened in the city centre. _ we knew a few people in there. we knew stan bodman. ian had played football with his sons and gone to school with his sons. we knew the bar staff quite well cos we were quite regular in there and it was just a nice, relaxed atmosphere in the pub. the tavern was a downstairs pub and you immediately went into a deep underground bar. there were booths on the left, all interspersed with these wagon wheels which they'd used as decoration, really. st