[1] Declan Arthurs joined the East Tyrone Brigade of the Provisional IRA in 1982 in the wake of Martin Hurson's death on the 1981 Irish Hunger Strike.

At the time he joined so did other young men from the same area, like Tony Gormley, Eugene Kelly, Seamus Donnelly and Martin McCaughey.

[2] They also bombed hotels and other businesses in Kildress, Ballyronan, Dungannon and Cookstown[3][4][5][6] Arthurs took part in two of the Provisional IRA's biggest attacks of the 1980s.

The Loughgall ambush was planned to be a carbon copy attack of the bombing of The Birches barracks and the IRA expected no resistance.

[10] Declan Arthurs is buried in St John's Cemetery, Galbally beside IRA Volunteer Seamus Donnelly who also died in the Loughgall ambush.