Five members of the band were travelling home after a performance at the Castle Ballroom in Banbridge, County Down, on Thursday 31 July 1975. The band members were ambushed by armed men disguised as British Army soldiers at a checkpoint. Unaware of the attackers’ true identity, the band was subjected to a fake inspection. A bomb was planted in their minibus with the intention of detonating it later. However, due to a premature explosion, two attackers were killed instantly. Subsequently, the remaining gunmen opened fire on the band members, resulting in the deaths of three musicians: Fran O’Toole, Brian McCoy, and Tony Geraghty. Bassist Stephen Travers survived by pretending to be dead, and saxophonist Des McAlea managed to escape detection. The attack had political motivations, as the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) aimed to implicate the band in a false bomb-smuggling plot and to create tension between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The bomb was ultimately intended to blow up and kill the band members over the border.

Tony had attempted to escape; but he was caught by the gunmen and shot twice in the back of his head and a number of times in the back. The victims had pleaded for their lives before they were shot; crying out “Please don’t shoot me — don’t kill me”.

The funeral of Tony was delayed to allow his brother Carl return from South Africa, where he had flown earlier in the week with his band – Bubble band, who  had planned a year long tour but Carl was unable to get back in time. His fiance Linda Hendricks from Landen Road, read at the funeral. Tony’s parents said a special prayer of forgiveness for his killers yesterday. A packed congregation at the funeral service at 10 a.m. Mass in the Church of St. Agnes, Crumlin, Dublin, was told by Father Desmond O’ Beirne that the family forgave everybody and wanted now to live as Ton would have wanted them to.  The singing was led by Miami founder Dickie Rock. Father Brian Darcy, who acted as chaplain to most of the showbands, gave a reading. As the hearse moved off to Mount Jerome Cemetery, it was followed by Tony’s parents,  Mr. and Mrs. Peter Geraghty. and their sons, Jimmy, Dermot and Larry. Show business personalities including Luke Kelly and Johnny McEvoy and Mr. Michael O’Toole, father of the murdered lead singer in the band, Fran O’Toole, were also there.  As the crowd stood at the graveside under a hot sun, Des McAlea, the band member who survived the carnage when he was thrown over a hedge by an explosion, was led away from the graveside weeping. Dozens of wreaths were placed on the freshly-dug grave.