Those who were close to the victims of the bombs in Dublin and Monaghan have spoken of the anguish and sorrow they’ve endured over the last half-century. The most significant single-day death toll during the Troubles was 33 persons, including a nine-month-pregnant woman, who were slain in loyalist assaults. Dublin had their memorials first, and Monaghan will have its later on Friday.
The children of Catherine Doyle and Sandra O’Brien—Anne-Marie and Jacqueline—and their sister Anna and brother John—all perished in the events that took place in Dublin. With three explosions in the Irish capital, the most significant number of casualties of any day during the Troubles occurred on this day due to four vehicle bombs. After 19 years had passed with no charges brought against anybody, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist paramilitary organization, confessed responsibility for the assaults.
Members of the Irish government, including President Michael D. Higgins, Taoiseach Simon Harris, and Tánaiste Micheál Martin, laid wreaths during a memorial service for the victims in Dublin. At 18:45, there will be a commemorative celebration in Monaghan. President Higgins said that they were forced to bear the grief of those tragic events and, in addition, have had to bear the long wait for information.
Justice for the Forgotten is a movement that requires the truth about the bombings to be revealed. Aidan Shields, who was a member of the group, lost his mother, Maureen.
One of the victims of the explosion in Monaghan was Patrick Askin, a Glaslough resident with four little children. She was raised by her mother, who was devastated and had to shoulder the burden of raising her small family on her own. Survivors and relatives of those killed have been suing the British government for years on allegations of bombing conspiracy.
Although the bombs were long since forgotten, they had a profound effect on the area’s family structures and psyche.
