#Dublin and Monaghan bombings

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1974 – Three car bombs in Dublin and a fourth in Monaghan exploded without warning, injuring almost 300 people and killing 34, the greatest loss of life on a single day during the Troubles.

On the morning of 17 May 1974, four cars are stolen in Belfast. That evening, they would explode without warning in Dublin and Monaghan resulting in the deaths of 34 civilians and injuries to more than 300. The bombings were the worst single atrocity in Ireland during the “Troubles.” The bombings were a Loyalist reaction to the Sunningdale Agreement and attempts to introduce power sharing between…

[streetsofdublin]

MEMORIAL AT TALBOT STREET

The Dublin and Monaghan bombings of 17 May 1974 were a series of co-ordinated bombings in counties Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland. T

[dougielombax]

50 years ago today.

17th May 1974.

34 innocent people (all civilians) were killed when the UVF (a loyalist terrorist group backed by the British govt who from their inception were set up to kill as many civilians and innocent people as possible, since they viewed Irish people as being inherently evil and subhuman, which we are NOT!), operating in collaboration (collusion is the preferred term for some) with the British government set off numerous car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan.

These bombings were carried out during the Ulster Worker's Council Strike by loyalists and unionists in Northern Ireland, who opposed the Sunningdale Agreement, that called for power-sharing with Irish nationalists.

The bombings left 34 people dead and hundreds more injured.

The Irish government of the time practically bowed down in response to British demands to stop the investigation into the bombings. Like a bunch of cowardly old women.

Their response at the time (or lack thereof?) was and still is BEYOND shameful. A textbook display of bootlicking cowardice.

Followed by the usual policy for the time of turning a blind eye to the suffering of the Irish in the north, tut-tutting at the PIRA and even blaming them for British attacks. All while washing their hands of the matter and parroting the British state’s propaganda.

Above: A memorial to the victims of the bombings in Dublin.

A campaign by families of the victims led to an Irish govt inquiry in 2003 under Justice Henry Barron, that criticized the Garda Síochána's investigation as well as the inaction of then Labour Govt.

Many idiotic Irish politicians and revisionists today insist that the bombings either didn’t happen, or were an accident or were committed by Sinn Fein. (They were not)

None of which are true.

Reports have stated that there is a VERY high likelihood of British security and intelligence services being involved alongside the UVF.

But the British government refuses to release the documents to this day.

I’m posting this here today 50 years on from the bombings because I believe in accountability.

(Also because I study history but that goes without saying)

Reblog the shit out of this.

[dirjoh-blog]

Remembering the Victims of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.

The Dublin and Monaghan bombings were a series of coordinated bomb attacks that took place on May 17, 1974, during the Troubles in Ireland. These attacks are considered the deadliest in the history of the conflict, resulting in the highest number of casualties on a single day. 34 people were killed that day, 33 civilians and an unborn child. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a loyalist…

[bonos-grindcore-sideproject]

Found your husband, @rebelacrobat!

From u2songs.com: Larry Mullen laid a wreath at the ceremony in Dublin marking the 50th anniversary of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings [May 17 2024].

Full video and article here. This was the bombing U2 referenced in "Raised By Wolves."

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.17 (after 1970)

1973 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate. 1974 – The Troubles: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. 1974 – Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall. 1977 – Nolan Bushnell opened the first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese) in San Jose, California. 1980 – General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations. 1980 – On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in Chuschi (a town in Ayacucho), starting the Internal conflict in Peru. 1983 – The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request. 1983 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. 1984 – Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture. 1987 – Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew. 1990 – The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases. 1992 – Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests. 1994 – Malawi holds its first multi-party elections. 1995 – Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage. 1997 – Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2000 – Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen 2004 – The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts. 2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef. 2007 – Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953. 2010 – Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan's Shakardara District, killing 44. 2014 – A military plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.

[tenaciousgay]

Since you mentioned it.

I’ve always noticed that ANYONE in Ireland what says that democracy is bad is usually a far-right leaning Justin Barrett (ooh I HATE that little man!)-type person with a nasty vindictive worldview and a very bigoted outlook in general.

You know the type. Nasty miserable middle aged bullies and wannabe dictators who think and insist that they will be the One to lead us all.

No they won’t, get off the fucking bin and stop spouting deranged speeches! They make the Golden Dawn fuckers (a GHASTLY, delusional far right political party in Greece made up of murderous fascists led by a convicted criminal) sound positively coherent by comparison.

Also I noticed yet more silence from FFG on the Dublin-Monaghan bombings anniversary today. At least beyond their usual damage control mythmaking and revisionism.

For all their talk of maturity I’d say it rings hollow. Maybe they don’t like to be reminded that they didn’t too SHIT to help the north and its people, or their own citizens in the case of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings.

The British intelligence services told the loyalists what to do, and the stupid Irish govt let it happen, and blamed Sinn Fein for it like a bunch of cowardly old women.

I've even seen the likes of them repeat the "democracy doesn't work" line you usually get from American neo nazis (well, their dogwhistles which essentially mean that. They hate democracy). It's why, given the evidence of the similarity in rhetoric during the pandemic over masks and the lockdown, I believe the far right world wide is, at the very least, communicating together. They aren't as independent and strong alone as they pretend to be and preach. Not to mention a lot of money finds its way to them from the less democratic countries of the world (cough* looking at you Putin *cough*).

Yeah. It was their usual prepared bollocks they claim are speeches to be quoted on the news. Clearly the individuals don't care, but they have to pretend to care. As if turning up to events as part of the job is such a hassle. Why continue to be a politician if you don't like the less pleasant parts?

[jackbyrnewriter]

Remembering the 34 people who lost their lives on this day 49 years ago in the Dublin/Monaghan bombings.

Paddy thought he was above and beyond politics, wine women and song, and a bit of rough and tumble, he was man’s man. Until history came calling in the shape of devastating bombs. I included this chapter in my novel Across The Water for those English readers who thought the British were always the good…

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in Irish History | 17 May:

1650 – Oliver Cromwell’s army is defeated in the second assault on Clonmel, suffering its heaviest losses. The following day, the Mayor of Clonmel negotiates honourable terms for surrender with Cromwell, who did not realise that O’Neill and his soldiers had left the town. Annoyed at being outwitted, Cromwell nevertheless keeps to the terms. 1730 – Elizabeth, widow of William Molyneux, marries…

[seachranaidhe]

Mid Ulster Brigade Ulster Volunteer Force

This Portadown mural combines the Ulster Volunteers of 1912 with the contemporary UVF. The panels show “UVF gun-smuggler 1913”, “Firearms training 1913”, and “Sir Edward Carson about to address troops at Portadown railway station” while the roll of honour lists modern-day volutneers Joey Neill, Horace [Harris] Boyle, Wesley Summerville [Somerville], Derek McFarlane, Jackie Marshall, Wilson…

[tiarnanabhfainni]

i don't even like sinn féin that much but the handwringing from thatcherites over their electoral success is really too much to bear

"look at me im a british journalist, i think the ira were bad but that government collusion with murderers like the shankill butchers was an unfortunate consequence of intelligence work 😞"

[dougielombax]

I meant to ask, how is the local elections going? Is there any sort of election fuckery going on from the parties involved and from any poll makers?

Also, the news is talking about the bombings, yet they haven't mentioned who done it. It's still made out the IRA bombed Dublin and Monaghan here, even if FFG isn't implicitly stating that.

I haven’t heard much. There’s election posters all over the place.

And yes I did hear about that. They still parrot the old myth that it was the IRA who did it.

When it was the loyalists who did it all while the gutless free state government looked the other way and let it happen.

[brian-in-finance]

After 15 years of acting on screen, Dublin-born and Monaghan-raised Caitriona Balfe has finally landed a role playing what she calls a “proper Irish person”. In Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical black-and-white drama Belfast, Balfe portrays a character known only as Ma. She is the mother of nine-year-old Buddy (Jude Hill), a boy grappling with what it means to be a Protestant living in Belfast as the Troubles erupt in the late 1960s.

“Looking for something to do in Ireland as a job, you come across so many scripts about ideology that romanticise violence,” says Balfe. “That was never something I wanted to do. With this script, I realised I got to tell a story in a way that really honours the people and what they went through, without glorifying the violence.

“In Money Monster I was playing Irish,” she says, with reference to the 2016 Jodie Foster-directed feature starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts, “but somebody who had lived in America for a long time. This is the first time I’ve played a proper Irish person. When you go home, you want it to be for the right thing. You want it to be good.”

History lessons

Belfast — which is produced by Branagh, Laura Berwick, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, with backing from Northern Ireland Screen — premiered at Telluride and won the people’s choice award at Toronto International Film Festival. While the feature is based on Branagh’s early years prior to his family moving to England, the director was keen for his cast to draw on their own rich and varied associations with Irish history.

“Ken got us together in the beginning and had us share a lot about our childhoods and our parents, looking at how they raised us, and would react to certain circumstances,” recalls Balfe. “He was pulling things out in terms of what he wanted us to bring into our performance. It helped us get to know each other in a very intimate way, very quickly.”

Jamie Dornan (Pa, husband to Balfe’s Ma) and Ciaran Hinds (Buddy’s grandfather) both grew up around Belfast, while Judi Dench (Buddy’s grandmother) was raised in England to an Irish mother and a father who had lived in Dublin.

Monaghan, the county where Balfe grew up, sits just beneath the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. “Growing up in the borders, it [the Troubles] all felt very immediate,” says Balfe of her early years. “We had bomb scares. As a child I felt shaped by what was going on.”

She was brought up Catholic but describes herself as “very happily lapsed”. Even so, did any reservations creep in about playing a Northern Irish Protestant?

“Where I grew up was predominantly an area that would be quite sympathetic to the cause [the republican movement]. We moved up there [from Dublin] when I was a baby because my dad was a Garda sergeant, so I was raised to be apolitical and not be part of that, and I went to an integrated secondary school.

“Religion never factored into my thinking of who Ma was,” Balfe continues. “The only time it was ever an issue is in one scene where Ma comes out of the house chasing Buddy after he’s stolen some dishwasher powder. I’m shouting, ‘Holy mother of God’, and Ken comes up to me and says, ‘That’s a bit Catholic. It would only be, ‘Holy God’.’ That goes to show how ridiculous the battle between Catholics and Protestants is — a difference between ‘Holy mother of God’ and ‘Holy God’.”

Improvisation was encouraged by Branagh. “Ken loved getting us to riff. Improvising with Judi Dench was insane. It was lovely to have such freedom.” Balfe was known only as Ma in the script, and she chose not to think of a character name, in keeping with the story being from Buddy’s point of view.

“The perspective was often from the child’s eye. There would be scenes between myself and Jamie that were quite intense, but the camera would be in the other room and we’d just be in the background. There was something freeing about that — it becomes a mini piece of theatre where you don’t have to think about the camera.”

In preparation for the role, Balfe watched interviews on YouTube of working-class Belfast women from the period to harness the city’s accent, as well as embarking on “quite extensive” dance lessons with Dornan ahead of the film’s jubilant jigs. “Jamie and I bonded over that,” grins Balfe. “There’s no better way of getting to know someone than standing on their feet a couple of times.”

Filming took place in England in August and September 2020 (shots of Belfast and its harbour did not require the cast). The sets consisted of one near Farnborough airport in Hampshire, southwest of London, and another in an old boarding school in Berkshire. “I still haven’t been able to actually film on Irish soil,” notes Balfe.

Building experience

Owing to being tied up with leading Starz series Outlander since 2014, on which Balfe also serves as a producer and has recently shot its sixth season in Scotland, the actress feels she “doesn’t have the most extensive CV”.

She began studying drama in her late teens at the Dublin Institute of Technology, but left having been scouted by a modelling agent. A prolific runway career followed, although acting remained her calling. She spent two years in Los Angeles taking acting classes with the likes of Judith Weston, who has also worked with Ava DuVernay and Taika Waititi, to propel her into the industry. Roles followed in features including Super 8, Ford v Ferrari and Now You See Me.

“You’re sort of born with a desire [to act],” she muses. “I remember being four or five years old, running around doing Margaret Thatcher impressions. I was child number four, so I was also probably starved of some attention.”

Now, Balfe has been bitten by the filmmaking bug. “I would love to direct and produce. I’m in development with a book I optioned called Here Is The Beehive [by Sarah Crossan], to be made into a film. Ken’s been very encouraging.

“You have to be the master of your own destiny in the industry these days. There is a lot of stuff getting made, but it’s hard as a woman of this age [42],” Balfe admits. “The roles aren’t that plentiful. As an actor, you can’t dwell — if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. If it’s not, you’ve got to move on.”

Remember… we moved up there (the borders) [from Dublin] when I was a baby because my dad was a Gard sergeant, so I was raised to be apolitical and not be a part of that, and I went to an integrated secondary school. — Caitríona Balfe

Will update with a clearer second page when available

Updated the next day with full text

[thefivedemands]

CELEBRATO A DUBLINO IL 45°ANNIVERSARIO DELLE VITTIME DI DUBLINO E MONAGHAN. LE FAMIGLIE ANCORA SENZA GIUSTIZIA Era il 17 maggio 1974 quando un totale di quattro bombe lealiste, tre a Dublino e una a Monaghan, esplosero senza preavviso provocando 33 vittime.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 5.17

1395 – Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army. 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason. 1527 – Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Florida with 600 men – by 1536 only four survive. 1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason. 1536 – Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's marriage is annulled. 1590 – Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland. 1642 – Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve founds the Ville Marie de Montréal. 1648 – Emperor Ferdinand III defeats Maximilian I of Bavaria in the Battle of Zusmarshausen. 1673 – Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River. 1756 – Seven Years' War formally begins when Great Britain declares war on France 1760 – French forces besieging Quebec retreat after the Royal Navy arrives to relieve the British garrison. 1792 – The New York Stock Exchange is formed under the Buttonwood Agreement. 1805 – Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt. 1809 – Emperor Napoleon I orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire. 1814 – Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian. 1814 – The Constitution of Norway is signed and Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly. 1859 – Members of the Melbourne Football Club codified the first rules of Australian rules football. 1863 – Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language. 1865 – The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris. 1875 – Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby with the jockey Oliver Lewis (2:37.75). 1900 – The children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, is first published in the United States. The first copy is given to the author's sister. 1902 – Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer. 1914 – The Protocol of Corfu is signed, recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty. 1915 – The last British Liberal Party government (led by H. H. Asquith) falls. 1933 – Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway. 1937 – Spanish Civil War: The Largo Caballero government resigns in the wake of the Barcelona May Days, leading Juan Negrín to form a government, without the anarcho-syndicalist CNT, in its stead. 1939 – The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States' first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City. 1940 – World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium. 1943 – World War II: Dambuster Raids commence by No. 617 Squadron RAF. 1954 – The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, outlawing racial segregation in public schools. 1967 – Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt. 1969 – Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure. 1973 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate. 1974 – The Troubles: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. 1974 – Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall. 1977 – Nolan Bushnell opened the first ShowBiz Pizza Place (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese) in San Jose, California. 1980 – General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations. 1980 – On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in Chuschi (a town in Ayacucho), starting the Internal conflict in Peru. 1983 – The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request. 1983 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. 1984 – Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture. 1987 – Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew. 1990 – The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases. 1992 – Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests. 1994 – Malawi holds its first multi-party elections. 1995 – Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage. 1997 – Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo. 2000 – Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen 2004 – The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts. 2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef. 2007 – Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953. 2014 – A military plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.

[bondsmagii]

Welsh and Scottish people who join the British army fucking baffle me. Even more the ones (like my dad, unfortunately) that are like “oh yeah Irish people really appreciate all that we did over there in the recent years” and every Irish person ever is just like 👁👄👁

this is absolutely hilarious to me like what? is this actually what soldiers in the British Army think? out of interest did your father actually serve in Ireland or like... I mean, is this just the Party Line? is this what newer recruits are being told about what went on over there? I’m absolutely baffled.

“all that we did over there in the recent years” holy shit lmao alright let’s have a round up shall we?

Shit British Soldiers Did in Ireland in Recent Years (that we apparently appreciate?)

shot 14 people dead at a peaceful civil rights rally in Derry.

the entirety of the shoot-to-kill policy, where vague suspicion was enough to shoot someone dead (needless to say, Irish Catholics made up these numbers).

internment, where hundreds of people were mass arrested and interned indefinitely without trial.

colluded with loyalist paramilitary forces to help them abduct, shoot, and bomb targets in the Catholic community; these people often received tip-offs from inside the security forces and were allowed to escape/remained unbothered in subsequent “investigations”.

there’s strong evidence to suggest the British Army assisted the UVF (a loyalist paramilitary force) in carrying out the bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, resulting in the deaths of 34 people. as this occurred in the Republic, which is technically a different country, this was an overt act of war.

continual harassment and intimidation of people they suspected to be supporters or a united Ireland, and also the continual harassment and intimidation of families who had loved ones murdered by soldiers. taunting and threats about killing more members of the same family were common.

total indifference to the Catholic community; the British Army were supposed to be there as peacekeepers but were frequently observed to do absolutely nothing when Catholics were being harassed, assaulted, and run/burned out of their homes. of course they would intervene the second any Catholics tried to retaliate or defend.

assisted in and covered up the literal torture that occurred in barracks and interrogation centres; treatment included beatings, sleep deprivation, continual interrogations, and even sexual assault.

tell your da that Miceál from Crossmaglen says stick your appreciation up your hole!