[RC_Rua]

Hi, I'm a student with an interest in Irish history, particularly the events of the Troubles. My interest in history also mixes with my interest in film and writing. As I have a bit more free time during this Corona virus lock down, I finally have the opportunity to research more into the events of the Dublin and Monaghan bombing, and start writing a novel/screenplay based around the events. Again, I am just a student, and I am simply doing this as a sort of personal project. There is absolutely no guarantee that this novel/ screenplay ever gets fully written, I'm simply just being creative with this spare time.

My piece is set specifically in 1974, and around the events of the Dublin and Monaghan Bombing, however I am concentrating on County Monaghan. I was hoping that if anyone reading this had any information on the bomb that went off in Monaghan Town, such as eye witness accounts, documents or photos. I would also appreciate if anybody who lived in Monaghan during the 1970's could tell me what life was like? Were there British soldiers in County Monaghan? Did you ever experience any frightening encounters with soldiers or witnessed IRA/Loyalist activity in Monaghan Town? Was there ever any tensions between Monaghan civilians and British soldiers? What were teens/children like? I'm really curious to know what life was like during such a tense and devastating time.

Thank you.

[Blaaz_]

There was deffo no britz offially in county monahan (its in the free state)

[Del.Monte]

Originally Posted by Blaaz_

There was deffo no britz offially in county monahan (its in the free state)

It's in the Republic the Free State hasn't existed since the late 1930's.

[Blaaz_]

Originally Posted by Del.Monte

It's in the Republic the Free State hasn't existed since the late 1930's.

Meh...just what everyone out my way,calls it

[Jim2007]

Originally Posted by Blaaz_

Meh...just what everyone out my way,calls it

You obviously don't know many people then.... just you and your couple mates.

[LoughNeagh2017]

Even if there were soldiers in the south they would have been welcomed with open arms as southerners tend to be a pro partition people

[PCeeeee]

Originally Posted by LoughNeagh2017

Even if there were soldiers in the south they would have been welcomed with open arms as southerners tend to be a pro partition people

Aye yeah. British soldiers have always been welcome in 'the south'.

[riffmongous]

Mod: Enough. OP you need to do a bit more basic research first about the bombings and get the fundamentals right. Everyone else, cut the After Hours style posting.

[BalcombeSt4]

Originally Posted by Blaaz_

There was deffo no britz offially in county monahan (its in the free state)

Not officially but certainly unofficially.

Fred Holroyd & Collin Wallace claimed official British forces would cross the border on a regular basis, to plant explosives, drag suspects across the brder & arrest them, to carry out survelliance and in the case of John Francis Green who was staying in Castleblaney to murder people. According to Holroyd, Captain Nairac bragged about the Green murder.

About the 1972 & 73 Dublin bombings which killed three people & injured 185, the Taoiseach Jack Lynch said.

Well, my suspicions naturally are aroused more – we have no, as I said, indication who was responsible; and as it is now well known, a lot of people in Ireland believe that many of these unexplained activities and actions could well be related to British Intelligence or other activities of that nature

Then the Flagstaff hill stand off https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flagstaff_hill_incident
In May 1976 a combied force of Irish Army & Gardai arrested a 8 man SAS unit, they crossed into County Louth "by mistake£, they were armed with 4 Sterling SMG, Browning pistol, and a pump action shotgun, these were the type of weapons Loyalists used around this time especiallyte SMG & Brownig & the shotgun had beenused to kill a civilian named Seamus Ludow in Dundalk four days eaier.
The family of Seamus Ludow have said...

"No one has ever been charged in connection with his death. The family, who have campaigned for years to have the murder investigated, say there has always been speculation he was killed by either the British Army or loyalist paramilitaries paramilitaries ... [and] claimed gardaí failed to follow up on an important line of inquiry - that Mr Ludlow was the victim of either loyalists or the British forces who mistook him for a senior member of the IRA

And of course the Littlejohn Brothers who carried out fire bombings & robbed banks around Dublin as alleged MI6 agents around 1970/71. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Littlejohn

[BalcombeSt4]

Originally Posted by LoughNeagh2017

Even if there were soldiers in the south they would have been welcomed with open arms as southerners tend to be a pro partition people

29 August 1971: Battle of Courtbane, a British soldier (Ian Armstrong, aged 33) was shot dead by an IRA sniper near Crossmaglen, County Armagh. The soldier was travelling in a patrol consisting of two armoured Ferret Scout cars which inadvertently crossed the Irish border into County Louth near the village of Courtbane. While attempting to retreat back angry locals blocked their way and set one of the vehicles on fire. After eventually managing to get back across the border the patrol had to stop to change a damaged wheel.[citation needed] While this was happening a six-man IRA unit arrived on the scene and took up sniping positions in nearby fields. The soldier was killed after being shot in the neck. Another soldier was injured when he was struck in the shoulder.

some welcome party.

[BalcombeSt4]

Originally Posted by RC_Rua

Hi, I'm a student with an interest in Irish history, particularly the events of the Troubles. My interest in history also mixes with my interest in film and writing. As I have a bit more free time during this Corona virus lock down, I finally have the opportunity to research more into the events of the Dublin and Monaghan bombing, and start writing a novel/screenplay based around the events. Again, I am just a student, and I am simply doing this as a sort of personal project. There is absolutely no guarantee that this novel/ screenplay ever gets fully written, I'm simply just being creative with this spare time.

My piece is set specifically in 1974, and around the events of the Dublin and Monaghan Bombing, however I am concentrating on County Monaghan. I was hoping that if anyone reading this had any information on the bomb that went off in Monaghan Town, such as eye witness accounts, documents or photos. I would also appreciate if anybody who lived in Monaghan during the 1970's could tell me what life was like? Were there British soldiers in County Monaghan? Did you ever experience any frightening encounters with soldiers or witnessed IRA/Loyalist activity in Monaghan Town? Was there ever any tensions between Monaghan civilians and British soldiers? What were teens/children like? I'm really curious to know what life was like during such a tense and devastating time.

Thank you.

Monaghan is in the south not Northern Ireland. You would not have seen any uniformed & armed British soldiers on a foot patrol anywere in the county. The only Brit soldiers in Monaghan would have been undercover & you would not have known they were soldiers, same with Loyalists, if they were planting bombs you would not have noticed them they would be in normal clothes & not masked or carrying a Sten.

You might have seen the odd Irish army patrol around the border.

The only time you would have seen armed IRA men woud be at a IRA funeral, and there was a good few IRA men in Monaghan.




Thats usually the most you would see.

[Blaaz_]

Originally Posted by BalcombeSt4

Monaghan is in the south not Northern Ireland. You would not have seen any uniformed & armed British soldiers on a foot patrol anywere in the county. The only Brit soldiers in Monaghan would have been undercover & you would not have known they were soldiers, same with Loyalists, if they were planting bombs you would not have noticed them they would be in normal clothes & not masked or carrying a Sten.

You might have seen the odd Irish army patrol around the border.

The only time you would have seen armed IRA men woud be at a IRA funeral, and there was a good few IRA men in Monaghan.




Thats usually the most you would see.

I may be wrong,but was lynagh the last politian elected in the south/free state,who was killed/murdered??

[BalcombeSt4]

I'm afraid not, Eddie Fullerton who was a Sinn Fein councillor from Donegal who was shot dead in his home by the UDA/UFF in 1991.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Fullerton