| Castleblayney bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part ofthe Troubles | |
  Car bomb site | |
| Location | 54°07′12″N6°44′17″W / 54.120°N 6.738°W /54.120; -6.738 Castleblayney,County Monaghan,Republic of Ireland |
| Date | 7 March 1976 |
Attack type | Car bomb |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Injured | 17 |
| Perpetrators | Ulster Volunteer Force,Ulster Defense Regiment, part ofGlenanne gang |
On 7 March 1976 a car bomb exploded outside the Three Star Inn pub, inCastleblayney,County Monaghan, killing one man and injuring 17 other people. The attack has been attributed to theGlenanne gang.[1]
Since at least 5 August 1969,Ulster loyalists had been planting bombs across theIrish border[2] in theRepublic, most of them had been planted by theUlster Volunteer Force (UVF), a few had been planted by theUlster Freedom Fighters of theUDA, and at least one by theUlster Protestant Volunteers (UPV). These early bombs were small and only did small structural damage to a certain target.[3]
The worst of these bombings happened in May 1974 when 34 people were killed and 300 injured in theDublin and Monaghan bombings.[4]
On 14 February 1976, a month before the bomb at Castleblayney, a UVF bomb exploded in the main street of the small border town ofSwanlinbar inCounty Cavan. There were no injuries.[5]
At around 8.20pm, a car bomb, for which no warning had been given, exploded outside the Three Star Inn in Castleblayney, killing 56 year-old Patrick (Packie) Mone instantly. Patrick had a wife called Anna and was a bicycle-mechanic. Despite prompt medical attention, he died on his way to hospital in the ambulance. Additionally, 17 people were injured in the blast which caused much damage in the immediate vicinity.
Loyalist andGlenanne gang memberJohn Weir (who had been born and raised on the Loughbawn Estate in the south-west of County Monaghan) claimed Mone was not the intended target, the 8.20pm Derry-Dublin bus, which usually ran like clock-work, was the intended target; however, the bus was late by about two minutes. Weir also claimed that the attack was carried out byRUC officer Laurence McClure andUDR soldier Robert McConnell, using explosives provided by UDR Captain John Irwin and stored beforehand at James Mitchell's farmhouse. A memorial to Patrick Mone was erected near the site of the bombing in Castleblayney.[6][7]
On the 17 March, 10 days after the Castleblaney bombing, the Glenanne gang carried out another car bomb attack in theHillcrest Bar bombing which killed four more people (including two 13 year olds) and injured 50.[8]
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