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Gelignite (/ˈdʒɛlɪɡnaɪt/), also known asblasting gelatin or simply "jelly", is anexplosive material consisting ofcollodion-cotton (a type ofnitrocellulose or guncotton) dissolved in eithernitroglycerine ornitroglycol and mixed withwood pulp andsaltpetre (sodium nitrate orpotassium nitrate).
It was invented in 1875 by Swedish chemistAlfred Nobel, who also inventeddynamite. It is more stable than dynamite, but can still suffer from "sweating" or leaching out nitroglycerine.[1][2] Its composition makes iteasily moldable and safe to handle without protection, as long as it is not near anything capable of detonating it.
One of the cheapest explosives, it burns slowly and cannot explode without adetonator, so it can be stored safely.[3]
In the United Kingdom, an explosives certificate, issued by the local Chief Officer of Police, is required for possession of gelignite.[4] Due to its widespread civilian use inquarries andmining, it has historically been used by rebel groups such asMudiad Amddiffyn Cymru,[5] theProvisional Irish Republican Army[6] and theUlster Volunteer Force[7] who often used gelignite as abooster.
In the 1970s, Irish Industrial Explosives Limited produced 6,000 tonnes annually ofFrangex, a commercial gelignite intended for use in mines and quarries. It was produced at Ireland's largest explosives factory inEnfield, County Meath. TheGardaí and theIrish Army patrolled the area, preventing theIrish republicans from gaining direct access. However,republican paramilitaries indirectly acquired amounts of the material.
In early 1982 theIrish National Liberation Army stole 450 kg (1,000 lb) of Frangex commercial explosives from the Tara mines inCounty Tipperary, enabling the organisation to intensify its bombing campaign.[8] The INLA carried out its deadliest attack in December 1982 with thebombing of the Droppin' Well disco inBallykelly,County Londonderry, which catered to British military personnel, in which 11 soldiers on leave and six civilians were killed. A bomb, estimated to be 2.5 to 4.5 kg (5 to 10 lb) of Frangex explosive, small enough to fit into a handbag, was left beside a support pillar and brought down the roof when it exploded.[9]
At the time ofPIRA bomberPatrick Magee's arrest on 22 June 1985, 3.5 kilograms (8 lb) were found in his possession,[10] while 300 kilograms (660 lb) were discovered in ahijackedroad tanker in January 1976.[11] Gelignite material stolen by the IRA from quarries, farms and construction sites in the Republic was among the 48,000 lb (22 t) of explosives detonated in Northern Ireland in the first six months of 1973.[12] PIRA volunteer, later informer,Sean O'Callaghan estimated that planting 11 kg (25 lb) of Frangex would kill everyone within an 18-metre (60 ft) radius.[13]
TheReal IRA (RIRA) also acquired Frangex, and, in December 2000, eighty sticks were discovered on a farm inKilmacow, County Kilkenny, nearWaterford.[14]
